Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

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Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1936 to preserve the 438,000 acre Okefenokee Swamp. Presently, the refuge encompasses approximately 402,000 acres. In 1974, to further ensure the protection of this unique ecosystem, the interior 353,981 acres of the refuge were designated a National Wilderness Area. The swamp remains one of the oldest and most well preserved freshwater areas in America and extends 38 miles north to south and 25 miles east to west The Visitor Center should be your first stop when entering the Refuge. There you can plan your entire visit, locate hiking trails, motorboat and canoe trails, and obtain information on all the facilities of the Refuge. Swamp Island Drive is a 9-mile round trip driving, biking and walking loop. Scattered throughout the drive are walking trails, wildlife openings and hardwood hammocks. Additionally, the drive leads you to the Chesser Island Homestead, Boardwalk, and Observation tower. The Boardwalk winds 3/4- miles through numerous habitat types before reaching the fifty-foot observation tower overlooking Chesser Prairie. Lakes and slow-flowing water trails, called "runs,"cover much of the Okefenokee. More than 60 lakes dot the refuge, with depths ranging from a few feet to 15 feet. The largest, Billy's Lake, is 3 1/2 miles long and 100 to 250 yards wide. Fishing is permitted year round in accordance with Georgia State fishing laws. Using live bait fish or trot lines is prohibited. A canoe trip through the Okefenokee NWR is an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. Alligators glide through tannin-stained water. Herons and egrets wade through tall grasses and water lilies. Bears forage through hammocks and islands. Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is a haven for these and other animals--almost 400,000 acres including wet prairies, cypress forests, and pine uplands. Most of the refuge is a designated National Wilderness Area. Only seven overnight shelters are available in the swamp's interior. "The Land of the Trembling Earth" is the translation of the Indian word for "Okefenokee" and the area is as prehistoric and primitive as the name implies - for here is a part of America's heritage virtually unchanged for centuries. Developments in the park, designed to provide historical and environmental background, include a serpentarium and wildlife observatory, an interpretive center, animal habitats, an ecology center spotlighting the flora and fauna of Okefenokee, and Pioneer Island, with an original swamp homestead exhibiting rare artifacts and relics of the wilderness swamp islands. A new amphitheater features productions and concerts throughout the year. "The Land of the Trembling Earth" has become one of the most widely acclaimed wilderness areas in the U.S. It has been the locale for many Hollywood motion pictures and has been featured on TV, in magazines, documentaries, fictional works and art. Its pristine beauty makes it a photographer's dream, and tours are geared to allow plenty of time to capture the beauty in photographs. There are 120 miles of trails in the swamp, of which 70 are open to day-use motorboat 10 horsepower and under. For boat tours, go to Okefenokee Swamp Park. Interpretive exhibits, reptile presentation and ecology video, wilderness walkways, observation tower and boat tours over original Indian waterways all combine to give the day visitor a taste of pioneer American life unmatched elsewhere in the United States. For more, go to their Web site. Okefenokee about 1.5 hours from Little St. Simons Island. Tak US 17 South to 82 to Waycross. Park entrance 8 miles South of Waycross on US 1.