Three Entrances to the Okefenokee Swamp

As a wrap-up of my recent posts, I want to directly compare the three entrances to the Okefenokee Swamp.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

First of all, let me say that my enjoyment of the Okefenokee Swamp is one of my biggest travel surprises this year. (And this year includes falling in love with Santa Fe and spending the fall watching the aspen trees turn in Colorado!) I never thought I’d be so entranced with it as I am, or enjoy my time in a swamp so much.

Maybe my expectations were low since I didn’t enjoy my first impromptu visit. It’s possible my visits came at the end of a year full of travel and I’m so tired that the tranquility of the Okefenokee Swamp soothed my soul. Nevertheless, actually getting out into the swamp feels magical. The reflections on the water make it seem like you are floating in the sky! I fell head over heels for the whole experience.

Three Entrances to the Okefenokee Swamp

There are three main entrances to visit the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, each with its own boat tour into the swamp. And the boat tours are the thing here. You have to actually get out into the swamp and experience it, not just do the activities on the sidelines.

Note that you need a fair amount of flexibility when visiting the Okefenokee Swamp in general. You certainly can’t do all three entrances in one day. I had a hard time fitting two in one day on my visit, and couldn’t do the third (the state park) until later. And even then, I had a hard time getting a tour time that fit with my schedule. (I ultimately changed my schedule.) Plus, the entrances are about an hour or more from each other – the Okefenokee Swamp is HUGE.

The Okefenokee Swamp invites you to slow down, and I encourage you to lean into this while you’re here. If you want to fully explore what each of the three entrances to Okefenokee Swamp has to offer, I’d reserve one day for each spot.

Ultimately, I recommend visiting all three entrances because the swamp is so different in each place. That way, you get a better picture of the swamp as a whole. (The best way to see the whole swamp is to get a permit to camp and kayak across the entire thing – but I hear those are hard to come by.)

Suwanee Canal Recreation Area/Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Main Entrance

If you only have time to visit one entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp, make it the main Suwanee Canal Recreation Area entrance near Folkston, GA. It’s the official federal entrance for the Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge and has the most robust facilities & activities.

Boat Tour

The boat tour from the Suwanee Canal entrance features a historic man-made canal and a swamp prairie, and there is a stand of old cypress trees that is absolutely stunning. The swamp here in general is more open for easier viewing of birds and alligators.

Boat tours from this entrance cost $28 and under for a 90-minute guided tour. The boats are shaded, comfortable, and seat a fair amount of people. You must also pay a $5/car fee to enter the refuge, good for seven days.

Other Activities

For just the cost of the $5 refuge fee, you can bike or drive Swamp Island Drive out to the authentic Chesser Island Homestead to see how pioneers lived in the swamp. Next door is a boardwalk out to a 40-foot observation tower. Or you can walk on several short trails in the park, for a little under 5 miles total.

If you want a deeper experience of the Okefenokee Swamp, you can outfit your own trip, or even hire a guided excursion from the Folkston entrance at various price points. Canoes & solo kayaks rent for $45/day.

There are picnic shelters, large bathrooms, a visitor center, a gift shop, and a small cafe here as well.

Nearest Town & Attractions

The biggest drawback to the Suwanee Canal entrance is that there’s not a whole lot to the nearby town of Folkston. There are a few places to eat, but only two small motels to stay in. (Though I did find one very cute bed & breakfast and a caboose that sleeps 4.) You can instead stay in Kingsland 30 minutes east or Waycross 45 minutes north.

Likewise, there’s not much other activity in Folkston. The biggest attraction seems to be the “Folkston Funnel“, a railway viewing platform for trainspotting.

Okefenokee Swamp Park

The privately-owned non-profit Okefenokee Swamp Park in Waycross, GA is the oldest entrance and more tourist-trappy than the others, though they’ve put in a lot of effort lately to make it look nicer. And the swamp here is not to be missed! Since this is the most northern entrance, the water level is lower and the paths through the swamp are narrower. It feels like you’re discovering a secret world.

Boat Tours

The boats here are smaller jon boats with several benches. They’re stable enough to walk around in, but you probably won’t be standing much during your tour. Based on my first visit, they tend to send out fairly full boats every hour. You don’t see as many birds, but you usually see some alligators and lots of plant life. And this was the only tour where my guide Clint pointed out alligator nests.

