Lost Horn Ranch Airport

The airport was closed due to its inclusion within the boundaries of the newly formed Big Cypress National Preserve. The U.S. government acquired the private land, including the Lost Horn Ranch and its associated airstrip, as part of the effort to conserve the Big Cypress Swamp watershed. Once the land became part of the National Park Service system, its function as a private airfield ceased, and it was left to be reclaimed by nature.

The site is completely abandoned and is part of the Big Cypress National Preserve. Current satellite imagery shows the faint but clear outline of the former runway, which is now heavily overgrown with grasses, shrubs, and trees. The airstrip is unusable and inaccessible by aircraft. The surrounding area is a protected natural wilderness, and there are no remaining buildings or facilities associated with the former airport. The site is slowly being reclaimed by the swamp ecosystem.

Lost Horn Ranch Airport was a private-use airstrip that provided fly-in access to the remote Lost Horn Ranch, a private hunting and recreational camp. Its significance was local, serving the owners and guests of the ranch who used light general aviation aircraft to bypass the difficult swamp terrain. The airfield, which had a single unpaved 3,000-foot runway, is a historical example of the private recreational land use common in the Florida Everglades before the area was designated for federal protection. Operations would have been limited to small single-engine or light twin-engine aircraft carrying passengers and supplies for the camp.

There are zero plans or prospects for reopening the Lost Horn Ranch Airport. Its location within a National Preserve, managed by the National Park Service for conservation and environmental protection, makes any future aviation development on the site legally and practically impossible. The land is managed to preserve its natural state, which is fundamentally incompatible with operating an airport.