Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
Folkston, GA 31537
Phone:912-496-7836
Web: www.fws.gov/okefenokee
Established: 1936.
Location:Southern Georgia.
Facilities:Visitor center, picnic area, boat launch, canoe trails, hiking trails, observation tower, auto tour route, historic features.
Activities:Boating (10 hp limit), camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, biking, hunting, educational programs.
Special Features:Okefenokee Swamp remains one of the oldest and best-preserved freshwater areas in America, covering an area 38 miles long and 25 miles wide. The slow-moving waters form the Suwannee River, which flows southwesterly through Florida into the Gulf of Mexico. The swamp also drains into the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Mary’s River, which forms the boundary between Georgia and Florida.
Habitats: 402,000 acres of freshwater swamp with numerous islands, lakes, forests, and prairies.
Access: Open year round.
Wild life: Wading birds (herons, egrets, ibises, wood stork, sandhill cranes, and bitterns), American alligator, red-cockaded woodpeckers, Florida black bear, green anole.
See other parks in Georgia.