Route #83 Ritta Island – Miami Canal

Route #83 covers 54 round-trip miles through the agricultural region southeast of Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County, within the Everglades Agricultural Area known as The Glades. The route begins near Ritta Island at John Stretch Memorial Park and follows the Miami Canal, one of the major engineered waterways created to drain former wetlands and regulate water flow in South Florida.

Along the way, the journey passes through vast sugarcane fields, the remains of vanished settlements, and infrastructure such as pumping stations, floodgates, and industrial rail lines linked to agricultural transport. The landscape reveals the contrast between large-scale water management systems and the natural areas that are gradually being restored.

In its southern stretch, the route borders the Rotenberger and Holey Land wildlife management areas, where wetlands once again dominate and native Everglades wildlife becomes more visible. Reaching the edge of Broward County and nearby tribal lands before turning back, the route offers a direct look at one of Florida’s most extensive hydraulic corridors.

This route can be found in Discovering Florida – Volume 4.