Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Okefenokee, the land of trembling earth. Or perhaps etymologically, "bubbling water". Either origin describes this swamp well -- a land of peat and springs which serves as the headwaters for two rivers at the north end of the Florida peninsula. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is aiming for inscription on the World Heritage Site list in 2026, so in July 2023 I took a trip down to southern Georgia to see what makes the swamp unique, especially in relation to the Everglades in neighboring Florida.

The Okefenokee Swamp in southern Georgia can be accessed through three points of entry: the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge on the east side of the swamp, the privately-owned Okefenokee Swamp Park on the north side, and Stephen C. Foster State Park on the west side. I started off with a morning visit to the National Wildlife Refuge, where I arrived early enough to take the first boat tour of the day. An alligator statue greets visitors outside the main visitor center, and indeed there were alligators swimming around the boat dock area when we departed. The boat tour starts off down the Suwanee canal before turning off into lakes strewn with water lilies. Cypress trees covered in Spanish moss lined the waterways, and birdlife, including owls, ibises, egrets, and herons, was abundant. We drew close to the edge of an island in the middle of one of the lakes to see carnivorous pitcher plants, which feed on insects within the swamp. Although I didn't …

I went with my family in '95 at the end of my high school year in Georgia. This was a marvelous experience and we still talk about it today, almost 20 years later.

Okefenokee is a huge swamp off the beaten track. As such the park rangers take a live and let die approach to visitors. You can rent canoes and off you go.

Quite quickly you are alone in your canoe. If you discount the alligators, snakes and other reptiles that is. Expect small alligators to peak out of the water right next to your canoe. The land is crowded with snakes ...

This would be a great addition to the list. And it makes for a great day in any case.