Everglades

Overview

Everglades National Park protects 1.5 million acres of subtropical wilderness at the southern tip of Florida — a vast, slow-moving "River of Grass" where freshwater from Lake Okeechobee flows in a sheet just inches deep across sawgrass prairies, mangrove forests, and coastal marshes to Florida Bay. This unique hydrology supports the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist, along with the endangered Florida panther, manatees, and over 360 species of birds. The park has three main entrances, each revealing a different face of the Everglades. The main entrance near Homestead leads to the Anhinga Trail, where alligators, anhingas, herons, and turtles congregate along a boardwalk in such numbers that wildlife photography feels like shooting fish in a barrel. The Shark Valley entrance offers a 15-mile tram or bike loop through sawgrass prairie to an observation tower with 360-degree views. The Gulf Coast entrance at Everglades City is the gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands, a labyrinth of mangrove islands explored by kayak. The Everglades' flat, wet landscape may lack the dramatic vistas of mountain parks, but its biological richness is unmatched in the continental United States. Visit during the dry season (December-April) when wildlife concentrates around shrinking water holes and bird colonies are at their peak.

Things to Do

• Walk the Anhinga Trail for guaranteed wildlife sightings
• Bike or take the tram on the Shark Valley Loop
• Kayak through the Ten Thousand Islands
• Canoe the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway
• Explore mangrove tunnels by kayak at Flamingo
• Watch for manatees and crocodiles at Flamingo Marina
• Join a ranger-led slough slog (wet walk) through the prairie

Wildlife

Keep an eye out for these animals during your visit:

Weather & Best Time to Visit

Hot, humid summers with daily thunderstorms and extreme mosquitoes. Winter dry season is warm and pleasant (70-80°F) with low humidity. Hurricane season (June-November) can close the park.