Adjacent to Big Cypress National Preserve, the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park is 20mi long and 4mi wide on average and made up of a swamp forest of dense and exotic vegetation. Its flora includes the largest stand of native royal palm in the US, as well as the greatest concentration and diversity of orchids. A boardwalk (1 mile round-trip) at Big Cypress Bend leads through an eerily beautiful bald cypress forest, ending at a primeval swamp home to alligators.