At West Lake, the Mangrove Trail loops through a forest that has seen its share of hurricane-related damage, from salty mud flats deposited by Hurricane Donna to the storm surges of 2005 from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.
Yet this walk still leads you through a shady tunnel, showcasing the protector of Florida’s coastline, the mighty mangrove.
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Overview
Location: Flamingo
Length: 0.4 mile loop
Trailhead: 25.214318, -80.850822
Fees: Everglades National Park entrance fee
Restroom: At the picnic area
Land Manager: National Park Service
Phone: 305-242-7700
This hike is accessible. Expect mosquitoes.
Directions
From the Flamingo Visitor Center, follow Main Park Road north for 7 miles to the West Lake sign on the right. Turn right and park near the “Mangrove Trail” sign.
Hike
Follow the boardwalk into the shady mangrove forest, where bromeliads of various shapes and sizes cling to the gnarled branches of the mangroves. Giant leather ferns rise from the forest floor.
During the dry season, spiders spin webs between the thousands of pnumatephores protruding from the sand like tiny fingers. These are the breathing roots of the black mangroves.
At the junction, reach the beginning of the loop. Turn left to walk out through the mangroves to West Lake.
Red mangroves line the edge of the lake, standing tall on their roots. The roots are covered with a layer of thick salt, which the plants transpire as they soak in the brackish water.
There are benches where the boardwalk heads out farther to give you great views of this massive lake.
The boardwalk returns to the shade of the mangrove forest, completing the loop. Continue straight out to exit.
Explore More!
Learn more about Everglades National Park
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.Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring along Everglades Main Park Road
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.
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.
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.