Overview

Everglades National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a vast and unique subtropical wilderness that spans over 1.5 million acres across southern Florida. The park is renowned for its diverse ecosystems, including sawgrass marshes, mangrove forests, and pine flatwoods, which support a rich array of plant and animal life. Famous for its resident alligators and wading birds, the Everglades is a popular destination for nature enthusiasts, birdwatchers, and adventurers seeking to explore the park’s many waterways and trails.

Everglades National Park Location

Everglades National Park is located in southern Florida, approximately 50 miles southwest of Miami and 80 miles northwest of Key West. The park has three main entrance points: the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center near Homestead, the Shark Valley Visitor Center along the Tamiami Trail (US Highway 41), and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City. Each entrance provides access to different areas of the park, offering a variety of experiences and activities for visitors.

Everglades National Park Things to Do

Everglades National Park offers a wide range of activities for visitors, from guided tours and ranger programs to hiking, biking, and water-based adventures. Some popular activities and attractions include:

Anhinga Trail

This short, accessible boardwalk trail winds through a sawgrass marsh, offering up-close views of alligators, wading birds, turtles, and other wildlife. The trail is particularly popular among birdwatchers and photographers.

Shark Valley

Located along the Tamiami Trail, Shark Valley offers a 15-mile loop road that can be explored on foot, by bicycle, or via a guided tram tour. The road offers excellent wildlife viewing opportunities and features a 65-foot observation tower that provides panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Flamingo Area

Located at the southern end of the park, the Flamingo area offers a variety of amenities, including a marina, visitor center, and campground. From Flamingo, visitors can embark on boat tours, rent canoes or kayaks, or explore nearby hiking trails such as the Coastal Prairie Trail or the Snake Bight Trail.

Canoeing and Kayaking

Everglades National Park is a paddler’s paradise, with over 100 miles of marked canoe and kayak trails that wind through mangrove tunnels, estuaries, and freshwater sloughs. Popular paddling routes include the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway, the Nine Mile Pond Canoe Trail, and the Hell’s Bay Canoe Trail.

Ranger Programs

The park offers a variety of ranger-led programs throughout the year, including guided walks, talks, and campfire programs. These educational programs provide an opportunity to learn more about the park’s ecosystems, history, and wildlife from knowledgeable park rangers.

Everglades National Park Itineraries

With so much to see and do in Everglades National Park, it can be helpful to have a general itinerary to guide your visit. Below are suggested itineraries for one, two, and three-day visits to the park.

One-Day Itinerary

If you have just one day in the park, consider the following itinerary:

  1. Start your day at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center near Homestead, where you can explore exhibits and attend a ranger-led program to learn about the park’s ecosystems and wildlife.
  2. Take a walk along the Anhinga Trail, which offers excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing and photography.
  3. Drive down to the Flamingo area, stopping at various viewpoints and trails along the way, such as the Mahogany Hammock Trail or Pa-hay-okee Overlook.
  4. At Flamingo, visit the visitor center and marina, and consider taking a boat tour or renting a canoe or kayak to explore the nearby waterways.
  5. End your day with a sunset walk along the shore of Florida Bay, taking in the stunning views of the park’s vast expanse.

Two-Day Itinerary

If you have two days to explore the park, consider adding the following activities to your itinerary:

  1. On your second day, head to Shark Valley along the Tamiami Trail, where you can rent a bicycle, join a guided tram tour, or walk along the 15-mile loop road for wildlife viewing and panoramic views from the observation tower.
  2. Visit the nearby Miccosukee Indian Village to learn about the history and culture of the Miccosukee Tribe, who have lived in the Everglades for centuries.
  3. Consider taking a guided airboat tour to explore the park’s vast sawgrass prairies and spot alligators, wading birds, and other wildlife.

Three-Day Itinerary

With three days in the park, you can further immerse yourself in the Everglades’ unique landscapes and experiences:

  1. On your third day, head to the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City, where you can join a guided boat tour or rent a canoe or kayak to explore the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands and waterways teeming with wildlife.
  2. Consider taking a guided fishing trip or wildlife-watching cruise to experience the park’s coastal ecosystems and spot dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, and a variety of bird species.
  3. Visit the Smallwood Store, a historic trading post in Chokoloskee, to learn about the area’s pioneer history and the colorful characters who called the Everglades home.

Best Season to Visit Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park can be visited year-round, but the best time to visit is generally during the dry season, which runs from November to April. The dry season offers more comfortable temperatures, lower humidity, fewer mosquitoes, and better wildlife viewing opportunities, as animals tend to congregate around water sources. This is also the peak season for ranger programs and facilities in the park.

The wet season, from May to October, is characterized by hot, humid weather and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. Some park facilities and trails may be closed or have limited services during this time. However, the wet season is also a time of lush vegetation and abundant birdlife, making it an appealing time for some visitors, particularly birdwatchers.

Everglades National Park Weather

Everglades National Park experiences a subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild, dry winters. Summer temperatures typically range from the mid-80s to low 90s Fahrenheit (29-34°C), with high humidity and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. The wet season, from May to October, can also bring heavy rainfall and occasional tropical storms or hurricanes.

