Everglades National Park Florida Alligators and Shark Valley

Why visit the Everglades

The writer Marjory Stoneman Douglas called the Everglades a river of grass, and that phrase is the best way to understand it. Fresh water once flowed south from Lake Okeechobee in a slow, wide sheet, and the park protects the southern end of that system, where fresh water meets the salt water of Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

That mix supports remarkable wildlife. The park is the most significant breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America and holds the largest mangrove ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere.

The main park road from Homestead

The main entrance lies west of Homestead and Florida City.

Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center

Start at this visitor center just inside the entrance for maps, exhibits, an orientation film and current wildlife sightings. Rangers can tell you about guided walks and whether any trails or facilities are closed.

Royal Palm and the Anhinga Trail

A few miles in, a side road leads to Royal Palm, the most reliable wildlife spot in the park. The Anhinga Trail is a short paved path and boardwalk, under a mile round trip, over Taylor Slough.

Next door, the Gumbo Limbo Trail is a shaded loop through a tropical hardwood hammock, named for the gumbo limbo trees with their peeling, coppery bark.

Pa-hay-okee Overlook

Pa-hay-okee, from a Seminole-derived word for grassy water, is a short boardwalk to a raised platform with one of the widest views of the sawgrass in the park.

Mahogany Hammock

This boardwalk loop winds through a dense tree island holding some of the largest West Indian mahogany trees in the country, along with strangler figs, air plants and paurotis palms. Watch for barred owls and lizards.

Flamingo and Florida Bay

Nine Mile Pond and the West Lake Trail

Closer to the coast, Nine Mile Pond is the start of a marked canoe and kayak loop through sawgrass marsh and mangrove tunnels, and a quiet place to look for alligators and wading birds from the shore.

Flamingo

At the end of the road, Flamingo looks out over the shallow waters and mangrove keys of Florida Bay. There is a visitor center, a campground, a marina and boat tours into Florida Bay and the backcountry when operating.

The marina is one of the best places in the park to see American crocodiles, which often bask on the banks near the boat basin, and manatees sometimes surface between the docks.

Shark Valley and the Gulf Coast

Shark Valley

On the park's northern edge, off the Tamiami Trail west of Miami, Shark Valley sits in the heart of the sawgrass. A paved fifteen-mile loop road, closed to private cars, runs out to an observation tower with a sweeping view of Shark River Slough.

Gulf Coast and the Ten Thousand Islands

The park's northwest entrance is near Everglades City, about ninety minutes from Miami. This is the gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands and winding channels along the Gulf of Mexico, and to the start of the Wilderness Waterway, a long canoe route to Flamingo for experienced paddlers.

On the drive along the Tamiami Trail between Shark Valley and Everglades City you pass through Big Cypress National Preserve, which protects cypress swamps next to the park and has its own visitor center and scenic drives.

Food and local flavors

There are very few places to eat inside the park, so pack a picnic and plenty of water. The gateway towns are where the regional flavors are.

On the Gulf Coast, Everglades City and nearby Chokoloskee are known for seafood, especially stone crab claws in season, from mid-October to May, along with grouper, shrimp and smoked fish.

Where to stay

Homestead and Florida City are the closest towns to the main entrance, with chain motels, vacation rentals and supermarkets.

Flamingo, inside the park, has a campground and lodging run by the park concessioner when open.

Everglades City and Chokoloskee are small fishing communities that suit paddlers, anglers and people heading for the Ten Thousand Islands.

Miami works as a base for day trips, especially to Shark Valley, which is under an hour from the western suburbs.

Best time to visit

The dry season, roughly December through April, is the best time for most visitors.

The wet season, from about May or June through October or November, brings heat, humidity, daily afternoon thunderstorms and heavy mosquitoes. Wildlife spreads out across the flooded landscape and some facilities reduce hours or close.

Getting there and getting around

Miami International Airport is the closest major airport; Fort Lauderdale and Southwest Florida International near Fort Myers also work, the latter for the Gulf Coast.

An entrance fee applies and is valid for several days at all entrances; national park annual passes are accepted. Fill up on gas before entering.

A suggested itinerary

First day

Enter from Homestead early. Walk the Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo trails, then drive toward Flamingo, stopping at Pa-hay-okee, Mahogany Hammock and West Lake.

Second day

Drive to Shark Valley for the morning tram or a bike ride to the observation tower. Continue west along the Tamiami Trail through Big Cypress National Preserve to Everglades City, and take an afternoon boat or kayak trip into the Ten Thousand Islands.

Practical tips

• Bring insect repellent, long sleeves and a head net in warmer months; mosquitoes can be intense, especially near Flamingo.
• Carry more water than you think you need, along with sunscreen, a hat and snacks.
• Stay at least fifteen feet from alligators and crocodiles, and never feed any wildlife.
• Reserve Shark Valley tram tours and bike rentals ahead in the dry season.
• Use the vulture tarps at Royal Palm if provided, and keep food out of sight in your car.
• Bring binoculars and a zoom lens; many birds are best seen from a distance.

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Homestead is the main gateway to the park, with fruit stands, restaurants, outfitters and places to stay along the way to the entrance.

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