Left Hand Skillet
- 1.7 mi
- round trip
- 56 ft
- climb
- 7 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Nov–Mar
- best months
Is Left Hand Skillet open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Big Cypress National Preserve.
As of · Source: NPS · Big Cypress National Preserve. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Left Hand Skillet is an easy, flat out-and-back hike in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, managed by the National Park Service. The route is about 3.4 miles long, and the entire trip gains no elevation, with the high point at 7 feet and the low at 5 feet. The trail is short and level, with the steepest stretch at about 0.22 miles in, where the grade reaches 2 percent. The most comfortable time to go is winter and early spring. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show January highs around 78°F with lows near 55°F and only about seven wet days, while summer brings highs in the low 90s and rain on 17 to 19 days a month. There is no fee to hike Left Hand Skillet. The closest trails are Skillet North, about 1.7 miles away, and Monument, about 3.1 miles away. Paddlers can reach the Turner River Paddling Trail, roughly 9.5 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Everglades Area Tours13 mi away
- Tour The Glades - Wildlife Tours14 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Skillet NorthHiking1.7 mi
- MonumentHiking3.1 mi
- Sandy RoadHiking4 mi
- Burns Lake SouthHiking4 mi
- Monroe SouthHiking4.6 mi
- Monroe NorthHiking4.6 mi
- BuckskinHiking4.7 mi
- Turner River Paddling TrailCanoeing9.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Kirby Storter Nature TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: Khajjit75, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Roberts Lakes TrailHiking · ~21 min drivePhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Gator Hook TrailHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Skillet NorthHiking · ~3 min drive
Monument BypassHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: Andrew Turner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Sandy RoadHiking · ~7 min drive
- PoppenhagerHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: Andrew Turner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Mud LakeHiking · ~14 min drive
- Pace's DikeHiking · ~21 min drivePhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Boot Hill WestHiking · ~14 min drive
Best time to visit Left Hand Skillet
Best months: November–March. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
78° / 55°
7 wet
Feb
81° / 57°
5 wet
Mar
83° / 58°
6 wet
Apr
87° / 62°
6 wet
May
91° / 66°
10 wet
Jun
92° / 72°
17 wet
Jul
93° / 75°
18 wet
Aug
94° / 76°
19 wet
Sep
92° / 76°
17 wet
Oct
89° / 71°
11 wet
Nov
84° / 64°
6 wet
Dec
80° / 59°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Oasis Rs, FL, 8.6 mi away at 8 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
