Big Cypress National Preserve · Florida

Gator Hook Trail

2.3 mi of trail, end to end · 6 ft–7 ft · hiking

Trailhead Gator Hook Trailhead 6 ft Drive there

Gator Hook Trail the Park Service's write-up

2-4 Hours · no dogs

Start Gator Hook Trailhead - Loop Road

Exploring the swamp requires getting your feet wet. The five-mile roundtrip Gator Hook Trail offers such an opportunity. The trail begins along an elevated logging tram, but soon enters ankle to knee-deep water. For some, the water may rise to hip height. This scenic, moderately strenous hike, is unlike any other in Big Cypress National Preserve. You will become immersed in the resource (literally and figuratively), and experience something that very few visitors do - a wet hike through the cypress swamp.

Accessibility This trail is a moderately strenuous hike which involves hiking through several inches to 4 feet of water. Individuals who attempt this trail should be in good health and highly mobile. Footing can be uneven in spots where the water has dissolved the limestone. Visitors should use care when walking across the exposed limestone as it can be uneven and slippery. Hiking poles or walking sticks are suggested and sturdy footwear.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.