Incorporated in 1964, the Florida Trail Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit volunteer organization that builds, maintains, protects, and promotes the 1,400 mile Florida Trail, one of only eight National Scenic Trails in the United States, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. Our volunteers also build and maintain other trails on public land, known as the Florida Trail System. With 18 local chapters, FTA provides educational opportunities for people to learn to appreciate and conserve the natural beauty of Florida, as well as recreational opportunities for hiking and camping.
On the shores of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County, Pahokee is a rural farming community providing a gateway to outdoor recreation along the lakeshore, including camping and cabins on the water's edge at Everglades Adventures, and boating and fishing from the Pakohee Marina. The Florida Trail passes right through the recreation area along the Herbert Hoover Dike.
Pahokee is on Palm Beach County's "West Coast" along Lake Okeechobee. It is along US 441 west of Loxahatchee and south of Port Mayaca, and lies just north of Belle Glade.
While the rest of Florida has boomed, Pahokee has maintained its balance and its sanity. Seven miles of majestic towering royal palm trees greet visitors driving into Pahokee from the south along Bacom Point Road. The tropical climate, moderating balmy breeze from Lake Okeechobee and nature’s richest organic soil, called “muck”, makes the town a natural home for the royal palms. The only town located directly on the shore of Lake Okeechobee, Pahokee is known as Palm Beach County’s “other” coast, the coast without the crowds and the sticky sand! It’s a favorite kickoff point for the Big O Hike, an annual 109-mile trek around the lake on the Florida National Scenic Trail which is held Thanksgiving week. The Grassy Waters Festival (Pahokee means “Grassy Waters” in Seminole) is held here in November each year. A delightful cross between a church picnic and a country fair, this lakeside festival mixes gospel music with amusement rides, a petting zoo, food vendors and tricycle races.
Around Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Trail is atop the Herbert Hoover Dike, circling the second-largest freshwater lake entirely within the United States. Completed in 1937, this flood control structure was built by the Army corps of Engineers in response to a 1928 hurricane that created a tidal wave that destroyed the towns anong the south edge of the lake. Before the dike was built, Lake Okeechobee’s waters flowed directly into the Everglades “river of grass,” which was drained to create agricultural lands that now support sugar cane as a major crop. The Florida Trail, established here in the 1970s, stays on top of the open levee with few exceptions, mainly to skirt locks and dams. There are covered benches for rest stops, designated campsites with fire ring, picnic bench and easy access to water; and plenty of opportunities to visit trail towns for groceries, lodgings and great meals at bargain prices. Enjoy fabulous views across Florida’s inland sea. The Office of Greenways and Trails has paved this section of trail to the south. Be alert for bicyclists, service vehicles and snakes sunning on the hot surface. To the north, it's still a somewhat rocky surface made up of limestone packed down to make the dike.
Rardin County Park is a day use area with a playground, restrooms and covered picnic tables.
As the trail parallels CR 715 into Pahokee, you might see skydivers jumping over the Belle Glade Municipal Airport. The 12A Canal pump station provides road access. Continuing toward Pahokee, you’ll see residences between the dike and CR 715. Beyond the line of royal palms, you see an endless sea of sugarcane. You finally round Kreamer Island and the vast expanse of the lake comes into view.
Coming into Pahokee you’ll pass the Everglades Adventures RV and Sailing Resort, which occupies the lakeshore just before the Pahokee Marina, which has public parking for day use.
About 3.5 miles north of Pahokee is Canal Point Recreation Area where there is day use trailhead parking and a series of covered benches with great views of the lake.
About Us 
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Incorporated in 1964, the Florida Trail Association is a 501(c)3 nonprofit volunteer organization that builds, maintains, protects, and promotes the 1,400 mile Florida Trail, one of only eight National Scenic Trails in the United States, in partnership with the USDA Forest Service. Our volunteers also build and maintain other trails on public land, known as the Florida Trail System. With 18 local chapters, FTA provides educational opportunities for people to learn to appreciate and conserve the natural beauty of Florida, as well as recreational opportunities for hiking and camping.
On the shores of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County, Pahokee is a rural farming community providing a gateway to outdoor recreation along the lakeshore, including camping and cabins on the water's edge at Everglades Adventures, and boating and fishing from the Pakohee Marina. The Florida Trail passes right through the recreation area along the Herbert Hoover Dike. 
Pahokee - Grab & Go
Pahokee - Map
While the rest of Florida has boomed, Pahokee has maintained its balance and its sanity. Seven miles of majestic towering royal palm trees greet visitors driving into Pahokee from the south along Bacom Point Road. The tropical climate, moderating balmy breeze from Lake Okeechobee and nature’s richest organic soil, called “muck”, makes the town a natural home for the royal palms. The only town located directly on the shore of Lake Okeechobee, Pahokee is known as Palm Beach County’s “other” coast, the coast without the crowds and the sticky sand! It’s a favorite kickoff point for the Big O Hike, an annual 109-mile trek around the lake on the Florida National Scenic Trail which is held Thanksgiving week. The Grassy Waters Festival (Pahokee means “Grassy Waters” in Seminole) is held here in November each year. A delightful cross between a church picnic and a country fair, this lakeside festival mixes gospel music with amusement rides, a petting zoo, food vendors and tricycle races. 
largest freshwater lake entirely within the United States. Completed in 1937, this flood control structure was built by the Army corps of Engineers in response to a 1928 hurricane that created a tidal wave that destroyed the towns anong the south edge of the lake. Before the dike was built, Lake Okeechobee’s waters flowed directly into the Everglades “river of grass,” which was drained to create agricultural lands that now support sugar cane as a major crop. The Florida Trail, established here in the 1970s, stays on top of the open levee with few exceptions, mainly to skirt locks and dams. There are covered benches for rest stops, designated campsites with fire ring, picnic bench and easy access to water; and plenty of opportunities to visit trail towns for groceries, lodgings and great meals at bargain prices. Enjoy fabulous views across Florida’s inland sea. The Office of Greenways and Trails has paved this section of trail to the south. Be alert for bicyclists, service vehicles and snakes sunning on the hot surface. To the north, it's still a somewhat rocky surface made up of limestone packed down to make the dike.
Florida Trail Map Brochure