Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

Okefenokee NWR, Folkston, Georgia: To enter Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is to step into another world. There is an ethereal, other-worldly quality to this "Land of the Trembling Earth," where a heavy step can set great trees to quavering. Human habitation in the swamp dates back about 5,000 years when early Native American cultures shared the swamp with ancient alligators. The Native Americans are gone but the alligators remain, as they have for millions of years. There are surprises around every bend of the several marked canoe trails, from historic sites to primitive green pitcher plants, from massive cypress trees bedecked with Spanish moss to dainty orchids of every hue and description, from great colonies of long-legged wading birds covering 20 acres or more, to the hidden nest-holes of endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, and of course, the spectacular sunsets.