Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Exploring Homestead
To get to two of Southeast Florida’s national parks – Biscayne National Park and Everglades National Park – you must drive through Homestead.
Founded along the Flagler Railroad in 1913, its compact downtown became a destination for regional farmers looking to ship their produce north.
Now the Florida Turnpike ends just south of the city, steering motorists onto US 1 towards the Florida Keys.
Immediately to the south is Florida City, which has the earliest season in the United States for tomatoes, strawberries, and blueberries.
Driving to the main entrance to Everglades National Park on CR 9336, you’ll see these fields.
Make a stop at Robert is Here, a well-known and popular fruit stand, for a tropical fruit shake and plenty of local produce to choose from.
National Parks Near Homestead
Biscayne National Park Florida's largest offshore park, Biscayne National Park protects living coral reefs and islands that are the northernmost part of the Florida Keys
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.Parks and Trails near Homestead
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
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. 
Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay is a shallow estuary bounded by barrier islands and coral reefs along the Miami shoreline, more than 63,000 acres of placid salt water. Biscayne National Park Florida's largest offshore park, Biscayne National Park protects living coral reefs and islands that are the northernmost part of the Florida Keys
Castellow Hammock Preserve Burrow into Florida's geological and cultural past on this short but rugged hike on an ancient rocky island once surrounded by the Everglades in The Redland.
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.
Eastern Continental Trail A hiking route spanning more than 4,800 miles along the East Coast, the Eastern Continental Trail spends nearly 1,300 miles crossing Florida from its southern terminus at the Southernmost Point in Key West. 
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.
Elliott Key In the northernmost of the Florida Keys, Elliott Key is the most remote place in Florida where you can take a hike in the shadow of a major city.
Everglades Long Pine Key Trail On an upland island surrounded by seas of grassy wetlands, a six mile linear trail leads across South Florida rocklands from Long Pine Key Campground to Pine Glades Lake. 
Fruit and Spice Park From its humble beginnings in 1944, Fruit and Spice Park has blossomed into a showcase of tropical fruits, flowers, and spices grown commercially in the Redland.
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. 
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.
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.
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.Articles
Biking the Southern Glades Trail (10/10/2020) Taking a ride through the Everglades on one of Miami-Dade's most remote offroad bike trails made for "Bill and John's Most Excellent Adventure." 
Florida’s Toxic Trees (6/22/2019) Southeast Florida is home to two poisonous trees, the poisonwood and the manchineel. Learn how to recognize them so you don't get too close, and find out how truly dangerous they are. NEARBY: Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Coral Gables, Everglades National Park, Key Largo | PART OF: Southeast Florida