The Bradwell Bay Wilderness is part of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

National Wilderness Preservation System, located in the Florida panhandle adjacent to the

Apalachicola National Forest The Apalachicola National Forest is the largest U.S. National Forest in the state of Florida. It encompasses and is the only national forest located in the Florida Panhandle. The National Forest provides water and land-based outdoors activities ...

. The 24,602 acre (100 km²) wilderness was established on 3 January 1975 by the Eastern Wilderness Act. "Bay" in this case means "a recess of land, partly surrounded by hills," which, in this particular instance, is mostly titi swamp and standing water. The Sopchoppy River marks the Bradwell Bay's eastern edge. A section of the Florida Trail, which usually requires wading through swampy terrain, passes through the wilderness.Florida Trail Association: Apalachicola Natl Forest East
/ref>

Flora

Titi trees,

longleaf pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

loblolly pine ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

and wire grass make up much of the swamp. The wilderness also contains a

old-growth An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological feature ...

slash pine ''Pinus elliottii'', commonly known as slash pine,Family, P. P. (1990). Pinus elliottii Engelm. slash pine. ''Silvics of North America: Conifers'', (654), 338. is a conifer tree native to the Southeastern United States. Slash pine is named after ...

- swamp black gum swamp.

Fauna

White-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

, black bears, and

alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...

s are some of the animals that can be seen here.

References

External links

Bradwell Bay Wilderness
a
Wildernet

Bradwell Bay Wilderness
- official site at

U.S. Geological Survey Map
at the U.S. Geological Survey Map Website. Retrieved March 28, 2023. Protected areas of Wakulla County, Florida Wilderness areas of Florida Apalachicola National Forest Swamps of Florida 1975 establishments in Florida Protected areas established in 1975 {{WakullaCountyFL-geo-stub