Winter temperatures in the park are generally more comfortable, ranging from the mid-60s to low 80s Fahrenheit (18-27°C), with lower humidity and little rainfall. Nights can be cool, with temperatures occasionally dipping into the 40s Fahrenheit (4-10°C).

Visitors should be prepared for a range of weather conditions by dressing in layers, wearing sun protection, and carrying rain gear, particularly during the wet season.

Everglades National Park Hotels and Camping

While there are no hotels within Everglades National Park, a variety of accommodations can be found in nearby towns, such as Homestead, Florida City, and Everglades City. Options include hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and vacation rentals.

Camping is available within the park at two developed campgrounds: Long Pine Key Campground near the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and Flamingo Campground near the Flamingo Visitor Center. Both campgrounds offer tent and RV sites, restrooms, and potable water. Reservations are recommended, particularly during the peak season from November to April.

For a more remote experience, the park also offers a number of backcountry campsites that are accessible by canoe, kayak, or motorboat. A backcountry permit is required, and visitors should be prepared for primitive camping conditions and limited facilities.

Everglades National Park Restaurants

There are limited dining options within Everglades National Park. The Flamingo area features a small café offering casual fare, such as sandwiches, salads, and snacks. In the Shark Valley area, a food truck operates seasonally, serving a variety of snacks and light meals.

Outside the park, a wider range of dining options can be found in nearby towns, including Homestead, Florida City, and Everglades City. These towns offer a variety of restaurants, cafés, and grocery stores where visitors can stock up on supplies for picnics or camping meals.

Everglades National Park Wildlife and Plants

The Everglades is home to a diverse array of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else in the United States. The park’s unique ecosystems provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, including alligators, crocodiles, manatees, sea turtles, dolphins, and over 350 species of birds.

Notable bird species in the park include the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, anhinga, great blue heron, and the endangered snail kite. The Everglades is also home to a number of rare and threatened species, such as the Florida panther, West Indian manatee, and American crocodile.

The park’s diverse plant communities range from sawgrass marshes and cypress swamps to hardwood hammocks and mangrove forests. Iconic plant species include the saw palmetto, bald cypress, and the ghost orchid, a rare and elusive flower that blooms in the park’s cypress swamps.

When observing wildlife in the park, it is essential to maintain a safe distance and never approach or feed animals. Visitors should also stay on designated trails and respect the park’s fragile ecosystems by practicing Leave No Trace principles.

Everglades National Park History

The history of Everglades National Park is a rich tapestry of human and natural stories that span thousands of years. Long before Europeans arrived in the region, the native Calusa and Tequesta peoples inhabited the Everglades, relying on its abundant resources for their sustenance and crafting intricate water management systems using the park’s natural waterways.

In the 16th century, Spanish explorers made contact with the native tribes, and over time, the region came under the control of various European powers. During the 19th century, the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes sought refuge in the Everglades, following the forced relocation of Native American tribes in the southeastern United States. These tribes adapted to the harsh environment of the Everglades, building their homes on stilts above the water and using canoes for transportation.

The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a period of significant development and exploitation in the region. Land speculators and entrepreneurs sought to drain the Everglades, converting its vast wetlands into agricultural and urban lands. This led to the construction of numerous canals, levees, and dikes, which significantly altered the region’s natural water flow and had lasting impacts on its ecosystems.

The idea of preserving the Everglades as a national park began to gain momentum in the early 20th century, championed by individuals such as landscape architect Ernest F. Coe and journalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Their advocacy efforts eventually led to the establishment of Everglades National Park in 1947, dedicated to the protection of the region’s unique ecosystems and wildlife.

In the decades since the park’s creation, efforts have continued to restore and protect the Everglades, including the implementation of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), a multi-billion dollar initiative aimed at restoring the region’s natural water flow and preserving its fragile ecosystems for future generations.

Everglades National Park Geology

The geology of Everglades National Park is characterized by its relatively flat, low-lying landscape, which was formed through a complex interplay of geological and hydrological processes over millions of years. The bedrock underlying the Everglades is primarily limestone, which was formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms that lived in the shallow seas that once covered the region.
Over time, the limestone bedrock was shaped by fluctuations in sea level and the movement of water, creating the unique karst topography that defines the Everglades today. This landscape includes features such as sinkholes, underground caves, and solution holes, which are formed by the dissolution of limestone by acidic rainwater.

The Everglades’ iconic sawgrass marshes are formed by the slow movement of water across the region’s flat terrain, creating a vast, shallow river known as the River of Grass. This river, which flows from Lake Okeechobee in the north to Florida Bay in the south, supports the park’s diverse ecosystems and is critical to the survival of its plant and animal species.

Conclusion

Everglades National Park is a unique and captivating destination that offers visitors a chance to explore a vast, diverse, and often mysterious landscape. From its rich history and geology to its abundant wildlife and recreational opportunities, the park is a treasure trove of experiences for nature lovers, adventurers, and anyone seeking to immerse themselves in one of the United States’ most remarkable natural wonders. As you plan your visit, remember to respect the park’s fragile ecosystems and protect its resources, ensuring that future generations can continue to enjoy the magic of the Everglades.