Bear Lake Trail is a 7.8 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Homestead, Florida that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round.
Everglades National Park charges a fee to enter. Fees are $30 per vehicle or vessel, or $25 per motorcycle. If you are entering on foot, bike, or paddle-craft the fee is $15 per person. You can also purchase a park specific annual pass for $55.
Everglades National Park 40001 State Road 9336 Homestead, Florida 33034-6733 Phone: 305-242-7700 Fax: 305-242-7711
Directions from Flamingo, FL: Bear Lake Trail is located two miles north of Flamingo. Travel Main Park Road over the waterway and immediately turn right onto Bear Lake Road. This road takes you to the parking area / trailhead. Signage is good.
March 29, 2021Narrow path that is overgrown in some parts. There’s a parking lot at the end of the bear lake service road that I would recommend parking at to make this trail significantly shorter. Saw a couple of alligators and lots of birds and spiders on the trail!
March 27, 2021Amazing! Favorite trail so far!
February 6, 2021January 16, 2021Overgrown for sure. A nice easy hike if you don’t mind pushing your way through the brush. Lake at the end is a nice reward.
January 15, 2021A little overgrown but the lake is worth it.
January 9, 2021Peaceful!!! The first part of the trail cars can go through and there seem to be more people around. Once you get to the end and head of the beaten path it’s just you and nature! I’m new to hiking so spiderwebs were hard for me but someone went before me and helped clear them - so awesome! I loved this experience!
October 19, 2020this was a hard trek, once you make the left turn. i felt like i was hacking thru the amazon. waist deep brush. they hadn’t cleared it since last season - which is typical i was told. they are supposed to open the gate and start cutting the path in november, so if you try it before then beware. saw plenty of snakes and a resident gator near the end.
March 5, 2020This trail was recently cleared out from the physical starting point (the gate access point) down to the parking area/canoe access dock. (About two miles and ends at the ‘western turn’ towards Bear Lake) The hanging tree roots will not be cut back. Just a ‘heads up’ to those who decide to drive their vehicles down the service road. The last two miles are not fully maintained by the NPS. They are still able to be hiked but....there will be narrow sides, low hanging trees, small branches on the ground, and some mud. Although this may not sound totally appealing this was my favorite part of the trail. A lot more shade, abundant wildlife to include a shy fox that would peek out from time to time. There are quite a few horse flies and some mosquitos out to feast on you. And there is not a lot of shade on the two miles along the access road. Please plan accordingly. In addition, this app shows the trail being off to the west of the actual trail itself. By about 15 feet for an area near the western turn. This will cause you to receive ‘Are you off route?’ alerts. And the first part of the trail seems to start out near the old post office. If you start there you will be walking along the main park road and in the sun. Not a very enjoyable start/end to the hike. I suggest starting at the trail gate. You will still get a verified complete skipping the part along the main road and being ‘off route’ for the small area. Lastly, I do not speak for or on behalf of the NPS. I am just a happy hiker that gets to work in some amazing places and enjoy the outdoors.
January 12, 2020Bear Lake Trail and Eco Pond from Campground T.
June 22, 2019Trail was nice and alongside a canal, but the bugs were terrible. I would do it again, but definitely later in the year.
April 30, 2019The bugs, especially the mosquitoes, made this a miserable hike. The lake is nice enough, and there is a clearing where you can look at the lake. We also got a brief respite from the mosquitoes there, but knowing that we had to turn around and trek through the bug infested trail to get back to the car detracted from our enjoyment. Overall we are glad we did it, but would never do it again.
March 6, 2015
First to ReviewThis trail is actually more like 4 miles due to the fact that you have to walk the road 2 miles to get to the trailhead. The actual hike is nice and the lake is much larger and prettier than I originally expected.
March 23, 2021February 27, 2021February 10, 2020March 8, 2019February 24, 2019December 7, 2018
