The Florida Trail is a foot trail that carries hikers and backpackers from Big Cypress to Gulf Shores near Pensacola Florida. It is built and maintained by volunteers in 19 chapters across the state and supported by public and private partners throughout the state. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve SP hosts the trail for over twenty miles in Okeechobee County, Fl. The Tropical Trekkers Chapter of the Florida Trail Association maintains close to 80 miles of the trail in Okeechobee County including the portion of the trail that transverses KPPSP. Once a year (usually in November) the park becomes our host as 50 or more FTA members gather for an annual work week to get our section of the trail in shape for the winter Florida hiking season. We reserve six to ten campsites for the week and the park provides additional overflow sites as needed. Not all our volunteers are there for the entire week nor do they all camp at the park but those that do are treated to great facilities (clean bath house and campsites), friendly park staff who share their knowledge of the park and the prairie and frequently provide tours of the park in their awesome swamp buggies, great views of Florida's darkest skies, prairie vistas and the wildlife (typically deer, racoons and wild turkeys) who frequent the campground. I hope the park staff knows how much the FTA and all our volunteers appreciate the work they do to preserve the prairie and promote the Florida Trail and the hiking public. Thank you!!!

KPPSP is a small park about 40 miles north of Okeechobee, FL. It is located along the Kissimmee River and is home to several endangered species including the Grasshopper Sparrow. The camp ground is small but includes areas dedicated to horses and astronomers as well as us regular folks. The astronomers enjoy some of the darkest skies on the east coast and the events surrounding a full moon (providing we have clear skies) are awesome. The park also hosts a long section of the Florida National Scenic Trail, a top notch backpacking venue. Check out www.floridatrail.org for more information. The park also offers swamp buggy rides with knowledgeable rangers accompanying to introduce campers to the prairie habitat and it's inhabitants. Spend a week or two here to enjoy a part of Florida you never knew existed!