Protecting more than 26,000 acres, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge is part of a larger landscape-level effort of habitat conservation for this native species.
The panther’s population fell drastically as the old-growth forests of Southeast Florida were cut down and converted to ranches, farms, and orange groves.
Not protected by law until 1958, the panther was shot as a “varmint” for stealing cattle.
In 1981, the first efforts to define and manage Florida’s panther population began. The refuge was established in 1989 contiguous with other public lands the panther roamed.
By the 1990s, roughly fifty panthers remained. Inbreeding was a problem. Introduction of eight female Texas pumas helped prevent extinction.
While rebounding, the Florida panther population is still endangered due to ongoing destruction of its natural habitat for development and its need for large territories.
On this 1.3 mile loop, the Panther Trail introduces the natural habitats the big cat requires for survival.
Herds of deer and wild turkey roam the prairies and pine flatwoods, providing sustinence for Florida’s apex predator.
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Overview
Location: Immokalee
Length: 1.3 mile loop
Trailhead: 26.16173, -81.34627
Address: 12085 SR 29, Immokalee
Fees: Free
Restroom: Privy at trailhead
Land manager: US Fish & Wildlife Service
Phone: 239-657-8001
Open sunrise to sunset. No pets permitted. If the gates along SR 29 are locked, the refuge is closed for land management activities.
In the unlikely event you encounter a panther, it will probably run off. If it doesn’t, the refuge advises do not run or crouch or stoop. Face the cat and look as large as possible.
Back up if need be to give it space to escape. To drive it off, throw whatever you can reach without stooping down. If it acts aggressively, fight back.
Directions
From Interstate 75 exit 80 east of Naples, take SR 29 north. The refuge entrance is immediately on the left. Follow the limerock road to the parking area within the gates.
Hike
Passing through the gate marked “Leslie Duncan Memorial Trail” behind the kiosk, keep left where the trail splits.
Markers start out in both blue and red as the trail enters a hammock with outcroppings of limestone in the forest floor.
A tenth of a mile in is the turnoff where the Panther Trail peels off the graded limestone path. Turn left and start down the leafy corridor.
Expect soggy shoes along this hike. Your feet won’t stay dry unless the entire swamp is dry, which does happen some seasons in winter and early spring.
After a sharp turn, descend through a lush oak hammock before the trail opens up onto a wet prairie.
The buzz of traffic on Interstate 75 grows with a glimpse of the road and of power lines. Be cautious of the sticky marl mud in this prairie, easy to slip on.
Pass some scattered limestone boulders before looping around a solution pond.
Be cautious of solution holes – natural deep holes in the limestone bedrock – throughout the prairie. They are often hidden by the grass.
After a sharp right, the trail winds left and skirts a solution hole. At the half mile mark, reach the zone where flatwoods and prairie meet.
This is one of the best spots to look for wildflowers, especially terrestrial orchids.
Enjoy a brief dry spot in the pine and palm uplands before slogging across a slough.
Cross an oak hammock that forms an island in the swamp. Look for bromeliads and orchids in the trees.
At 1 mile, the trail makes a hard left along a line of cabbage palms before winding through a lush tropical hammock for another quarter mile.
Reach a different gate than the one you entered. Open it and exit to the clearing, finishing the loop in front of the trailhead kiosk.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge
Slideshow
See our photos from the refuge