As my regular readers know, I love US national parks very much.
I am not interested in the beaches of Miami for a long time š…
I have learned in advance that next toMiami is located Everglades National Park.
Everglades National Park was always on my list of must-see wonders of the world.
And since I was in Florida and love US national parks so much, I could not miss the opportunity to see live alligators and a unique park, which is located in the very south of the Florida peninsula in the USA.
So I took the time to visit the Everglades and learned a lot of new and relevant information.
And today I will tell you what the Everglades Park is, which was practically unknown to me (compared to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon), how to get there on your own and what to see.
Here you go!
About Everglades National Park
The Park is the largest national park in Florida, located at the southern tip of the state and peninsula of Florida and southwest of Miami.
The Everglades is famous for its swamps.
Founded back in 1947, the park is alreadyon the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Here, you can see sword grass, numerous rivers and lakes, you can meet Mississippi alligators, caimans, poisonous snakes and turtles in their natural habitat.
Everglades swamps are also called grassy quiet rivers and you can really move along them by boats, canoes or even boats.
Most of the park is made up of mangrove trees, which I have seen in Cambodia on the Tonle Sap Lake and on the Railay Peninsula in Thailand.
But the scale in Florida is certainly more impressive š®…
Tours at Everglades National Park
If you want to go on a boat tour, then you should immediately go to the Flamingo Visitor Center or Gulf Coast.
By the way, from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center you can also take a trip to the Gulf of Florida, to a place called the Thousand Islands.
For a Tram Tours go to Shark Valley.
When I arrived at the Ernest Coe visitor center, I found that it was still closed.
It’s good that the workers gave me a map at the entrance.
Therefore, if you have tours and canoe trips in your plans, then it is better to come to the opening of the center in order to clarify all the current events in the park and ask the rangers for information on the trails.
Ticket Cost
Cost of visiting the Everglades National Park for 2023:
- By car – $35;
- On a motorcycle – $30;
- Pedestrian or cyclist – $20.
The Everglades Park ticket is valid for 7 days from the date of purchase.
Also available for purchase:
- Annual Pass to Everglades Park – $70
- Annual subscription to all US parks – $80
You can buy a ticket at the entrance to the park.
Until 8 am you can check in for free. I didn’t have to purchase a ticket, since I had my annual pass to all national parks, which I bought six months ago at the entrance to Sequoia Park on the West Coast of the USA.
Can You Drive Through Everglades National Park?
Yes, you can drive through a Loop Road.
The main entrance to the Park is located near the town of Homestead. Here, at a short distance from each other, there are Ernest F. Coe, Royal Palm and Flamingo information centers. The first two are known for their hiking trails, including the Anhinga Trail and the Gumbo Limbo Trail with the opportunity to see alligators.
The latter has boat rentals to explore the swamps on the water on your own.
Shark Valley’s northernmost entrance and information center is located near Miami. Bicycle lovers come here. For this, a ring road and sports equipment rental are equipped here. Also in this part of the park there is a 66 feet observation tower with a gorgeous panoramic view.
The last entrance to the park is in Everglades City and is called the Gulf Coast. Taking advantage of the fact that the city is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, tourists take canoes and explore the sea area of the Everglades.Ā
Also from here you can go to the “wild” part of the park, having received a special permit from the employees.
Campsites at the Park
The Everglades has campsites as well.
Everglades National Park has only two campsites that can be reached by car – Long Pine Key Campground ($20 per night) and year-round Flamingo Campground ($20 to $30 per night).
There are also quite a few campsites in the wilderness, which are mainly relevant to those visitors to the park who come here with their own boat.
You can get to the national park from three areas of Florida at once.
And learn everything about the local inhabitants from the rangers in the information centers.
How Long Does it Take to Drive Across the Everglades?
2 days.
In this time you will see rare animals(alligators) in their usual conditions.
Routes (trails) are equipped for them: Shark Valley Loop Road, Bobcat Boardwalk, Otter Cave, Anhinga, Gumbo-Limbo. You can walk or cycle through them. Each takes 20 minutes to an hour.
You will also have a possibility to rent a pleasure boat, kayak or canoe.
Or to try a faster way to travel through the swamps, it is an airboat safari. They are paid separately.
And you will experience another type of entertainment which is water excursions on boats and river buses. They leave from the piers in the centers of Flamingo, Shark Valley and Gulf Coast.
Are There Roads Through the Everglades?
Yes, there is a famous Loop Road. It is a 24 mile long two-lane road.
But usually in spring the last part of the road is always dirty and in summer, the last part of the road can be under water.
Is there a Scenic Drive Through the Everglades?
Yes, it is highway 41, Tamiami Trail.
The road is really scenic, by driving here you can understand the Everglades better.
How Long is the Everglades Loop Road?
The Loop Road is a 24-mile-long two-lane road and will take around 50 min.
This road parallels Tamiami Trail through the Everglades in the belly of South Florida’s undeveloped center.
When Should You Go to The Everglades?
While it seems like it’s always warm in Florida, there are a few restrictions on visiting the Everglades.
During the summer (May to October) the park has a low tourist season due to the weather: it is very hot and humid, and clouds of mosquitoes fly around š£
Thunderstorms usually occur during the daytime.
But at the same time, the swamps are green and very beautiful.
But in winter, the high season begins, as it becomes drier and more pleasant. Mosquitoes and other midges are almost gone. But the landscapes, unfortunately, are no longer so picturesque, the grass is turning yellow, and the water is decreasing.
But it is easier to see alligators and birds hiding in the swamps. And winter is the best season to visit the Everglades.
Hurricanes are another threat on the coast of Florida in autumn. So that’s where it gets lucky.
As you can see, each season has its pros and cons.
But each person has his own characteristics: someone does not tolerate heat, some humidity, and some dryness.
I visited the Everglades at the end of May, that is, at the beginning of summer and the end of the winter season.
There were practically no mosquitoes yet, the swamps had not yet become green, but the living creatures pleased me very much.