
Experiences & Amenities
Experiences
Off-road biking is available within our Prairie Hammock Trail along the historic Old Marco Road. This is a 3.5-mile course winding through marsh, hammock and pine flatwood and conveniently located on U.S. 41.
- Helmets are highly recommended for all cyclists and Florida law requires helmets for cyclists under the age of 16.
- You may experience a short detour on this trail during mid-season (December through April).
- Registration at the park ranger station is required for this trail Trail is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. EST, and 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. EDT
Collier-Seminole State Park is part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail and offers many opportunities for bird watching. Within our three different trail areas, as well as a 13.5-mile canoe/kayak trail, there are a number of different natural communities to explore.
Over 150 different species of birds have been spotted in the park.
The boat basin at Collier-Seminole State Park has a ramp that allows access to the Blackwater River. The Blackwater River is a tidal river that flows to the Gulf of Mexico. It is recommended that watercraft no larger than 24 feet, or draft more than 16 inches of water, launch from the site.
- Parts of the river may be shallow during low tide.
The campground is considered a tropical outpost on the edge of the Everglades. All sites have electricity, water, a grill and picnic table. The 105 campsites accommodate all campers, from tents to large motor homes.
Sites 1-19 are for tents and pop-ups only. Hammock camping is available.
Sites 6, 8, 15, and 16 are our Glamping sites. Reservations and information on these glamping sites are through Timberline Glamping by calling (941) 777-3114 or online at https://naples.tlglamping.com/
Contact the ranger station for more information. (239) 393-7306
This park is frequented in the winter by motor-home campers seeking warmer climates.
- Pets are welcome in the campground.
- Consumption of alcohol is prohibited except in designated areas.
- The restrooms have hot showers and two have laundry facilities.
- A centralized dump station is available for RV campers.
- Maximum RV length = 50 feet.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance for Florida residents, 10 months for non-residents. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
Hike/Camp
The primitive campsite for hikers is located 3 miles from the parking area within the Strand Swamp Trail, one of two trails, located north of Highway 41. The site accommodates up to six people. The hiking trail is wet during the summer months and some sections are muddy all year.
- Registration is required by calling the ranger station at 239-393-7306.
Canoe/Camp
The primitive canoe campsite at Grocery Place on the Blackwater River accommodates up to eight people. Accessible only by boat or canoe/kayak, the site is located 9 miles from the park boat basin.
- Check at the ranger station for availability and reservations or call 239-393-7306.
- Overnight canoe rentals are available through GoCats on the Water at (239) 478-4099.
- Pets are permitted at the primitive sites but not recommended.
- Downed wood may be collected for fires at these primitive sites only.
- There are no facilities at either site.
- Campers must carry in all supplies and carry out all trash.
- Bring bug spray and plenty of water.
A group camping area is available not far from the main campground. It is within walking distance of restroom/shower facilities and has drinkable water.
- The cost per night is $5 per adult and $1 per child plus tax.
- The maximum capacity is 20 people and priority is given to established youth groups.
- For more information or to make a reservation, call the ranger station at (239) 393-7306.
The Blackwater River is a mix of salt and fresh water and provides plenty of fishing opportunities. All fishing within the park must conform to regulations concerning size, number, method of capture and season.
- A fishing license may be required. More information is available at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fishing in Florida website.
The park has 10 geocaches, with three of those being multi-stage caches. Collier-Seminole State Park also has the oldest geocache in Florida, named the Christmas Cache.
- Trail registration for certain geocaches such as the Christmas Cache is required at the ranger station, Trail is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. EST, and 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. EDT For more information, call 239-393-7306.
Geocaching is an outdoor game using hand-held global positioning systems (GPS) devices. It's effectively an inexpensive, interactive and high-tech treasure hunt that's a great way to learn geography. Participants use location coordinates to find caches. Some caches are easy to find; others are more difficult. The biggest reward is the thrill of the search and the discovery of a place where you have never been.
- Geocaching should have minimal impact to the environment and conscientious land-use ethics should be followed.
- Operation Recreation GeoTour.
Collier-Seminole State Park has four great nature trails within its boundaries. Please call the park office for current conditions at (239) 393-7306.
Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail/Boardwalk (0.9 mile) (Temporarily Closed)
Collier-Seminole State Park is unique for having a tropical hardwood hammock, known as Royal Palm Hammock. Here are plants more common to the Yucatan or Caribbean, with a thick canopy of royal palms, gumbo limbo, Jamaican dogwood, satin leaf and many varieties of ferns.
The nature trail starts at the parking area of the boat basin, just around the corner from the stop sign at the parking lot. About 2/5 of a mile, the trail will split and quickly bring you to the boardwalk, where the habitat changes to low wetlands that are inundated with water most of the year. Here you will see pond apple trees, thick patches of giant leather ferns or stands of white mangrove.
The far end of the boardwalk has a 200-yard spur trail that ends at a scenic extended platform to the salt marsh. Birds often are seen feeding or nesting in the area. Animals such as bobcat and bear have been sighted, but they avoid people and remain elusive.
Strand Swamp Trail (5.25 mile) and Flatwoods Trail (3 mile)
One of the attractions of the Western Big Cypress Basin is to hike through a cypress strand swamp and wet pine flatwoods. Much of this trail is wet during the year except in the winter and early spring. The pine Flatwoods Trail has a pine overstory with an herbaceous understory.
As you hike through this area you may see several native wildflowers in bloom. The cypress strand trail is dominated by cypress trees, but as you hike through this trail you will also cross through pine islands where native animals take refuge during the wet summer and fall months. Sightings of wildlife like bear and panther are not uncommon, but they avoid humans whenever possible.
