Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Florida / Florida Panhandle

Florida Trail through the Bradwell Bay Wilderness

Bradwell Bay Wilderness, Apalachicola National Forest (south of Tallahassee, near Sopchoppy)

A flooded corridor in the Bradwell Bay Wilderness
“A flooded corridor in the Bradwell Bay Wilderness” by Chris M Morris , CC BY 2.0 · Source · Resized for the web

Bradwell Bay is a huge, shallow swamp in the Apalachicola National Forest south of Tallahassee, and the Florida Trail goes straight through it. Florida Hikes calls it Florida’s roughest, wildest swamp walk, with more than 7 miles of sloshing through dark tannic water, and an AllTrails reviewer notes Backpacker once listed it among the 10 toughest day hikes in America. The Forest Service calls it the second-largest wilderness in Florida.

This is a trip for experienced, well-prepared hikers, ideally in a group. Getting lost here is easy.

The hike

The Forest Service says a titi swamp dominates Bradwell Bay, with hardwoods, pine-titi mixtures, and small ponds, and that its low areas are generally under 1 to 4 inches of standing water. It says hikers can follow old logging roadbeds or take the Florida Trail east-west through the wilderness, but that those who use the well-marked trail typically end up wading through sections of waist-deep water. The Florida Trail runs through Bradwell Bay for more than 12 miles.

Wikipedia explains that “bay” here means a recess of land partly surrounded by hills, in this case mostly titi swamp and standing water. It says the 24,602-acre wilderness was established in 1975, that the Sopchoppy River marks its eastern edge, and that it includes about 100 acres of old-growth slash pine and swamp black gum. The Florida Trail Association says Bradwell Bay was named for a hunter who was lost for days in its trackless titi thicket, and that the trail passes for a short distance through an uncut swamp with trees up to 400 years old.

Florida Hikes describes the route. Leaving the Bradwell Bay trailhead heading west, the trail crosses pine flatwoods with scattered stands of titi. At the Monkey Creek ford, it warns of a deep hole beside the crossing and recommends a hiking stick for balance. West of Bradwell Island, the trail enters the depths of the swamp forest. Depending on your height and recent rain, Florida Hikes says, you’ll face knee- to waist-deep water, probing ahead for submerged logs and deep mud holes.

Navigation is a real concern. The Apalachee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association says crossing the wilderness through thick titi requires both FT and Forest Service maps and a compass, and that bridges over the Sopchoppy River and Monkey Creek may not be visible in high water. When the Sopchoppy is at flood stage, 28 feet, it says hiking along the river becomes impossible or dangerous.

Camping is scarce. The Forest Service says very few good campsites exist along the trail. The Apalachee Chapter says Bradwell and Ditch Bays aren’t suitable for camping except for one island in Bradwell Bay, while the Sopchoppy River and Monkey Creek areas are. Florida Trail Hikers lists the Sopchoppy River, Martian Camp, and Bradwell Island campsites along this stretch.

AllTrails reviewers describe the challenge in summer: chest-deep blackwater in a hot, ancient swamp with alligators, snakes, spiders, and clouds of yellow flies. Another reviewer found forest roads to the trailhead flooded and muddy. The Florida Trail Association says the local chapter holds an annual “Swamp Stomp” here each March.

For a different kind of Florida Trail wilderness, see St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, just to the east.

Tips

Camping

The Forest Service says very few good campsites exist along the Florida Trail in Bradwell Bay. Bradwell Island is the only spot in the bay the Apalachee Chapter considers suitable for camping; the Sopchoppy River and Monkey Creek areas, outside the bay, are better options. Developed campgrounds in the national forest, such as Porter Lake, are listed by the chapter and Florida Trail Hikers.

Inside Intel: Plan your night around Bradwell Island. It’s the one island inside the bay that the Apalachee Chapter calls suitable for camping, and Florida Hikes says the swampiest wading lies just west of it. The chapter’s March Swamp Stomp, which covers about 8 miles, is a way to experience the bay with a group.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Waist-deep wading in Bradwell Bay:

Hikers on the Florida Trail in Bradwell Bay typically wade waist-deep water, and the Monkey Creek ford has a deep hole beside it. Five tips for crossings, including when to turn back.

Get the five tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.