Reachable solely from the adjoining CREW Cypress Dome Trails property, Caracara Prairie Protect is collectively managed by Conservation Collier and the CREW Land and Water Belief.
Bought in 2007, this land grew to become publicly accessible in 2012, after an excellent effort by volunteers and CREW Belief employees to map out and mark the path system.
The loop throughout the protect is blazed purpleDefending over 360 acres, this protect stands alongside an fringe of the huge Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.
It gives a buffer from close by improvement and a significant habitat for endangered species.
Interpretive signal alongside a prairieSources
Overview
Location: ImmokaleeLength: 5.3 milesTrailhead: 26.456468, -81.562205Address: 3980 Corkscrew Rd, ImmokaleeFees: Free, donations acceptedRestrooms: Moveable at trailheadLand supervisor: Collier County, CREW Land & Water TrustPhone: 904-374-1107
Open one hour earlier than dawn and one hour after sundown. No pets allowed.
This property has lively cattle ranching operations. The protect is simply accessible through a walk-through gate from the adjoining CREW Cypress Dome Trails.
Instructions
Hike
Beginning close to a trio of benches on the CREW Cypress Dome Trails trailhead, flip south to comply with a large, grassy pathway bordered by a dense wall of noticed palmettos.
Posts topped with inexperienced paint mark the route because it passes a big picnic pavilion, then curves eastward to offer a close-up glimpse of a powerful cypress dome
Cypress dome on the Inexperienced PathClose to the one-mile mark, keep straight to affix the White Path, persevering with for an additional tenth of a mile earlier than taking a proper flip. Go by way of a gate into Caracara Prairie Protect.
Contained in the gate, a small bridge results in a lined kiosk with details about the property and a path map.
Protect gatePurple painted posts point out the path because it traces alongside a tree line, then turns southward to climb right into a berm lined with columns of cabbage palms.
Interpretive indicators alongside the way in which show photos of the various birds and butterflies that inhabit the protect.
Reaching the loop portion of the path at 1.5 miles, keep straight to enter a deeply shaded oak and palm hammock with an inviting picnic bench.
Trailside picnic benchAt 1.8 miles, the path squeezes by way of a slim stile, crossing a patch of open pasture earlier than main into one other lush hammock.
Thoughtfully positioned benches present spots to relaxation the place the trail skirts alongside the perimeters of scenic despair marshes.
Oak and palm hammockSlash pines start to dot the panorama close to the southern finish of the loop because the path weaves by way of flatwoods habitat.
It turns northward to comply with a broad hall flanked by tall grasses. Search for colourful wildflowers alongside the sting of the mowed pathway.
Patch of pine forestOpening to panoramic views of a moist prairie and a call level at 3.5 miles, proceed throughout the marshy expanse, or take a cross path again to the western facet if the water is just too deep.
Finishing the loop on the opposite facet of the prairie, retrace footsteps again to the property gate, following white posts again to the Inexperienced Path.
A visit again to the trailhead might be shortened by 0.3 miles by taking the north facet of the loop.
Prairie pathwayPath Map
Discover Extra!
Be taught extra concerning the CREW Cypress Dome Trails
CREW Cypress Dome Trails On this 4.4 mile loop, expertise a powerful array of habitats in Florida panther habitat – from sandy flatwoods to flooded cypress swamps – within the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.Video
Mountain climbing Caracara Prairie Protect
Close by Adventures
Path Map (PDF) Official Web site
