Okefenokee Wilderness

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Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today. 

1

Imagine waking to a mist enshrouded wetland, echoing with the calls of herons and ibis. Your camping site is a wooden platform surrounded by miles and miles of wet-prairie or moss-covered cypress. The only sounds you hear are the calls of native wildlife and those you make upon taking in such beauty. This is what it is like to experience a night in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Wilderness Area! The Okefenokee NWR encompasses the Okefenokee Swamp, one of the oldest and best-preserved freshwater areas in the country. This vast bog, lies inside a huge depression that was once on the ocean floor. The refuge extends just over the state line into Florida. The interior wetlands of the Okefenokee Swamp within Georgia have been designated the state's largest wilderness area. Native Americans called the swamp the "land of trembling earth" because the unstable peat deposits that cover much of the swamp floor tremble when stepped on. "Okefenokee" is a European interpretation of their words. The last Native Americans to seek sanctuary here, the Seminole, were driven out of the swamp and into Florida in 1850, and lived on to become the only Native Americans to refuse to sign a treaty with the U.S. government.

The Okefenokee Swamp forms the headwaters for two very distinct rivers. The historic Suwannee River originates in the heart of the swamp and flows southwest. The second is the St. Marys River, which originates in the southeastern portion of the swamp, and flows to the Atlantic Ocean, forming part of the boundary between Georgia and Florida. The swamp provides a rich diversity of habitat types that support numerous species of wildlife and plants - islands, lakes, cypress forests, scrub-shrub areas, and open wet "prairies". Fire and water define the swamp's habitats. Lakes and prairies are created after long droughts when fire burns off layers of vegetation and peat. Rain water replenishes the swamp, filling in the open spaces created by fire. Later, cycles of drought lower water levels, causing vegetation and displaced peat blow-ups to cover the area again. Fire sweeps through the area once more and the entire process continues again.

Leave No Trace

Plan Ahead and Prepare: Make sure your expectations and skill match your destination. You are required to stay on trails and at designated campsites within the Okefenokee Wilderness. There is very little current so be prepared to paddle the entire distance. Be prepared for weather extremes and emergencies. Every attempt will be made to rescue you in an emergency, but wilderness rescues take longer than other areas. Concentrate Your Impact: Stay on designated trails and campsites, leaving the remainder of the Okefenokee to the birds, alligators, bears, and other creatures. Traveling in small groups allows you more peace and solitude in the wilderness. Dispose of Waste Properly: Use port-a-lets and composting toilets. Carry some type of portable toilet in your boat. Use biodegradable soap when washing yourself or dishes. Dispose of wastewater in composting toilets. Leave What You Find: Do not harm or take trees, plants, artifacts, or animals. Do not leave anything behind to show you have passed through an area. Pack out ALL trash. Use Fire Responsibly: Camp stoves are required for overnight platforms. Campfires are allowed only at Cravens Hammock, Floyds Island, Canal Run, and Mixons Hammock. Use only downed and dead wood and make sure your fire is out and cold when you leave. We highly recommend not bringing your own firewood because it has the potential to introduce undesireable organisms into the area. If you do bring your own firewood, please burn it completely and take out any unused wood. Respect Wildlife: Do not approach too closely or harass or feed animals. Do not toss out food scraps or crumbs. This attracts unwanted guests at campsites and may lead to their removal if they become too aggressive. Be Considerate of Other Visitors: Although you will encounter few people along your path, avoid loud voices and noises. Sound travels within the swamp. Be courteous to other paddlers.

Location

There are three major entrances to the Okefenokee NWR and one secondary entrance. Each can provide access to the refuge Wilderness area. Entrance fees are required at all entrances/access points into the refuge, and are enforced. East Entrance: The main U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entrance is located 11 miles southwest of Folkston, Georgia, off Highway 121/23 (Suwannee Canal Road). Stop in the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center to plan your day and experience the Okefenokee through a film and interpretive displays. Walking trails, boardwalk and observation tower, boat trails, guided boat tours, motorboat and canoe/kayak rentals, a 7-mile wildlife drive, and a restored historic Swamper homestead are available. Call (912) 496-7836 for Visitor Information. West Entrance: The Stephen C. Foster State Park, located 17 miles east of Fargo, Georgia, off Highway Spur 177. Boardwalk, boat trails, fishing, guided boat tours, motorboat and canoe/kayak rentals, camping, cabins, and a museum are available. Call (912) 637-5274 for information. North Entrance: The Okefenokee Swamp Park, located eight miles south of Waycross, Georgia, off U.S. 1. Interpretive displays, boat and train tours, live animal displays and interpretive programs are available. Call (912) 283-0583 for information. Kingfisher Landing is a secondary entrance, which is located approximately 8 miles north of Folkston, Georgia, off Hwy. 1. This entrance is a non-staffed entrance, which provides a parking area and boat ramp.

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

• Interactive Map of the Okefenokee Wilderness

• Google Earth

• Georgia Wildernesses

Printed Maps

• Fetching MyTopo from Database
• USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 93-429

Date: October 1, 1974Acreage: 343,850 acres

(No official title, designates Okefenokee Wilderness) - Public law 93-429 (10/1/1974) To designate certain lands in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, as wilderness

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 93-429 or special provisions for 93-429 or legislative history for 93-429 for this law.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.