Snake Bight Trail - 3.4 Miles Round-Trip

The Snake Bight Trail is located in the southern coastal section of Everglades National Park. This is a backcountry trail and it is recommended to call the park prior to setting out on any backcountry route.

When visitors first see the sign for the Snake Bight Trail, they assume there is a typographical error. A bight is actually a bay or large body of water. Therefore, rather than be scared off at the prospect of a snake bite, visitors can expect to see Snake Bight, a beautiful end point to a worthwhile trail.

Leaving from the marked trailhead, the trail heads due south on a packed dirt path through a tropical hardwood hammock. This hardwood hammock, one of various plant communities in the Everglades, is home to dozens of tropical tree species.

Continuing south, the trail follows a murky canal filled with brackish water and is an excellent place for birding. Regular avian visitors include wood storks, white ibis, great egrets, great blue herons, roseate spoonbills, white pelicans and the occasional flamingo. Raptors include osprey and bald eagles.

A tropical canopy covers most of the trail and at the 1.4 mile mark, the canopy opens up to reveal the sky as it encounters the Rowdy Bend Trail split. The Snake Bight and Rowdy Bend Trails can be linked to create a longer hike or bike route.

Continue south on the Snake Bight Trail and within .3 miles, the trail breaks through the hardwood hammock to unveil the Florida coast. A raised boardwalk leads out into Snake Bight, a bay within the larger Florida Bay. While tempting, it is not recommended to try and walk out beyond the boardwalk at low tide. The ground is very soft and people have become stuck in the mud, knee-deep and unable to extricate themselves.

The waters of Snake Bight are actually quite shallow; a foot or less most places, even at high tide. At low tide much of the Bight is exposed as mud flat or grass flat. In winter, tens of thousands of wading birds and shore birds may feed at Snake Bight. High tide brings them closer to shore for viewing while at low tide, these birds may be distributed over a much wider area.