Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: A Boardwalk Through Florida’s Ancient Cypress

Tucked into the wilds west of the Big Cypress near Naples, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary offers something increasingly rare in Florida, a walk among trees that were already old when the first Spanish ships appeared.

Run by the National Audubon Society, the sanctuary protects one of the largest stands of old growth bald cypress left in North America. Some of these giants have stood for five hundred years or more, their buttressed trunks rising from the dark water like the columns of a flooded cathedral.

A gentle boardwalk just over two miles long loops through the heart of it, so you can explore without getting your feet wet. Along the way you might spot wood storks nesting, alligators drifting in the shallows, painted buntings flashing through the brush, and, if you are very lucky, the famous ghost orchid blooming high on a trunk.

The sanctuary changes with the seasons. In the wet months the swamp brims and shimmers, while the dry season concentrates wildlife around shrinking pools and brings spectacular bird watching.

Corkscrew is quiet by design. There are no rides or gift shop crowds, just the hush of an ancient forest and the calls of birds overhead. It is one of the best places in the state to slow down and feel what wild Florida was like before the highways arrived.

Official page: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (National Audubon Society)