Departing the Florida Keys early on a Sunday morning, we were treated to one more sunrise over the water as we drove across the first of many bridges connecting the chain of islands to the mainland. Our planned five to six hour drive took us to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, about 30 miles northwest of Okeechobee, for a couple of nights. The dusty gravel road leading into the park is five miles long with a 25 mile per hour speed limit, but the ruts of the dried tire tracks left by the park’s swamp buggy necessitated a much slower speed. So as we slowed to a crawl over some sections of the road, we enjoyed the view of the grassy prairie expanding on either side of the roadway while we managed to keep Cecil from rattling himself into pieces. The park offers swamp buggy rides from November through March, but we didn’t go for a tour during this visit nor did we see the swamp buggy in action at any point during our stay.

According to the park website, Kissimmee Prairie is a 54,000 acre preserve that “protects the largest remaining stretch of Florida dry prairie, home to an array of endangered plants and animals.” The view is supposedly reminiscent of the Great Plains of the Midwest, but since we’ve yet to see the Great Plains in person, I can only assume the park website’s statement to be accurate. The scenery was an absolute change from the Keys, as we were no longer within a short distance from any significant amount of water. Tall grass and sparse, scraggly bushes extended for miles around and the atmosphere felt eerily similar to a novel or movie featuring early American pioneers in covered wagons seeking a new life out west. Cattle grazed on leased pasture along one side of the road, adding yet another note of authenticity to the illusion of the Wild West. If we’d seen people on horseback, which was a distinct possibility since the campground features an equestrian camping area, I might have thought we’d already arrived in Texas and skipped the trip along the Gulf Coast entirely.

Kissimmee Prairie is fairly remote, as though the five-mile entry road didn’t already lead you to that conclusion. But it’s this seclusion that attracts visitors to the campground, as the location is one of the last remaining areas in Florida untouched by light pollution. The park boasts a camping area reserved strictly for stargazers, which forbids white light of any kind after dark to preserve the ability to view the pristine night sky. We only reserved two nights in the main campground and both were mildly overcast so we didn’t get to view the stars in great detail, but I can understand the attraction of the location.

The campground was certainly quiet – you’re either visiting this park to observe the night sky, ride horses on the 100 miles of flat prairie trails, or just find a degree of solitude for a few days. There’s no pool or swimming area to escape the heat, no playground for the kids, no town close by for entertainment – just campsites, a very clean bathroom with showers, a laundry area, and an endless panorama of the surrounding prairie.

We walked two of the shorter hiking trails during our brief visit, one of which lead partway down the gravel entry road before turning onto a tiny tree-lined path that quickly gave way to the majority of the trail running parallel to more leased cattle-grazing pasture. The park is well-known for birding opportunities and we spotted herons, egrets (maybe), and many other types of birds we couldn’t even begin to identify. In one of the few wet areas, we even glimpsed two alligators along the trail – one lounging in the sun, while the other swam in a shallow pool snapping up dinner. The park is also home to white-tailed deer and turkeys, which are abundant and easy to spot shortly after dawn.

Many – maybe all – of the parks we visit generally have signs indicating the variety of wildlife present, most of which list one or two venomous snakes. We rarely spot snakes of any kind, let alone those of the poisonous variety. Well, this visit changed that statistic. Kissimmee is home to cottonmouths and diamondback rattlers, and I’m fairly certain we saw both. Neither of us ventured close enough to check name tags or make introductions in this case. We saw a small cottonmouth basking in the sun on the entry road as we were driving, and watched two crows harass a very large and slow-moving (presumed) diamondback rattler along the road leading to the astronomy pad camping area. The birds were literally standing sentry along the side of the road and began flapping and cawing as the four-foot snake (estimated, of course – I didn’t grab the tape measure to confirm the length) slowly emerged from the grass, attempted to cross the road, and then lazily retreated from the winged onslaught. We didn’t walk into the astronomy area that evening.

The park is home to the endangered Florida grasshopper sparrow which lives nowhere else in the world and serves as a key indicator species for high quality dry prairie. I have no idea if we spotted a grasshopper sparrow during our visit since neither of us are birding aficionados. This rare and highly endangered bird is a prairie specialist – it can only survive in flat, treeless prairies that are burned by lightning or prescribed fires every two years. The park service at Kissimmee systematically burns parts of the prairie according to this strict schedule, yet the Florida grasshopper sparrow population continues to decline at an alarming rate with no apparent cause. The Audubon Society is championing the plight of these little brown birds, so please visit this site if you wish to learn more.

If you decide to visit Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, you’ll find large, flat RV sites with fairly decent separation from your neighbors – the treeline is thin, you’re in the middle of 50,000 acres of prairie land after all. It’s the perfect spot to find a bit of solitude with excellent stargazing and bird watching opportunities, not to mention 100 miles of flat trails for hiking, biking, or horseback riding. As mentioned earlier, you won’t find a swimming area or any fancy amenities, but if you’re driving into the middle of the Florida prairie I would expect you’re going there for reasons other than comfort and pampered niceties. Also be aware that when the sun goes down, your RV or tent will be violently assaulted by gnats, mosquitoes, and many other tiny winged intruders who will scoff at your measly screens and charge boldly into your living area. Close your windows, zip up your tent, and turn out your lights, even if you’re looking forward to enjoying the cool night breeze while you sleep or a quick round of board games before bed.

Kissimmee Prairie is certainly a unique area and a complete departure from the ocean-centric life in the Keys. Visit the prairie if you seek solitude, immersion in nature, or the opportunity to view the night sky as you may have never witnessed before. Just be prepared for a long, bumpy ride on your way in, keep an eye out for snakes, and maybe pack some mosquito netting to be on the safe side after the sun disappears over the endless horizon.