The Christian Point Trail is one of the more challenging trails in Everglades National Park.
After traversing a mangrove forest and entering a small prairie, it winds around in a hammock of buttonwood covered with epiphytes, and then opens onto a large marl prairie, where the trail can be muddy.
On the far side of this prairie – just north of Christian Point, beyond a wooded shoreline – lies Snake Bight, part of Florida Bay. This is a potentially excellent birding site, overlooking open shallows.
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Overview
Location: Flamingo
Length: 4.2 mile round-trip
Trailhead: 25.151817, -80.918367
Type: linear
Fees: Everglades National Park entrance fee
Restroom: No
Land Manager: National Park Service
Phone: 305-242-7700
Expect an outrageous number of mosquitoes. Footing can be difficult. Bring hiking sticks.
Directions
From the Flamingo Visitor Center, follow Main Park Road north for 0.8 mile to the Christian Point trailhead on the right.
Hike
Start your hike by entering the mangrove forest and crossing a wet area on a boardwalk. Mangroves are all around you.
The trunk of the red mangrove stands atop prop roots, which act as buttresses and allow the tree to take oxygen directly from the air.
At 0.1 mile, emerge from the forest onto a small marl prairie. The Flamingo microwave tower is visible from here.
Work south to enter a buttonwood forest at 0.3 mile. The trail winds around and below the remains of large buttonwoods, which did not survive the intrusion of salt from the hurricanes’ storm surge.
Notice the epiphytes, or air plants, that grow on the horizontal branches. Wild pineapple is the prevalent epiphyte here.
These air plants grow on the crooks of trees and wherever else they can gain purchase. Nutrient-absorbing organs in epiphytes allow them to get nutrients from rainfall.
At 0.6 mile, intersect an old road and begin to turn east just past a trail sign. The path remains very curvy, even though it follows the old roadbed.
Look for tropical trees such as poisonwood, Jamaican dogwood, and strangler fig, and other hammock plants, such as soapberry and white stopper.
There is another marl prairie at mile 1.3. This one is very large. Look back for another view of the tower at Flamingo. At mile 1.7, enter an open marl prairie with shoe-sucking mud.
Persistent hikers will continue east, staying with a trail that sometimes winds through saltwort and sometimes across open marl.
After 2 miles, you enter a forest of buttonwood and black mangrove. Come to the edge of the continent at mile 2.1, where there are views of Snake Bight and the rest of Florida Bay.
The shoreline trees act as an effective blind for viewing bird life, which can be abundant here.
Turn around and return along the same route.
Explore More!
Learn more about Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park In 1.5 million acres across South Florida, Everglades National Park has outdoor experiences from accessible boardwalks and paved trails to rugged adventures in harsh wilderness.Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring along Everglades Main Park Road
Bear Lake Trail Everglades Paralleling the former Homestead Canal, the Bear Lake Trail takes you on a journey through tropical hammock and mangrove forests along a road scooped from the canal diggings. 
Pa-Hay-Okee Boardwalk For a sweeping panorama of the "River of Grass" from a personal perspective, get out of your car and walk the short Pa-Hay-Okee Boardwalk at Everglades National Park.
Snake Bight / Rowdy Bend The Snake Bight Trail in Everglades National Park leads you a wild place where tropical forests meet the mangrove shorelines of Florida Bay, where crocodiles cruise the saline shallows and mosquitoes thicken the air.
West Lake Mangrove Trail At West Lake, the Mangrove Trail loops through a shady tunnel, showcasing the protector of Florida’s coastline, the mighty mangrove, along the shores of a brackish lake.
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