The boat tours here cost $30 and under for a 45-minute guided tour, plus the other park attractions like a train and a nature show. That includes the $5 National Refuge fee as well, though I don’t think you can take it with you to use at the other entrances.

Other Activities

Okefenokee Swamp Park definitely has more activities than the other entrances, and to enjoy them without the boat tour costs $20 and under. The biggest attraction besides the boat tour is a narrated mile-long train ride with a stop at a recreated pioneer village. This train becomes the holiday express during the month of December.

There are three small buildings with nature and history exhibits in the park. An “Eye on Nature” show presents live animals throughout the day in the Nature Center. A snack shack is central to the whole park, and a boardwalk with large “ambassador” alligators and turtles is off to one side. Out into the swamp is a long boardwalk leading to a 70-foot observation tower, the tallest in the entire refuge. (Sadly, it’s currently closed.)

One area I didn’t look at too closely at is an azalea garden adjacent to the parking lot, which you might want to check out in the spring. And there is a picnic and event area before the main entrance parking.

Nearest Town & Attractions

Okefenokee Swamp Park might be the most popular entrance to the Okefenokee Swamp, due to its nearness to Waycross, a decently-sized city. Waycross has several hotels, dining, and shopping options and makes a good base for exploring the entire Okefenokee area.

Besides the Okefenokee Swamp Park, Waycross has the Okefenokee Heritage Center and a place called Southern Forest World about forestry in South Georgia. In all, Waycross is THE gateway city to the Okefenokee Swamp.

Stephen C Foster State Park

The third entrance to the park is the most remote, at Stephen C Foster State Park near Fargo, GA. The biggest pro is that you can actually camp here overnight, it’s a dark sky park, and there seems to be even more wildlife here than anywhere.

Boat Tours

The boat tours at the Fargo entrance are the cheapest, at $15 for a 90-minute guided tour. The swamp here at the western side of the park is much more open, and the tour sticks to a deeper lake and one smaller canal. It’s just as interesting, but still totally different than at the other two entrances. The $5/car National Wildlife Refuge fee is in effect here as well, though you might have to track down someone to pay it.

The boats are bigger and shaded, but with much less seating than at the Folkston entrance. And with only 2-3 tours per day, it’s a much smaller operation.

Other Activities

Besides 63 campsites, there is a group pioneer campground, nine cottages, and a nearby lodge for rent. There are about three miles of hiking trails, about four miles of biking if you include all the paved roads, and you can drive or bike 5.5 miles to the nearby Suwanee River Sill. The park office has a gift shop and trading post for some food supplies. And there are three rentable picnic shelters and a playground.

You can rent kayaks and canoes here for relatively cheap – between $15-$30 for up to eight hours. Paddle a kayak two miles to Billy’s Island and then hike a one-mile loop to see Native American, pioneer, and logging history on the island.

Nearest Town & Activites

There really isn’t much to Fargo at all – only one hotel with just eight rooms and a few restaurants. There are a couple of golf courses nearby, including one across from the park-operated Eco Lodge. You’re better off staying in the park itself or in Waycross an hour north.

Minor Entrances to Okefenokee Swamp

There are two more minor entrances to the swamp. I cover the Suwanee River Sill in my post about the Stephen C Foster State Park. And there’s one more entrance called Kingfisher Landing that’s pretty much just a boat ramp and some restrooms. It’s located on the east side between the Waycross and the Folkston entrances.

Final Thoughts

Getting out into the Okefenokee Swamp is what you want to do at each of these locations. To that end, make sure you always book your boat tours ahead of time and plan the rest of your day around them. The parks themselves are nice, but nothing compares to getting out on the water. I did tours at all three entrances, enjoyed each one, and would do all of them again in a heartbeat! Links for booking tours can be found on my blog posts for each park.

And one thing I haven’t mentioned in all of these posts is that for most of the year, the Okefenokee Swamp is going to be very hot and buggy! My visits have all been in the fall & winter so I haven’t had that experience – which makes this area a fantastic place to visit during the colder months. But be prepared for hot & humid weather the rest of the year. And take your strongest bug spray! Mosquitos, flies, and other bugs live in the swamp all summer and biting yellow flies are most prevalent in May & June. Wear long sleeves, hats, pants, and douse yourself with spray if you go during these months. Those biting flies can really ruin your day.

The Okefenokee Swamp has a lot more to offer than might be assumed at first glance. If you’re feeling harried and enjoy the outdoors, I would absolutely recommend some time in south Georgia checking out all three entrances to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.