“There are no other Everglades in the world.” So began River of Grass, the 1947 classic by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas that helped to call attention to the need to protect this vast and unique ecosystem.
Dedicated on December 6, 1947, by President Harry S Truman, Everglades National Park was the culmination of decades worth of effort to preserve and protect the uniqueness of South Florida.
Visionaries like Ernest Coe, David Fairchild, John Pennekamp, and Ms. Douglas led the charge.
Within the 2,358 square miles of Everglades National Park, the park boundaries protect the largest sawgrass prairie in North America.
It also encompasses the largest mangrove forest in the Western hemisphere and dozens of intriguing and rare habitats such as tree islands and pine rocklands.
Landscapes are majestic here, with sweeping panoramas of marsh and cypress.
Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview Map
Locations of trails within Everglades National Park
About the Park
There are four separate entrances to Everglades National Park, the most well-known of which is the Main Park Road at Homestead.
Main Park Road leads to most of the park’s hiking trails and the developed campgrounds that are best visited in winter.
Shark Valley, along US 41 (Tamiami Trail) west of Miami is also a popular destination with a paved biking/tram loop and nature trails.
The Gulf Coast Visitor Center and Flamingo Visitor Centers anchor the two far-flung outposts of the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway, one of the wildest paddling trips in America.
Chekika Day Use Area near Kendall is the least-used entrance since it may only be visited by permit.
Fees
As of August 2023, the fee to enter Everglades National Park is $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per pedestrian or cyclist.
Your receipt is good for 7 consecutive days from purchase. If you live nearby, it makes sense to get a National Parks pass. All camping reservations are handled by Recreation.gov
Visitor Centers
Ernest Coe Visitor Center, 40001 SR 9336, Homestead
Flamingo Visitor Center, near the end of Main Park Road, Flamingo
Shark Valley Visitor Center, 36000 SW 8th St, Miami (along US 41)
Gulf Coast Visitor Center, 815 Oyster Bar Lane, Everglades City
Hiking
Most of the hiking trails in the Everglades are short and tame, letting you sample these wild habitats and see their delicate inhabitants, like the liguus tree snails, with ease.
The Coastal Prairie Trail is open to backpackers. A second backpacking route, the Old Ingraham Highway at Royal Palm Hammock, has officially been permanently closed.
Main Park Road
Royal Palm Hammock
Anhinga Trail For most visitors, the Anhinga Trail is their first glimpse into Everglades National Park. It's short, and the alligators are right there: hard to miss
Gumbo Limbo Trail At Royal Palm Hammock in Everglades National Park, the Gumbo Limbo Trail is a gentle paved path that gets you up close and personal with a tropical hammock and its oolite holes. Long Pine Key
Mahogany Hammock Trail Mahogany Hammock is a tree island, a tropical oasis in the Everglades “river of grass,” where the short boardwalk trail immerses you in the jungle-like hammock.
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.
Pinelands Ecotone Unnamed, un-blazed, and wild, on an old jeep road, the Pinelands Ecotone is an extraordinary hike between two rare habitats – pine rocklands and sawgrass prairies.
Pinelands Trail The Pinelands Trail is a showcase for South Florida’s weird and wonderful karst, a limestone bedrock that’s full of Swiss-cheese like holes, in a tropical forest where colorful tree snails make their home.Flamingo
Bayshore Loop A walk through the mangrove-lined edge of Florida Bay and the unique coastal prairie habitat of the Everglades, the Bayshore Loop explores the site of the former fishing village of Flamingo.
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. 
Christian Point Trail The Christian Point Trail is one of the more challenging trails in Everglades National Park, leading you deep into the mangrove forest along Florida Bay.
Coastal Prairie Trail Ready for a wilderness challenge? On the Coastal Prairie Trail, battle mosquitoes, unrelenting sun, and deep and sticky marl mud to camp at remote Clubhouse Beach.
Eco Pond One of the easiest destinations for birding in Everglades National Park, Eco Pond sits near the end of Main Park Road in Flamingo, with a half mile trail around it.
Guy Bradley Trail Named in honor of the first game warden in Everglades, who gave his life protecting the birds, this paved walk offers excellent views of Florida Bay and insight into why Everglades National Park now exists.
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.Shark Valley
Bobcat Boardwalk The 0.3-mile Bobcat Boardwalk at Shark Valley is a popular destination in winter and spring to see migratory and nesting birds.
Otter Cave Hammock Trail Complementing Shark Valley’s loop trail and Bobcat Boardwalk, the Otter Cave Trail gets you out into the Everglades at a walking pace, where you’ll see more wildlife.Related Articles
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