This Under-The-Radar Florida State Park Offers An Authentic Everglades Experience Without The Crowds

If you're planning a visit to Florida, you have many options for what to put on your itinerary. If you're into theme parks, you can go to Orlando or Tampa. If you want beaches and luxury resorts, Miami or St. Petersburg fit the bill. If you're looking to explore as much of Florida's wildlife as possible, you might assume the best option is Everglades National Park. However, Florida has uncrowded places to get up close Everglades views if you know where to look. Just up the road is one example — a smaller, less crowded alternative with many of the same scenery and animal encounters: Collier-Seminole State Park.

Located on Highway 41, just 15 minutes from pristine and little-known Marco Island, Collier-Seminole State Park offers a fabulous glimpse into Florida's natural beauty. Spanning over 7,000 acres, you still get to explore one of the largest mangrove swamps in the world, but you don't have to fight for parking or wade through crowds of tourists to see the local wildlife. Best of all, if you really want to experience Florida up close, you can camp in one of the 105 campsites available.

So, pack your adventuring gear, put on some bug spray, and let's hit the trail!

There are three primary ways to experience the majestic nature of Collier-Seminole State Park. First, you can hike along the various trails, such as the Prairie-Hammock Trail, a 3.5-mile loop on the northern edge of the park that's great for finding alligators. Alternatively, across Highway 41 is the five-mile Strand Swamp Trail or the three-mile Flatwoods Trail. Both of these trails weave through wet cypress swamp, making them unique and challenging. At times, water can be waist-deep in places; be sure to check in at the ranger station before heading out.

If hiking (or biking) doesn't excite you, you can explore the park on a canoe or boat. There's a boat landing at the southern edge of the park that leads into the Blackwater River. The river is relatively calm, so it's perfect for shallow-draft boats, canoes, or kayaks. The entire river trail is a 13.5-mile loop. There's a junction in the center, with one side leading to Mud Bay (which is inaccessible at low tide) and the other leading out to Blackwater Bay and the Gulf. Once you're offshore, there are thousands of barrier islands and keys, so it's crucial to know your exact location at all times to avoid getting lost.

Collier-Seminole State Park is also one of the only places in Florida to see royal palms in their natural habitat. There's the Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail and Boardwalk (less than a mile long) near the boat ramp. At the time of this writing, both are temporarily closed for renovations.

The best way to get to Collier-Seminole State Park is to fly into Miami International, which is about a two-hour drive east along Highway 41, aka the Tamiami Trail. In fact, Barron Collier, after whom the park is named, helped create part of the famous Tampa-to-Miami highway. You can learn more about his efforts and the Seminole Indian Wars at the Seminole Blockhouse and the Bay City Walking Dredge, both located within the park.

As we mentioned, one of the best ways to experience Florida's natural scenery is by camping onsite. You can pitch a tent or stay in an RV, depending on what's more comfortable. Most of the campsites are in the center of the park, but there is one, Grocery Place Campground, situated at the base of Mud Bay. That site is only accessible by boat, holds a maximum of eight people, and you must reserve your spot with the Park before visiting.

If you prefer to stay in a hotel, you can either head out to Marco Island or further north to Naples. If you're in Naples, you can keep enjoying nature by visiting one of Florida's best-kept secrets, a lush eco-haven thriving in the heart of the city.