Now, she's executive director of the Economic Council of Okeechobee and has become quite an expert on the area. The levee, called Hoover Dike after President Herbert Hoover, was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1920s and early '30s. The levee became an official National Recreation Area in 1993 and is part of the Florida National Scenic Trail. To alert hikers and cyclists to access points, members of the Florida Trail Association erected 50 wooden markers along the way. The state is working on a plan to improve the trail now.
Walkers can maneuver it pretty easily, but it's rough going for cyclists in many places.
The best stretch for bikers is the 11.8 miles between Clewiston and Moore Haven. Two-mile stretches also are fine for cyclers at Okeechobee City and Port Mayaca. Apparently, the rewards of walking it are well worth it. You'll see eagles, great blue herons, snail kites, ibis, egrets, mallards, anhingas, storks and many other types of birds. A good way to spot and identify them is by taking a ride with Audubon Society warden Barry Lege on his Swampland Tours pontoon boat, docked off State Road 78 West at the Kissimmee River Bridge in Okeechobee.