The Oasis Visitor Center in Big Cypress National Preserve

Marker at the start of the Florida Trail in the Oasis - Photo: Still Gravity..
The beginning of the longest hike in Florida - License our images here.

This is the eastern visitor center of Big Cypress National Preserve. Officially, the Florida Trail starts here if we discount the extra miles of the extension to Loop Road. 

The Oasis is the best place to see alligators in a rush. They group in big numbers in the canal at the front of the visitor center. The building was from an aviation company before the park - it even had an Amoco gas station. The airfield survives on one side and the Florida Trail follows its fence to the north. 

(Things to do in Big Cypress National Preserve in this post.)

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