loop road

A must if you want to see land in the raw: completely untouched and unspoilt by mankind. The quietness of life was just a joy. All you hear is the wildlife, and so much of it. The road is part dirt-track and part Tarmac and both are fine for car or cycle. Don't rush. Stop at every opening and you will find something. Plenty of gators, birds galore, turtles and snakes and magnificent air plants the size of a soccer ball, festooned with brilliant red and orange flowers. In 2.5 hrs, on a very warm sunny day In February, we saw 5 or 6 cars along the 24 mile loop so you just stop where you want. The trip left us wondering. Wondering why gators sit so still with egrets and storks feeding 12 inches away...why Eagles and vultures circe overhead, maybe waiting for an animal to expire, why turtles have extraordinary orange circle patterns on their home grown house. Take the children. They will learn more in half a day than a week in school and have memories to last a lifetime. Just the best and it is as God intended. Free for us all.

We took a slow cruise down loop road and had a chance to see all kinds of wildlife, and almost no people. On the road about 90 minutes and saw only 3 other cars! Great photo ops as there are so few cars and you can stay on the asphalt safe and shoot the canals on both sides. Just a great drive to take, go slow and take your time.

Started on US 41 in Miami and went West. We got on the Loop road past the Shark Valley Visitor Center. The Loop road is not marked from 41. The ranger told us to turn when we saw the white cross and bear right. It took us to the Loop road.The road was paved and then turned to gravel but was in good shape. By far the majority of the alligators that we saw were in the east end of the road. The vegetation was not quite as thick, and it was sunnier. At the other end, the vegetation was so thick and dark that it was hard to see much off the road. There were also birds and turtles.There were few cars when we were there, and it was easy to stop and get out to look. Other people were doing the same thing. This was a great way to see nature and appreciate it. We had thought it would be a good thing to do if it rained, and it did rain near the end of the road. The only problem then was that we couldn't get out to take photos.Drive slow, stop along the way, and really look. You never know what you might see.

It is 78 degrees and my wife and I are heading back to ice and snow in South Carolina. We hate to leave. The past few days in Big Cypress National Preserve have been amazing. Beautiful weather. Amazing Wildlife - Alligators, wonderfully colorful birds and even a snake or two. Be sure to take the Loop Road at mile marker 40 on Hwy 41. It is 24 miles through the pristine Everglades. We got amazing photos of birds, alligators, snakes, trees and beautiful scenery. Partially paved, but mostly dirt it was quite a ride. You don't need 4wd. If you get to southern Florida. Take a day and drive Hwy 41 and the loop road. You will not be disappointed.

If you are driving US 41 then give yourself an extra 2 hours and cruise loop road with your camera handy. It is a 24 mile dirt road and the only rest rooms are close to the Collier County end. There were bird species aplenty and even a few gators. The view goes from prairie to wetlands to swamp and back again.You can pull your car to the side in some areas to get a better photograph.There can be quite a few cars on the weekend.

Finally, after about three years of camping here, I am writing a review. This will be my 4th year camping at Mitchell's Landing on Loop Road/Big Cypress. This campsite is basically a piece of land, with a picnic table, and if you are lucky you will have a restroom near by. We usually call into the Oasis Center to reserve per night which is about $14 - $20 a night. We typically go in a group of 6 + and you are only allowed 2 vehicles per lot. Some lots are a little bigger than other and if you call ahead of time you can look at a map and reserve whichever lot you'd like. Every year we pick a different one, but I think we've finally found the one we like best. We always tend to meet some very nice people that are also camping. Many are road trippers or people like us, who like to get away for a weekend. We bring our tents, set them up, and just relax under the stars. BEWARE: the mosquitoes are HUGE! Lately, even during the winter they are still around. I would not recommend going camping here during the summer. If you plan a trip, try to plan it for late January - February. Those are probably the best months for some good weather and little mosquitoes. We try to plan it for the coldest weekend, but with this unpredictable weather, you just never know. The camp site is always very quiet since you are basically in the middle of no where. I know for a fact that we are always the last ones to go to bed, but other campers don't seem to mind since we try our best to keep it low. Aside from the camp site, Loop Road is a great spot to go biking or driving around. There are trails where you can hike or swamp walk tours. You can also go onto Tamiami Trail and visit Shark Valley or go on an air boat ride. It's a great place to bird watch, get some pics, videos and see the alligators.

