KISSIMMEE PRAIRIE PRESERVE STATE PARK KISSIMMEE PRAIRIE PRESERVE STATE PARK 33104 N.W. 192 Avenue Okeechobee, Florida 34972 863-462-5360 Largest remaining expanse of Florida dry prairie FloridaStateParks.org Follow us on social media #FLStateParks PARK GUIDELINES • Ranger station hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and state holidays. • An entrance fee is required. Additional user fees may apply. • Speed limit is 25 miles per hour. • All plants, animals and property are protected. Collection, destruction or disturbance is prohibited. • Pets are permitted in designated areas only. Pets must be kept on a hand-held leash no longer than six feet and be well-behaved at all times. • Fires are allowed in designated areas only. MORE INFORMATION • Become a volunteer. Inquire at the preserve office or online at www.floridastateparks.org/volunteers/. • For camping information, contact Reserve America at 800-326-3521 or visit ReserveAmerica.com. • Florida State Parks are committed to providing every visitor with equal access to all facilities and programs. Should you need assistance to enable your participation, please contact the preserve office at 863-462-5360. HISTORY AND NATURE Given its immense scale and scenic beauty, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park has a grandeur all its own. In many areas, prairie stretches to the horizon, uninterrupted by signs of civilization. Kissimmee Prairie was once a working cattle ranch, part of Florida’s historic cow hunter tradition. Crackers – cattlemen who made a cracking sound with their whips – drove herds to train depots or to the coasts then returned to their homes. During World War II, the U.S. military conducted training missions on the site. The 54,000-acre preserve is part of the Everglades headwaters and protects the largest remaining tract of Florida dry prairie. Growing-season fire and a wet season keep the prairie healthy by maintaining knee-high vegetation. Sweeping vistas of grasses, flowers and saw palmettos are coupled with an amazing array of wildlife and natural communities. With the arrival of each season, different colors of wildflowers explode onto the scene. A spectacular birding and wildlife watching experience awaits park visitors. Over 150 bird species have been sighted, including burrowing owls and crested caracara. Butterfly viewing is superb, with more than 85 recorded species. Internationally recognized for its lack of light pollution, the prairie’s night sky is inky black — campers can spot the Milky Way without using telescopes or binoculars.
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KISSIMMEE PRAIRIE PRESERVE
STATE PARK
Visit us online atFloridaStateParks.org
KISSIMMEE PRAIRIE PRESERVE STATE PARK
33104 N.W. 192 AvenueOkeechobee, Florida 34972
863-462-5360
Largest remaining expanse of Florida dry prairie
FloridaStateParks.orgFollow us on social media
#FLStateParks
PARK GUIDELINES• Ranger station hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and state holidays.
• An entrance fee is required. Additional user fees may apply.
• Speed limit is 25 miles per hour.
• All plants, animals and property are protected. Collection, destruction or disturbance is prohibited.
• Pets are permitted in designated areas only. Pets must be kept on a hand-held leash no longer than six feet and be well-behaved at all times.
• Fires are allowed in designated areas only.
MORE INFORMATION• Become a volunteer. Inquire at the preserve office
or online at www.floridastateparks.org/volunteers/.
• For camping information, contact Reserve America at 800-326-3521 or visit ReserveAmerica.com.
• Florida State Parks are committed to providing every visitor with equal access to all facilities and programs. Should you need assistance to enable your participation, please contact the preserve office at 863-462-5360.
HISTORY AND NATUREGiven its immense scale and scenic beauty, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park has a grandeur all its own. In many areas, prairie stretches to the horizon, uninterrupted by signs of civilization. Kissimmee Prairie was once a working cattle ranch, part of Florida’s historic cow hunter tradition. Crackers – cattlemen who made a cracking sound with their whips – drove herds to train depots or to the coasts then returned to their homes. During World War II, the U.S. military conducted training missions on the site.
