Okefenokee State Park

Spanish moss-laced trees reflect off the swamp waters, while cypress knees rise upward from the glass-like surface. Here, paddlers and photographers will enjoy breathtaking scenery and abundant wildlife. Alligators, turtles, raccoons, black bears, deer, ibis, herons, wood storks, red-cockaded woodpeckers and numerous other creatures make their homes in the 438,000-acre refuge. Stargazers will appreciate the particularly dark skies.

Reservations are recommended for guided boat tours of the famed swamp. Sunset and night tours may be available. More adventurous visitors may wish to rent canoes, kayaks or jon boats for further exploration, including a trip to historic Billy’s Island. Fishing is excellent, particularly for warmouth, bluegill, catfish, chain pickerel and bowfin. Boating is dependent upon water levels.

Featured Birds

Barred Owl

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown Thrasher

Little Blue Heron

Prothonotary Warbler

Red-headed Woodpecker

Sandhill Crane

Swallow-tailed Kite

Wood Duck

Wood Stork

Perhaps the most famous inhabitant of the Okefenokee Swamp is the American Alligator. Officials estimate that 12,000 of the country’s largest reptiles live within the refuge. To safely view these creatures, visitors should admire them from a distance and keep hands and feet inside boats. 

Okefenokee State Park (Formerly Stephen C. Foster State Park) truly comes alive at night. More than half of the swamp’s mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds and insects are nocturnal and function best in pure darkness. The setting sun brings out spring peepers, pig frogs, cicadas, the Chuck-will’s-widow, crickets, grey foxes, alligators, and the laughing Barred Owls whose collective sound creates a dynamic, pulsing swamp symphony. In 2016, park staff removed all unnecessary artificial light in the park. Okefenokee State Park is a Certified Dark Sky Park (the only site in Georgia) by the International Dark Sky Association.