Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Refuge waters include 1,000 acres of flooded cypress swamp. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish and catfish.

A very pleasant way to experience Banks Lake is from a canoe or kayak. Paddle amid water lilies and wind through the bell-bottomed cypress rising out of the water for a swamp-like experience. While quietly paddling you can hear cricket and pig frogs in the warm months, along with birdsong and...

The moss-draped cypress ringing the lake’s waters are perhaps the most photogenic aspect of the refuge, with white water lilies an intriguing foreground.  Sunsets are quite spectacular from the boardwalk, and the bank is a great place to see the full moon rise.  There are always...

Alligators, herons, ibis and egrets patrol the lake year-round, but other wildlife may change with the seasons.  Ospreys nest on tall cypress in the middle of the lake, and warblers and flycatchers nest in the hardwood uplands around the water’s edge.  Hundreds of sandhill cranes stop...

Airboats and jet skis are prohibited.