Catfish Hotel Trail

Catfish Hotel Trail takes its evocative name from a historic fish camp that once operated near the Suwannee River, leading hikers through an old-growth cypress swamp to the confluence of Manatee Spring Run and the Suwannee River. The trail passes beneath a cathedral canopy of ancient bald cypress trees, some with trunk diameters exceeding six feet, whose massive forms create a primeval atmosphere reminiscent of a forest unchanged since the last ice age. The knobby cypress knees projecting from the black water add to the otherworldly character of the swamp.

The Suwannee River confluence at trail end is one of the most photographically rewarding locations in the park, where the turquoise spring run water meets the dark tannin-stained river in a visible boundary that changes with river level and flow conditions. Alligators bask on the mudflats at the confluence, and largemouth bass cruise the clear spring water near the outfall. Limpkins, a species that feeds almost exclusively on apple snails, are commonly heard and seen along the swamp margins. The return loop passes through a transitional zone where cypress gives way to hardwood hammock dominated by live oak and water hickory, providing habitat for barred owls and pileated woodpeckers that complete the rich wildlife experience of this compact but rewarding trail.