The elevated boardwalk out over the cypress swamp — gator water, giant trees, and dark reflections.
Along here is one of the park's treasures — the cypress swamp catwalk, an elevated boardwalk that carries you right out over the black water and among the giant cypress trees. Pull off and walk it if you can; it's one of the great short walks in Florida. Out there the cypress rise straight out of the tea-colored water on their flared, buttressed trunks, their 'knees' poking up all around, and the whole swamp is mirror-still and draped in moss and absolutely alive.
This is prime alligator water, so you may well see them from the safety of the boardwalk — logs that suddenly have eyes — along with turtles, wading birds, and a hundred kinds of smaller life. It is dim and cool and a little primeval out there, exactly the kind of place a Hollywood director would call a jungle. Keep your hands and your children on the boardwalk, take your time, and let the swamp show itself to you.
Photo: Brandon Moore (Raskuly) · CC BY 4.0
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