Kirby Storter Roadside Park

An easy half-mile boardwalk (one mile out and back) on the south side of US-41 between mile markers 62 and 63 — the most immersive walk in Big Cypress you can do without wet boots. The planks start in open wet prairie, tighten into pond cypress hung with bromeliads and Spanish moss, then open onto a mature cypress dome ringing a permanent alligator hole at the far end. Wildlife concentrates at that pond in the dry season (December–April): gators, wood storks, great egrets, ibis, sometimes river otter. Wheelchair-wide throughout with benches, no fee, and quieter than H.P. Williams — most Trail traffic drives past without knowing it's there.

What to order

Walk it early — the boardwalk runs south into the swamp and the low light through the cypress at sunrise is the payoff, plus wildlife is most active before the heat builds. Allow 30–45 minutes round trip with photo stops. Bug spray year-round; the interior dome holds mosquitoes even when the parking lot feels dry.

Hours

Daily, one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset