Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the second largest wetland complex in the United States. It is also a Wetland of International Importance due to its value on international scale.
Native peoples lived in this area for more than 2,000 years, including the Weeden Island cultures, Timucuans, Creeks, and Seminoles. They called the great swamp Oka-fenoke in the Creek language, meaning “water-shaking.”
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
2025 Price: Free due to my Annual Pass (Fee would have been $5 per vehicle for day use)
Activities include hiking, boating, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, and camping.
There are several access points with a mix of swamp and upland forest habitats. We focused our first visit on the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area. This area has 7 hiking trails ranging from 0.25 miles to 1.5 miles. We hiked 5 of them, all along Swamp Island Drive auto tour.
Canal Diggers Trail
This 0.7-mile loop is one of the few trails with elevation changes. Canal Diggers Trail is on the easy side of moderate difficulty due to elevation changes, tree roots, and wooden bridges. The path follows the remnants of the Suwannee Canal through pine uplands and cypress wetlands.
We spotted American robins, Carolina wrens, downy woodpeckers, eastern towhees, pileated woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, tufted titmice, and yellow-rumped warblers among the trees.
History
In 1891, the Swannee Canal Company began digging a drainage canal in the hopes that the land could be used for farming. The company was forced to abandon those plans four years later due to sandy soil and poor planning.
In 1909, lumber operations dug miles of canals and railroads. Forty years of logging removed almost all the large cypress and longleaf pines.
Chesser Island Boardwalk
Chesser Island Boardwalk is a universally accessible 0.75-mile (one-way) boardwalk. It winds through cypress forests, scrub-shrub, and prairies before ending at a 40-foot observation tower.
We spied gray catbirds, northern mockingbirds, and red-bellied woodpeckers along the way.
Three covered shelters dot the boardwalk to pause and enjoy the landscape.
Owl’s Roost Tower
From the top of the tower, we had 360-degree views of Seagrove Lake, Chesser Prairie, and the Okefenokee Wilderness.
Chesser Island Homestead Trail
This 0.7-mile route loops through oak, palmetto, and Spanish moss in the woods next to the historic homestead.
A Carolina anole lizard eyed us from its hiding spot along the wooden fence. Yellow-rumped warblers sang in the forest.
Chesser Island Homestead
William Chesser built a log cabin on the eastern edge of the swamp in 1858. By the 1880s, he had established a large family settlement with fields. The current house, built by his grandson in 1927, was preserved in the 1970s.
At Chesser homestead, we explored the house, corn crib, grape arbor, smokehouse, garden, chicken coop, hog pen, and syrup shed.
Around the property, information signs provided details about the Chesser family and their pioneer lifestyle.
Ridley's Island Boardwalk
Ridley’s Island Boardwalk is an easy 0.16-mile (one-way) boardwalk out to Ridley’s Island. It is a spur trail off the Homestead Trail.
At the end of the boardwalk there is an information board about the island. On our visit there wasn’t much to see.
Upland Discovery Trail
Upland Discovery Trail is an easy quarter-mile loop through longleaf pine and palmetto uplands. As in other parks and wildlife refuges, white bands indicate cavity trees for endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers. We weren’t lucky enough to see any woodpeckers, but we did find brown-headed nuthatches.
For visitors looking to spend more time exploring Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, guided boat tours are available in addition to bringing your own canoe or kayak.
The day was sunny and relaxing with the stillness and only sounds if nature all around.
Many years ago an Uncle moved to Florida and lived close to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. He wrote home about this beautiful “swamp”. I couldn’t equate his description with the word swamp and now that I’ve seen your pictures, I know he picked the wrong word. Thank you Steph.