The landscape of Everglades National Park is utterly unique among American vistas. The River of Grass is a patchwork of overwhelmingly open saw grass marshes, tangled mangrove forests, and jungle-like tropical hardwood hammocks. Indeed, most of the park's 1.5 million acres are either fresh or brackish water wetlands, or are submerged beneath the shallow estuarine waters of Florida Bay. With no place more than eight feet above sea level, even the few hummocks of pineland or hardwood uplands succumb to the dominating force of water during high water events. Read More »
Everglades National Park Highlights
- Paddle the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway on a weeklong foray through mangrove swamps and along pristine Gulf Coast bays. By day, spot spoonbills, manatees, gators, and dolphins; by night, camp on raised wooden chickees (tent platforms) and savor the wilderness solitude. A backcountry permit is required for overnights. See a map of Everglades National Park.
- Go after fresh or saltwater game fish in the park’s countless watery nooks, home to species such as snapper, flounder, sea trout, bluegill, and largemouth bass.
- Hear the critters of the Everglades come to life on a ranger-led night walk. You'll hear the hum of millions of frogs, crickets, and other insect life, the hoot of an owl or two, and maybe even the cry of the elusive Florida panther.
- Bike the 15-mile Shark Valley Tram Road to best experience the Everglades' expansive sweeps of sawgrass prairie, hardwood-covered limestone outcrops, and shrubby "bayhead" islands. Creatures to look out for include alligators, herons, egrets, deer, and possibly even a bobcat.
- Ditch the daytrippers by straying from the major routes and boardwalks. Miles of interconnecting trails access the park's 47 backcountry campsites, which offer the best window into the amazingly diverse Everglades ecosystem. It'll be just you and the mosquitoes as you explore deserted beaches, isolated canoe trails, and quiet mangrove swamps seemingly thousands of miles from the development of south Florida.
- Learn more about Everglades National Park at our sister site GORP.com.
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Everglades National Park Travel Q&A
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Photo Galleries
What You Can Do in Everglades National Park
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Parks Near Everglades National Park
- Florida Trail, FL (31 mi.)
- Long Key Campsite, FL (33 mi.)
- Wilderness Waterway, FL (33 mi.)
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