This is Big Cypress habitat in its natural state! Give yourself three or four hours to enjoy the entire trail. Also, make sure to bring plenty of drinking water and bug spray with you.
- Please register at the ranger station to get a map and gain access to this trail. Trail is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. EST and 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. EDT.
Prairie Hammock Trail/Off Road Bike & Hiking Trail (3.5 mile)
This trail is suitable for either biking or walking. The trail head is along Highway 41, about 0.7 miles west of the main park entrance gate. Please register at the ranger station before going on this trail. About half of the trail is a historic road bed named Old Marco Road.
This is easily traversed and dry year-round. Sections of the rest of the trail are wet through the summer and fall months. The wildlife most often seen are deer, gopher tortoise, wading birds, woodpeckers and a variety of songbirds.
Though rare, it is possible to see endangered species like Florida panthers and red cockaded woodpeckers. Florida black bears are also common.
- Please bring your own bicycle as bicycle rentals are not available at this time. Trail is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. EST and 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. EDT.
Collier-Seminole is a great place to canoe or kayak. The Blackwater River flows through a beautiful mangrove forest and into the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
The river is tidal but very gentle and is a good place for less experienced paddlers. If more adventure is on the day's agenda, give the 13.5-mile canoe/kayak trail a go. Be sure the tide is high while navigating through Mud Bay.
Call the park office for tides of the day at 239-393-7306. Bring your own equipment or rent a canoe or kayak from GoCats on the Water, our park concessionaire.
- For reservations and information, call GoCats on the Water at (239) 478-4099.
Collier-Seminole State Park offers the opportunity for some of the most diverse wildlife viewing in Florida's state parks. With four hiking trails and a 13.5-mile canoe trail, there are many different natural communities to travel through.
Species found in the park include Florida panther, bobcat, gopher tortoise, manatee and American alligator.
- For a complete list of park species, stop in at the ranger station.
Amenities
Collier-Seminole State Park is committed to providing a variety of amenities accessible to all of our visitors. These amenities include:
- Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail boardwalk. (Temporarily closed.)
- Fishing from the seawall at the basin.
- Interpretive exhibits.
- Campsites with asphalt pad, picnic table, ground grill and nearby restrooms.
- Picnic facilities with tables and grills.
- Parking.
- Restrooms.
Service animals are welcome in all areas of Florida State Parks.
The boat basin at Collier-Seminole has a ramp that provides access to the Blackwater River, a tidal river that flows to the Gulf of Mexico.
- It is recommended that watercraft no larger than 24 feet launch, drafting 16 inches of water or less, from the site.
- Parts of the river may be shallow during low tide.
The campground is considered a tropical outpost on the edge of the Everglades. All sites have electricity, water, a grill and picnic table. The 105 campsites accommodate all campers, from tents to large motor homes.
Sites 1-19 are for tents and pop-ups only. Hammock camping is available.
Sites 6, 8, 15, and 16 are our Glamping sites. Reservations and information on these glamping sites are through Timberline Glamping by calling (941) 777-3114 or online at https://naples.tlglamping.com/
This park is frequented in the winter by motor-home campers seeking warmer climates.
- Pets are welcome in the campground.
- Consumption of alcohol is prohibited except in designated areas.
- The restrooms have hot showers and two have laundry facilities.
- A centralized dump station is available for RV campers.
- Maximum RV length = 50 feet.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.
Bay City Walking Dredge No. 489 was constructed in Bay City, Michigan, and used to construct the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) in the late 1920s. Its revolutionary design allowed it to "walk" itself forward as it was dredging limestone to create the roadbed.
The Bay City Walking Dredge was designated a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1993. An ASME landmark represents "a progressive step in the evolution of mechanical engineering." The dredge also was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
The dredge is on display inside the park with kiosks explaining its history and purpose.
The park has interpretive kiosks located near the Bay City Walking Dredge and interpretative displays at the interpretive center, Blockhouse. The Blockhouse is a stylized recreation of a Seminole War fort and the first floor is open to the public.
- New displays will be added at the Blockhouse soon.

Pets are allowed in most areas of the park; however, pets are not allowed in park buildings.
We ask that pets be kept on a 6-foot leash and not be left unattended in a campsite for more than 30 minutes.
We also ask that pets be well behaved and confined to a tent or RV during campground quiet hours.
- View our Pet Policy.
There are two picnic pavilions available at the park's picnic area. Nearby is a playground and the park's boat basin. These pavilions have stand-up grills and picnic tables. These are non-reservable and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the picnic area.
The campground is considered a tropical outpost on the edge of the Everglades. All sites have electricity, water, a grill and picnic table. The 105 campsites accommodate all campers, from tents to large motor homes.
Sites 1-19 are for tents and pop-ups only. Hammock camping is available.
Sites 6, 8, 15, and 16 are our Glamping sites. Reservations and information on these glamping sites are through Timberline Glamping by calling (941) 777-3114 or online at https://naples.tlglamping.com/
This park is frequented in the winter by motor-home campers seeking warmer climates.
- Pets are welcome in the campground.
- Consumption of alcohol is prohibited except in designated areas.
- The restrooms have hot showers and two have laundry facilities.
- A centralized dump station is available for RV campers.
- Maximum RV length = 50 feet.
- Reservations can be made up to 11 months in advance. For reservations, visit the Florida State Parks reservations website or call 800-326-3521 or TDD 888-433-0287.