Spooky Adventures on the Loop Road in Big Cypress National Preserve- 2021
When I was at Biscayne National Park, one ranger recommended I go to Big Cypress National Preserve since I was already going to the Everglades. The fresh water in this preserve supports its marine estuaries. This preserve is home to diverse wildlife, containing a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities, including the endangered Florida panther!
After work one afternoon, I headed to the preserve, about an hour away. The drive was pretty straightforward until I saw I was driving straight into a massive thunderstorm. I debated just turning around but stuck it out and finally made it to the preserve. Once I got to the visitor center, I saw it was closed, and they had modified hours because of Covid. Outside the Big Cypress visitor center is a boardwalk where you can walk and see alligators. When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw a family with their cat on a leash. I didn’t think much about this situation; I ran into them later. While walking the boardwalk, I saw more alligators than at the Everglades; there were like ten or so hanging out on the grass and in the water below the boardwalk.
As I continued walking, I saw this massive gator under one section of the boardwalk, making me decide to check them all out. Don’t worry—I was at a far distance; they were below me. I decided to be a good daughter and Facetime, my mom, sharing my experience with her. This gator had to be at least 10 feet or more long.
As I tried to show her the gator, the same family with the cat was walking toward me. They were holding the cat, at it was NOT happy. I hung up on my mom because I saw this poor cat as a potential snack for the gator. I yelled at the family, saying there was a gator right below; please keep the cat away. They veered off and avoided the gator. As I calmed down from a panic attack (I have two cats of my own), I started to think, what the fuck is wrong with these people? They knew there were gators all around the boardwalk; why would they bring a cat onto it?
I left and headed to Loop Road to get away from people.
Feeling Like Death on Loop Road
The ranger from Biscayne National Park suggested I drive Loop Road. It’s 27 miles through a dwarf cypress forest with pine forests and hardwood hammocks. There is some fascinating history of this loop, and you can read it here.
The weather was VERY moody after the storm passed, and maybe that's why I felt like I did. But while driving, I felt this uneasiness wash over me, like death. I swore this was the perfect place for murder or to hide a body, and it just had some creepy-ass vibes to it. The road was rough; you did not want to go over 20 mph. Even then, that was too much. You are surrounded by dense trees on both sides of it. I pulled over once and got out of my car since there was a brief opening in the denseness. I quickly got back into my car, though, because I felt uneasy, and a gator was in the water. Again, I was a safe distance away, but it still gave me spooky vibes.
I kept driving down the road, doing a tennis match with my head, checking both sides just in case I saw more gators or other wildlife. As I kept driving, I kept seeing more and more gators, which was awesome since this was the most I had seen here vs. the Everglades, but halfway through, I started to feel over the drive. It was long, and since I had to go slow, I just wanted to leave that area because it felt like death.
Relief at Last!
About halfway to 2/3 of the way, the forest opened up, and visibility began to ease through the dense trees. The sun was even trying to peak out, which helped some. When I was done with the loop, everything opened up, and I headed back to Homestead.
Keep in mind, you will NOT have service on the loop road.
The road heading to Big Cypress and Homestead is where most of the airboat tours are located. If you are interested in doing that after the drive, I would recommend it, but you want to get there before 3 o’clock. Most places close between 4 and 4:30.
Even though I thought I would get murdered in Big Cypress (I still think it was the moody weather), I had a great time. I would recommend it to everyone, but please don't bring a cat, a dog, or any other animal on the boardwalk!