snake bight

This trail was too buggy to walk on. We started and turned around almost immediately and headed back. The ranger also admitted to me there really isn't much to see at the end of the trail

If you're going to check out this part of the park, take a boat. My wife and I tried walking the trail and didn't last 20 minutes before we turned back. The mosquitoes are vicious! The 20 minutes we did walk our arms were constantly flailing trying to keep the bugs off. We had bug spray on, but it was no match for the tornado of mosquitoes. Maybe if you sprint down the path....

This area is amazing, we kayaked there, and you can see where the water just stands completely still like a mirror and the sky is reflected beautifully, as well as the shadows of all the birds, we even saw a crocodile there. Really cool place.

Compadres met at Mrazek Pond recommended Snake Bight Trail. The shady entrance welcomed me but only after about 20-30 minutes on the trail the vicious bugs forced me to turn back. I had already sprayed myself down at the trail entrance with Deep Woods Off with 25% DEET but it was not enough to deter the armies of Everglades biting species. Plus I wanted to get to the highly rated Anhinga Trail before sunset on the day before the winter solstice, afternoon was slipping away, and other trails ahead also beckoned.Maybe this trail should be renamed Mosquito Bight as others have already mentioned :-)

An amazing place for shore and wading birds. Best time to visit is after fall migration (winter) and preferably, at low tide, when the mud flats are exposed. Expect 500+ White Pelicans, hundreds, (if not thousands) of Least, Western, and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Willets, Avocets, Greater & Lesser Yellowlegs, Black-necked Stilts, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, Dunlin, Marbled Godwits, and Ruddy Turnstones. Waders include Reddish , Great, and Snowy Egrets, Herons, and Roseate Spoonbills. You should also see Gulls, Terns, and maybe a Bald Eagle or two and plenty of Osprey. If you're lucky, American Flamingo, Long-billed Curlew, and other rare birds might be seen. Other birds can also be found to fill out your daily checklist for a very productive day of birding.

Took the Snake Bight trail out to the viewing area boardwalk and it was a nice walk and a nice view of Snake Bight. Some of the trail is a bit grown in and we encountered a little dampness near the end of the trail (muddy) but overall the most passable trail we encountered in the Flamingo area. The side trail that is supposed to intersect was not found as we planned on doing more of a loop walk. Obviously too grown in.

We tried to walk this trail, but were attacked by hundreds of mosquitoes (even through our clothes), so we quickly gave up our attempt to reach even the begin of the walk (the first part is really boring, don't know what the rest of the walk brings).

Best visited with a rising tide so check your Flamingo tide table and try to get to the end of the trail a couple of hours before high tide. The wading birds concentrate along the shore as the tide comes in and photo opportunities are best then for herons, shorebirds, and occasional spoonbills. Flamingos have been seen from here but in 20 trips I've only seen them once. Lots of mosquitos along the way unless it's a cool winter day but usually they are not a problem by the time you reach the overlook. Snake Bight is the largest mudflat in the USA and at low tide the entire horizon is nothing but mud except for a couple of channels. A very unique landscape best for birders, cyclers, and wildlife photographers.

This is a great trail for the atmosphere which makes you feel enveloped by mangroves. The trail gives you the sense of walking through a mangrove tunnel with the light at the end being that of Snake Bight/Florida Bay. Hit the end just before a wall of water from an afternoon thunderstorm came crashing through. We watched the water across the horizon and then dove back in for cover along the thickly-vegetated trail. Note the dark brown tannic water below the boardwalk and watch for beautiful spiders and webs. Our 3-yr old thought this was really great and mysterious.

Nearly every review has focused on the trail and many have been negative. While I do not doubt the trail has some negatives, I do not think that is how the originator intended you to experience Snake Bite. Snake bite is a premier attraction of the park service but they intend you to see it from the water. You can go boat but I recommend kayak. It is a mile paddle from the flamingo marina but well worth it. I left at day break as the tide was coming in. It is shallow but accessible. Amazing all the fish that move around you as you cut through the water. Paddling into the sun made it difficult to see what they were. As you pass Christian Point and turn north into the bite, stay close to shore, it's deeper there and not too far is an exposed bar, the whole reason for coming. On that bar, I saw over 100 spoonbills and ibis. You could actually hear them eating. Unfortunately, you can't get closer than 20 yards due to the depth. (I started up channel then tried to cut over grounding myself. While embarrassing and hard work polling, I did get to see 3 baby 2-3 foot sawfish living in that shallow.) After viewing the wading birds, I watched white and brown pelicans as well as 3 hunting ospreys, 2 of which I saw catch fish. I also saw a Little Blue Heron as well as a Great White (Great Egret). However the real treat was the paddle home with the sun behind me and the wind. I could coast over much of the Seagrass and better see the fish. About halfway back I saw a large disturbance of water and two dorsals just like the baby sawfish. This one was easily 6-7 based on the distance between them. Also saw dozens of other fish. One of the better experiences in the park but you have to get on the water to really have it.

We had wanted to hike the Christian Point Trail but were told by the rangers that it was muddy in places and to try the Snake Bight Trail, which we did. It was quite cool and there were no mosquitoes in early March. The walk follows an old overgrown canal down to the Bight. It is 1.8 miles one way, long and straight and boring except for the zebra butterflies. We arrived at the Bight at low tide so no birds to see. Not worth the walk unless you arrive at high tide when there are supposed to be lots of birds to see. You can see the butterflies, the canal, mangroves and vegetation in the first 100 yards and skip the rest unless it is high tide.

It may have been the time we went in February but didn't see much beyond a few birds here and there. The trail itself is a straight path to a small overlook that is blocked by vegetation. I suppose they didn't build the trail out past the vegetation for a specific reason but we did find this trail quite boring. A lovely view at the end of the trail but worth the 1 1/2 walking, 45 minutes each way, we wouldn't do it again. Like I said the trail is about 45 minutes of walking in the bush on a man made well trodden path but once you get to the end you have to travel the exact same path back, in the same straight line. Our 10 year old boy was quite bored and to be honest so were the both of us. We are complete nature and outdoorsy but this path just didn't make it to our top 10 list.

This another great place to see so much just remember to take your bug spray. Many birds and flowers and interesting plants.

My husband two children and I walked Snake Bight Trail just before dusk hoping to glimpse a snake and we sure did! It was almost more than we bargained for. The trail was surrounded in stunning vegetation, flanked by a stream that followed the wide dirt path for it's length and constantly dotted with butterflies. There was were no visitors to share the path besides ourselves as we toured. It was like the Garden of Eden, serpent and all considering we came across a cotton mouth coiled right on the edge of the path. My husband saw it a good 10 feet in advance, otherwise it might have posed a serious danger. Keep your eyes open, because this is a beautiful place to see!

We sprayed down with repellent at the suggestion of our field guide. even bathed in bug juice, we were both covered with mosquitos less than 50 yards down the trail. By 150 yards we realized we wouldn't make the 1/8 mile ONE WAY trip, so we abandoned our walk and RAN back to the car. This was our 2nd attempt here - we won't try again.