A great route to take if on your way to the West side of the national park. If you plan on visiting the South and don't have time, then you can skip it.

This is the best way (short of a swamp walk) that gets you into the Big Cypress Swamp to see what everything is really about. Good place to see birds. I was expecting some quiet nice drive and the bird noises were overwhelming at some points, so much wild life! This probly isnt the best place to see alligators though. For alligators you should go to the Oasis Visitors Center boardwalk, bigger gators and you can get closer in a safe way. Worth the 2 hours.

Excellent way to see birds in the Everglades without a tour guide. Majority of road is gravel but not a bad ride. Be prepared to stop often to view/photograph the birds near areas of water. My brother and me went early in the morning and finished up a couple hours later. We saw lots of beautiful birds and came away with great pictures. On the paved road portion you'll see lots of alligators on the north side of the road.

We saw about 60 gators but the ride took 2hours on a gravel road....the highway coming back had 100 more gators...

We took a couple of hours to drive the 24 miles. It is a hard packed gravel road, and there were no problems driving. Cars stopped off and on to look and take photos. We all just drove around the stopped cars and frequently we would stop with others and point things out to each other.. We saw alligators and many varieties of birds along the route. At one point, we had a large blue heron walking down the road in front of us with a fish in its mouth. We watched the Ibis dive for fish as well. It is a photographer's dream. There is also a place to stop and start the 5 mile Gator Hook Trail. There are bathrooms at the trailhead. You need proper clothing and water for this hike, but it's easy to walk a short way along the old route. You come off the loop in front of some pretty odd homesteads including an old rusted car with a dummy inside and a skeleton head and a no trespassing sign.

The loop is not a road for anyone in a hurry. It will take at least a couple of hours to travel the 24 miles of mostly gravel road. Freaquent stops are a must to catch the wildlife. Lots of birds, gators, fish, turtles, and snakes. Winter is the best time with low temps, no bugs, and docile reptiles. This is not the zoo so you have to be on he lookout and be careful not to get too close to the gators that often sit on the side of the road. We found most of the gators near the east end of the road. Be sure to catch the Big Cypress visitor center on the way back for a mini taste of what you just saw on the loop.

This is not the road for the impatient speed demon who expects wildlife to be presented to them like a monkey in a zoo. But, for the serious wildlife photographer or the individual interested in seeing wildlife in its natural habitat, then this loop road can be a real gem. It is a well maintained gravel road about thirty miles long and is a bit difficult to find, so carry a good map of the national park. The key to finding animals is driving slow, slow, slow and stopping frequently to survey the surroundings. Traveling between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm, we spent about three hours on the road. We found most of the alligators in the swampy marshes on the south side of the road near the culverts. They can be somewhat difficult to spot because they easily blend into their surroundings. Duh!!! This is nature. But for the person who is patient and persistent, we found several dozen alligators sunning on logs, partially submerged in the murky waters, and a few who came onto the short grass along the side of the road. BE QUIET! If they hear you fumbling around your car, they will be gone in a flash and you will miss any photograph opportunity. Frankly, there really isn't a lot of reason to leave the safety of your car as most can easily be seen from the vantage point of your window. There are lots of different kinds of birds to be seen and some of the grey and black cranes are the most difficult to spot. One variety of bird with a long neck hunts by totally submerging its body, thus leaving a snake like head rushing just above the waterline. The first one I saw was a little unnerving. You will find them drying their wings in the sunshine all stretched out like they are ready to take flight. Generally, where you see the birds, you won't see alligators and visa versa. Remember, this area is wild and for the novice it can be dangerous if you are not on your guard. It is illegal and stupid to feed the animals. SO DON'T!! Otherwise, relax, take it slow and enjoy seeing nature at its best.

Long gravel road, just glimpses into glades now and then to see anything. Otherwise foliage on both sides. We went to Everglades National Park first, that was great. One word on loop road boring!

Interesting. We saw a couple of alligators and got a good close up view of the everglades (swamp and trees). Not as much to see in October. Was worthwhile.