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Gator Head Campground

Big Cypress National Preserve

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Campground guide

What to know before booking

Gator Head Campground is a primitive campground located within the Bear Island Unit of Big Cypress National Preserve. This small primitive campground offers nine sites with picnic tables, shared food storage, and fire rings. Gator Head Campground has 9 campsites.

Official campground details, summarized

Concise planning notes based on the public Recreation.gov campground information.

Facilities

This small primitive campground offers nine sites with picnic tables, shared food storage, and fire rings. Vault toilets are available for use. There is no water available. The Bear Island Unit offers 20 plus miles of backcountry trails. Everglades City is located 30 miles south and provides dining, sight-seeing, and historical sites. Everglades National Park can also be accessed via Everglades City. Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center is also located 30 miles to the south.

Natural Features

Gator Head Campground has 9 campsites. This campground offers pickup camper and tent camping only. No trailers or RV's are allowed in the backcountry. Amenities include vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings. Visitors may enjoy nearby activities such as off-road vehicle trails, hiking, biking, fishing, and hunting.

Recreation

The freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp, essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades, support the rich marine estuaries along Floridaโ€™s southwest coast. Protecting over 720,000 acres of this vast swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve contains a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities that are home to a diversity of wildlife, including the elusive Florida Panther. Gator Head Campground offers visitors a wonderful opportunity to camp at a designated campground in the Big Cypress backcountry. Visitors can enjoy nearby hiking, hunting, fishing, and off-road vehicle (ORV) trails with a permitted off-road vehicle. For more information on ORV use, please call 239-631-9988 or review park Off Road Vehicle Use information. Hunting and fishing regulations can be found at Florida Fish and Wildfire Conservation Commission.

Nearby Attractions

The Bear Island Unit offers 20 plus miles of backcountry trails. Everglades City is located 30 miles south and provides dining, sight-seeing, and historical sites. Everglades National Park can also be accessed via Everglades City. Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center is also located 30 miles to the south.

Important notices

This campground is located in the backcountry and is only accessible by off-road vehicle (with permit), foot, or bicycle. No trailers are authorized in the backcountry campgrounds.
Backcountry permits are required for all individuals who enter the backcountry. Print your self-issued permit ahead of time.
An off-road vehicle (ORV) permit is required for ORV use. Review park Off-Road Vehicle Use or call the off-road vehicle office at 239-631-9988 if you have additional questions.
No fresh water is available.

More at Big Cypress National Preserve

Other tracked campgrounds from the same park or area.

Surrounding campgrounds

Other tracked campgrounds within driving distance, nearest first.

Common questions

Is Gator Head Campground available right now?

Kestrel's most recent scan found no open sites in the next 14 days. Set an alert and you'll be emailed the moment one opens up.

How do I book Gator Head Campground?

Reservations are handled by Recreation.gov, not by Kestrel. Use the official reservation link on this page to book. Kestrel only watches availability and tells you when a site frees up.

How quickly will I hear about a cancellation?

Kestrel rescans every two minutes, and every 30 seconds during the provider's daily release window. Alerts go out by email as soon as a matching site appears.