Big Cypress National Preserve – Airport Road
Airport Road – Big Cypress National Preserve
One of my favorite relaxing things to do in the evening is to take a ride to Airport Road and watch the sunset.
In the 1960’s construction began on what was to be the largest commercial airport in the world. The Jetport plans were for six runways, a new interstate highway, and a monorail. The airport would have been five times larger than JFK in New York City.
Studies showed that a project of this magnitude in the middle of the Big Cypress Swamp would have drastically altered the ecosystem in south Florida. A push back from local hunters along-side environmental activist helped stop the construction. What remains today is one runway which is utilized as an aviation training facility.
Today, a paved road runs a few miles north from Tamiami Trail (US41) through a Cypress Prairie. Beautiful landscape and a wonderful bird watching spot, Airport Road isn’t a bad place to sit and pass an evening. If you find yourself spending a few nights at nearby Midway Campground, take the short ride to Airport Road and watch a sunset.
