Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

Although you can certainly appreciate wilderness from afar—online, on television, or in books—first-hand experiences in nature such as campng or hunting enable you to enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas provide. Wilderness areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” opportunities to see wildlife, a chance to renew and refresh, and the health benefits of exercising outside. You can even bring your well-behaved dog to many wilderness areas.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Imagine waking to a mist enshrouded wetland, echoing with the calls of herons and ibis. Your camping site is a wooden platform surrounded by miles and miles of wet-prairie or moss-covered cypress. The only sounds you hear are the calls of native wildlife and those you make upon taking in such beauty. This is what it is like to experience a night in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Wilderness Area! The Okefenokee NWR encompasses the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the oldest and best-preserved freshwater areas in America. This vast bog, lies inside a huge depression that was once on the ocean floor. The refuge extends just over the state line into Florida. The interior wetlands of the Okefenokee Swamp within Georgia have been designated the state's largest Wilderness.

Native Americans called the swamp the "land of trembling earth" because the unstable peat deposits that cover much of the swamp floor tremble when stepped on. "Okefenokee" is a European interpretation of their words. The last Native Americans to seek sanctuary here, the Seminole, were driven out of the swamp and into Florida in 1850, and lived on to become the only Native Americans to refuse to sign a treaty with the U.S. government.

The Okefenokee Swamp forms the headwaters for two very distinct rivers. The historic Suwannee River originates in the heart of the swamp and flows southwest toward the Gulf of Mexico. The second is the St. Marys River, which originates in the southeastern portion of the swamp, and flows to the Atlantic Ocean, forming part of the boundary between Georgia and Florida.

The swamp provides a rich diversity of habitat types that support numerous species of wildlife and plants - islands, lakes, cypress forests, scrub-shrub areas, and open wet "prairies". Fire and water define the swamp's habitats. Lakes and prairies are created after long droughts when fire burns off layers of vegetation and peat. Rain water replenishes the swamp, filling in the open spaces created by fire. Later, cycles of drought lower water levels, causing vegetation and displaced peat blow-ups to cover the area again. Fire sweeps through the area once more and the entire process continues again.

General Trip Planning Information

For more information on the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness Area visit the Okefenokee Refuge website or call 912-496-7336.

A canoe trip through the Okefenokee Wilderness takes planning. The experience of solitude is emphasized. You may or may not encounter other parties on your trip. Be prepared for a trip, which may include temperature extremes, precipitation, high winds and high humidity. The swamp is flat water with no current. Logs may be across trails and floating vegetation may slow your progress.

Visitors are required to stay on the designated trails. Do not be tempted to explore closed areas. It is easy to become disoriented and become lost.

It is strongly recommended that one entering the Okefenokee Wilderness brings their own drinking water. The tannic water was once thought to be safe to drink and hauled in barrels for sailors out at sea to drink, but it can not be trusted today. Visitors, boats, and atmospheric deposition have compromised water quality.

Due the water environment and lack of high ground, please carry some type of portable toilet with you.

Recreational Opportunities

At the Okefenokee NWR, visitors can have a lot of fun. Activities include the following:

Canoe or kayak on over thirty miles of water trails

Observe and photograph wildlife

Fish for over five species of freshwater game fish

Hike over 16 miles of trails

Hunt (during state hunt seasons)

Camp on a Wilderness platform in the swamp (with advance reservations)

Take a guided boat tour of the swamp

Watch an award-winning orientation film in the refuge Visitor Center

Take part in special events and programs (Gator talks, Nocturnal Nature Hikes, and a variety of environmental education programs for school groups)

Drive a scenic 9-mile wildlife drive

Visit a restored Swamper Homestead

Climate and Special Equipment Needs

Visitors to the Okefenokee Wilderness should arrive prepared for the south Georgia seasons. Spring and fall are the most heavily visited times, as temperatures and insects are moderate. Summer can be hot and humid, with biting insects making a concerted show. Winter days can be extremely cold and windy.

Water levels fluctuate. During dry times, it may be necessary to pull your canoe through some low areas. Refuge staff try to keep up on trail conditions but can not warn the visitor of every difficult situation. A push pole is a good tool to carry with you.

Safety and Current Conditions

Visitors are encouraged to remember that they are entering a wilderness area, part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. All animals encountered are wild and free to roam at will. Visitors should come prepared for seasonal weather and biting insects. First aid kits and water are strongly recommended when entering the wilderness area. Sign in and out stations are located at all entrances and are required for wilderness visitors.

When staying overnight within the Wilderness, a clean camp is required. Raccoons, alligaotrs and ants are common around platforms. Do not encourage their stay with food scraps and crumbs left behind. Although there has not been any human - bear conflicts within the swamp, black bears do traverse the swamp. Please store strong smelling food such as fish in a sealed container.