Welcome to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
"Land of the Trembling Earth"
Photo credits: Swamp Scene-USFWS;
Chesser Island Homestead-Blaine Eckberg/USFWS,
Sandhill Cranes-Gene Stauff, Alligator-USFWS, Prairie Flowers-USFWS
In southern Georgia and northern Florida there is a very special place, one of the oldest and best preserved freshwater systems in America. Timucuan Indians called it Okefenoka, meaning “Land of the Trembling Earth”. Now this place, where earth, air, fire and water continuously reform the landscape, is preserved within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, created in 1936 to protect wildlife and for you to explore.
The Okefenokee offers so much, one could spend a lifetime and still not see and do everything. The refuge is vast, with almost 402,000 acres (that’s roughly 300,000 football fields in size) of cypress forest, marsh, lakes and islands. Filled with alligators, Sandhill cranes, red-cockaded woodpeckers and over 400 other species of animals, it is a wonderful place to learn about the wildlife of Georgia and Florida. The longleaf pine, cypress, carnivorous sundews and other plants make up different habitats from dry upland forests to open wetlands. Golden sunsets and thundering storms allows one to experience this magical place at its most beautiful and most awe-inspiring moments.
There are many ways to explore the Okefenokee. Guided boat tours take visitors through cypress forests, historic canals and open prairies. Water trails and platforms allow people to canoe for the day or stay overnight deep within the 354,000 acre wilderness. Winding boardwalks and trails lead through unique habitats to observation towers and viewing platforms. Opportunities for nature photography, hunting and fishing are readily available. One can even drive a car or ride a bike to a restored homestead to discover how “swampers” once made their home here.
So come and explore the world renowned Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. It is yours to visit. You’ll be glad you did.
For basic information about Okefenokee, check out Okefenokee at a Glance.
Special Note: Some links on this website are pdf files. To read pdf files, you must have a version of Adobe Acrobat on your computer.
