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Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida - it is so big that it is sometimes called Florida's inland sea. It is also known as the "Big O" and is home to much of the wildlife that one will find in the Everglades. If one would like to explore Florida while on a trip to Orlando or Miami, then Lake Okeechobee is arguably an important part of any Florida road trip.
Lake Okeechobee is the second-largest freshwater lake that is entirely located in the US (the Great Lakes are all shared with Canada). This vast but shallow lake plays an important part in the unique ecosystem of Florida and the Everglades.
Lake Okeechobee - The Second Biggest Fully-American Lake
Lake Okeechobee occupies a shallow geological trough in the Kissimmee River Valley and the adjacent Everglades. It is a young lake with the land being dry around 6,000 years ago. That land gradually turned into wetlands and built up peat deposits, these deposits formed a dam. Eventually, the lake built up behind the peat dam and formed the lake seen today.
Since 1928, the Lake Okeechobee has been contained by the Herbert Hoover Dive (not the Hoover Dam). The Okeechobee Waterway (or Okeechobee Canal) also cuts through the lake. The canal stretches across Florida from Fort Myers on the state's west coast to Stuart on the east coast. The waterway is quite shallow and is limited in the vessels that can pass through it.
These days Lake Okeechobee and the region of Florida are famous for their superior fishing as well as for boating (including airboats) and stunning trails). It is easily the largest freshwater lake in Florida.
- Okeechobee Waterway: A Canal Cutting Across Florida
- Length: 152 Miles
- Size: 730 sq miles (1,900 km2)
Just as Florida is famously flat, Lake Okeechobee is exceptionally shallow for a lake of that size. It has an average depth of only around 9 feet or 2.7 meters. Its max depth is not much deeper - it only reaches a maximum depth of 12 feet or 3.7 meters.
- Average Depth: 9 Feet or 2.7 Meters
- Max Depth: 12 Feet or 3.7 Meters
- Fun Fact: Five Florida Counties Meet At One Point In The Center Of The Lake
- Headwaters: It Is The Headwaters to The Everglades
Wildlife calling Lake Okeechobee and its surroundings home include alligators, wild turkeys, bobcats, deer, wild hogs, egrets, osprey, kites, and many other birds.
The Big O's Clewiston - "America's Sweetest Town"
Clewiston is a town of around 8,000 on the south bank of Lake Okeechobee and is on the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. It is home to a number of museums and activities and is termed by visitflorida.com as "Florida's sweetest town."
Clewiston is home to a number of sugarcane plantations and so it is also home to a number of sugar tours (don't miss out on the Sugar Festival too).
Top Activities:
- Fishing: Particularly For Bass And Perch
- Tours: Sugarcane Plantation Tours
- Hiking: Hike The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail
Activities in the town include sugarcane tours, three-hour boat cruises, bass fishing, and hiking and biking the lake's trail. One attraction in Clewiston is the historic Clewiston Inn which was built in 1938 by the United States Sugar Company for the purpose of hosting company executives and visiting dignitaries.
The lake and Clewiston are particularly famous for fishing for the legendary largemouth bass and speckled perch (other fish include bluegills, Okeechobee catfish, and black crappies).
- Nickname: "America's Sweetest Town"
The Okeechobee Scenic Trail
While the Okeechobee Scenic Trail is some 109 miles long - it is at least very flat. This trail circumvents Lake Okeechobee with large sections of it being atop the 35-foot tall Hebert Hoover Dike.
It began as the Okeechobee Segment - a part of the must larger 1,000-mile-long Florida National Scenic Trail that runs from Miami to Pensacola.
- Length: 109 Miles
- Entry Fees: Free
- Circumvents: Lake Okeechobee
The trail has camping sites and restrooms at the community parks along the route. It is advisable to take one's own potable water and not drink the lake water that is subject to algal blooms.
Next time in Florida, visit Lake Okeechobee and see the wild (aka marshy) side of Florida. See the side of Florida that exists outside the resort cities of Orlando and Miami.