The 54,000-acre preserve is part of the Everglades headwaters and protects the largest remaining tract of Florida dry prairie. Growing-season fire and a wet season keep the prairie healthy by maintaining knee-high vegetation.
Sweeping vistas of grasses, flowers and saw palmettos are coupled with an amazing array of wildlife and natural communities. With the arrival of each season, different colors of wildflowers explode onto the scene.
A spectacular birding and wildlife watching experience awaits park visitors. Over 150 bird species have been sighted, including burrowing owls and crested caracara. Butterfly viewing is superb, with more than 85 recorded species. Internationally recognized for its lack of light pollution, the prairie’s night sky is inky black — campers can spot the Milky Way without using telescopes or binoculars.
EXPERIENCES AND AMENITIESVisitors can find a deep connection to natural Florida at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. More than 100 miles of multi-use trails beckon bicyclers, hikers and horseback riders. The trails roam through dry prairie, wetlands and cool, shady hammocks, offering views of the grasslands and its abundant wildlife.
Look for wildflowers and white-tailed deer along the trails, and scan the skies for a bald eagle or swallow-tailed kite. The park’s varied habitats offer a full day of bird-watching. The prairie also serves as a haven for migrating and resident butterflies.
Another memorable way to explore the stretch of wild prairie is from an elevated seat on a ranger-led buggy tour. The tours of remote prairie backcountry run November through March.
Four different camping choices are available. The family campground offers a full-service restroom with hot showers. The equestrian campground with hot showers has paddocks available. The primitive camping area offers a wilderness camping experience. The campsites are accessible only by foot, bicycle or horseback. The astronomy campground offers a camping experience free from the intrusion of campfires and bright lights.
Kissimmee Prairie’s remote setting makes it a premier location for stargazing. On new-moon nights campers can relax under luminescent stars. Full moons illuminate the landscape, allowing campers to walk without a flashlight and explore the nighttime wonderland.
North Boundary Trail Osceola CountyOkeechobee County
Spotting Tower Trail
DoubleTrail
Peav
ine
Road
Hig
hlan
ds C
ount
y
Kissim
mee RiverDuck
Slough
Dead PineIsland Marsh
Gum Slough
Seven Mile Slough
N.W. 192nd Avenue
N.W. 320th Street
CATTLE LEASEPASTURE AREA
Florida National Scenic Trail
(FNST)
Pine Island Slough Trail
Chandler Trail
East Boundary
Trail
EastMilitary
Trail
Ordway-Whittell
Trail
Freeman-Gray Trail
Bob WhiteTrail
EastMilitary
Trail
SevenMile
Slough Trail
Raulerson Trail
AudubonTrail
PeavineTrail
ParkEntrance
South BoundaryTrail
LongHammock
Trail
Gum SloughPrairie Trail
Five MilePrairie Trail
West Pasture
Trail
McGuire Prairie Trail
Military Trail
McGuire Hammock
Trail
River Trail Cow Camp
Trail
Duck SloughPrairie Trail
GrasshopperSparrow
Trail
Prairie Loop Trail
Ozmore Trail
KilpatrickPrairie Trail
SouthPasture
Trail
Florida National Scenic Trail
(FNST)
DirectionsLocated 32 miles northwest of Okeechobee. Take U.S. 441 north from Okeechobee to County Road 724, turn west. Go to the end of County Road 724 and turn north on Northwest 192nd Avenue for five miles to the preserve entrance. The park office is five miles north of the entrance.
N
S
EW
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
Astronomy Pad
Visitor Centerand Office
Corral
EquestrianCampground
FamilyCampgroundHammock
Trail
Trailhead
Trailhead
Bicycling
Birding
Camping
Hiking
Horseback Riding
Parking
Primitive Camping
Restrooms
Ranger Station
Showers
Stargazing
Visitor Center
Wildlife Viewing
00296 Rev_10.19
Nature TrailFlorida National Scenic Trail (FNST)Multi-use Trail (Biking, Hiking, Equestrians)
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