With over 400,000 acres – most of it swampland – the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest piece of the National Wildlife Refuge System in the eastern United States. Home to native Americans back as far as 2500 B.C., the swamp was owned by various interests that attempted to drain it, farm it and log it before most of the swamp was purchased by the federal government in 1936. It was designated a “refuge for migratory birds and other wildlife” by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1937. It is considered one of the world’s largest intact freshwater ecosystems and is designated a “Wetland of International Importance” by the United Nations.
Much of the swamp floor is covered by unstable peat deposits that make it possible to shake nearby trees and bushes by stomping on the surface – hence the name “Okefenokee”, which translates to “Land of the Trembling Earth”. The refuge is full of marshlands, lakes, islands and prairies. The southwest side of the swamp feeds the Suwannee River to the Gulf of Mexico, while the St. Mary’s River is on the southeast, leading to Atlantic Ocean.
The main entrance to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is on the east side near Folkston, Georgia, where you’ll find the Richard S. Bolt Visitor Center and the Suwanee Canal Recreational Area. Educational exhibits are available in the visitors center, while guided boat trips and rental camping gear, boats and canoes are offered at Suwanee Canal. Swamp Island Drive is a 9 mile driving/biking/walking loop that will take you to Chesser Homestead, the Boardwalk and an observation tower.
On the north side of the refuge, near Waycross, Georgia, is the Okefenokee Swamp Park, operated by a non-profit organization. The Swamp Park offers a somewhat more commercialized experience, with guided boat tour packages, wildlife shows, a railroad tour, gift shop, nature center, serpentarium and meeting space. The half-mile Adventure Walk takes you on boardwalks and bridges into the swamp – watch out for alligators and snakes.
Visitors to the eastern side of the Okefenokee refuge will find a couple of places to stay in Folkston and many more hotel options 25 miles to the east near the town of Kingsland on I-95 just north of the Georgia-Florida border. If you’re approaching from the north, you’ll find many of the well-known hotel chains have outlets in Waycross, Georgia, only 11 miles from the Swamp Park.
