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Everglades Pay-Hay-Okee

Everglades National Park

In its 1.5 million acres sweeping across South Florida, Everglades National Park offers outdoor experiences ranging from accessible boardwalks and paved trails to rugged adventures in harsh wilderness

South Florida      ( 25.421886, -80.780548 )      

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Pond apple trees

“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, with visionaries like Ernest Coe, David Fairchild, John Pennekamp, and Ms. Douglas leading the charge.

Within the 2,358 square miles of Everglades National Park, the park boundaries protect the largest sawgrass prairie in North America, 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

50 Hikes in South Florida book cover South Florida Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover The Hiking Trails of Floridas National Forests Parks Preserves book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us continue to provide public information on this website.

About the Park

There are four separate entrances to the park, the most well-known of which is the Main Park Road at Homestead, which 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 January 2020, 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. Two trails are open to backpackers, the Coastal Prairie Trail and the Old Ingraham Highway.


Main Park Road

Royal Palm Hammock

Great egret flying over a lily-dotted swamp

Anhinga Trail

Anhinga Trail
Gumbo Limbo Trail Everglades National Park

Gumbo Limbo Trail

Gumbo Limbo Trail
Old Ingraham Trail

Old Ingraham Highway

Old Ingraham Highway

Long Pine Key

Pineland Ecotone

Pinelands Ecotone

Pinelands Ecotone
Pinelands Trail

Pinelands Trail

Pinelands Trail

Flamingo

Bayshore Loop

Bayshore Loop

Bayshore Loop
Bear Lake Trail

Bear Lake Trail

Bear Lake Trail
Christian Point Trail

Christian Point Trail

Christian Point Trail
Coastal Prairie Trail

Coastal Prairie Trail

Coastal Prairie Trail
Eco Pond

Eco Pond

Eco Pond
Guy Bradley Trail

Guy Bradley Trail

Guy Bradley Trail
Snake Bight / Rowdy Bend

Snake Bight / Rowdy Bend

Snake Bight / Rowdy Bend
West Lake Trail

West Lake Mangrove Trail

West Lake Mangrove Trail

Shark Valley

Bobcat Boardwalk

Bobcat Boardwalk

Bobcat Boardwalk
Otter Cave Hammock Trail

Otter Cave Hammock Trail

Otter Cave Hammock Trail

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ALL Articles

Park Maps Reserve Campsite Official Website


NEARBY: Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades City, Homestead, Miami | ALONG: Florida Bay, Gulf of Mexico | PART OF: South Florida

Category: Camping, Destinations, National Parks, Nature Centers, South Florida, Southeast Florida, Southwest FloridaTag: Alligators, Best Birding, Birding, Car Camping, Developed Camping, Homestead, Locations, Miami, National Parks, Primitive Camping

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