Everglades National Park, Florida – eye to eye with crocodiles and alligators

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Florida is not just beaches and amusement parks. Florida is home to one of the largest national parks, the Everglades, which may not impress with its terrain, but its people do. Because do we get to see crocodiles and alligators in their natural habitat in many places?

The expansive Everglades wetlands just about 60 miles (less than 100 kilometers) from downtown Miami are an interesting idea for a one- or multi-day getaway outside the city. If you want a break from the metropolitan hustle and bustle of Miami, sunbathing on Florida’s beautiful beaches or visiting Orlando’s theme parks, an opportunity to commune with nature awaits in South Florida.

Everglades National Park is the largest national park in Florida. The other two (Dry Tortugas and Biscayne) lag far behind in terms of park acreage, and it’s worth adding that the Everglades is the third largest national park in the continental US (leaving out Alaska).

When comparing this park to other national parks, the flatness of the plain is surprising. There are no mountains, valleys, waterfalls, canyons so familiar on the west coast. It is a totally flat area. So what is unusual about the Everglades?

Everglades National Park was established in 1947 to protect mangroves, a characteristic of the intertropical zone. It is now also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the flat, wild terrain at the very edge of Florida is the perfect place to relax among nature while admiring the local flora and fauna.

Everglades Park is famous for the alligators and crocodiles that live here and can literally get underfoot! Of course, you have to follow all the instructions, keep a proper distance and do not feed the local wild inhabitants for anything. In addition to these reptiles, the park is home to more than 350 species of birds (including flamingos, herons, cormorants), and we can also see turtles, raccoons, panthers and even free-swimming manatees.

It is also worth adding here that what appears to us to be a swamp or, as we called it at the beginning, a wetland is in fact a very slow-flowing river, up to 100 kilometers wide! The area is fed by the Kissimmee River, which flows into the shallow Lake Okeechobee.

Table of contents

A visit to Everglades National Park.

You can enter the Everglades by car (there is a fee to enter) and use it to get to information centers (Visitor Center) and specific trails. This means that you can freely drive a private car, but of course only within the designated roads.

The park is accessible from 3 sides: there are two roads and entrances from the north (Gulf Coast and Shark Valley) and from the east (Ernest F. Coe). The three roads do not connect in any way, so you enter and exit on the same side.

We mentioned the Visitor Center for a reason – be sure to stop by the information desk to not only pick up maps or flyers, but also to look at the exhibits, talk to the staff, and learn more about Everglades Park. These aren’t just the Tourist Information Centers we know in Europe with a table and leaflets, it’s more like a mini museum, with Park Rangers who are really passionate and happy to answer all your questions.

Hiking trails and points of interest in the park

You drive around the park by car and stop at viewpoints and paths that are walked (most are even adapted for strollers).

The park offers several trails, here are some of them:

Anhinga – one of the first trails after entering the park from the east (take the smaller road to the south). After walking for about 5 minutes along a paved road, one enters a wooden footbridge leading over the wetlands. The entire trail is less than a kilometer long and is accessible to wheelchair users and those with small children.
Pa-hay-okee – a 250-meter short tract that will take about 20 minutes to walk. Halfway there is a viewing platform from which you can enjoy the view, with flat areas all the way to the horizon. Along the way there are educational boards.
Flamingo marina and beach – the farthest point to which you can easily reach by car. There is a bike rental service, you can hop on a boat or kayak, and even stay at a local campground. We were totally engrossed in observing manatees.
Shark Valley – a place known as the heart of the Everglades, and arguably the most iconic vantage point is located here. To reach the tower, which offers a view of the vast plains, you need to travel a route of about 11 kilometers (you can, for example, by bus or rented bicycle). Note that there is paid parking at this tourist center – $25.
Gulf Coast – this is the entrance in the western part of the park. It is here that you can take a cruise in the Land of 10 Thousand Islands, which can only be reached by boat. There are also canoe and kayak rentals for those who are interested.

For those who don’t want to get out of the car, we recommend taking the scenic route(Loop Road Big Cypress National Drive) – it’s about 24 miles long, gravel road, where you can see many crocodiles, alligators, birds. Theoretically it is located outside the Everglades National Park, but it is as attractive as the whole park, and it is free ;)

To enter it, drive from Miami on Route 41. This road bounces to the right a piece after Shark Valley, and the scenic route is the road straight ahead (it is not a one-way road, it is No. 94).

Practical information

When is it worth coming to the Everglades?

Everglades National Park is open year-round, but there are months when more animals can be seen here. There are two seasons here: dry (November to March) and wet (April to November), and it is during the former that more birds and reptiles appear.

Opening hours

Although the park declares that it is open 24/7, regardless of the season and weather, you have to take into account that you won’t get in at midnight everywhere.

Such an exception is Shark Valley – entry for cars is possible from 8:30 am to 6 pm.

Also, the Visitor Center is not open 24/7 – as a rule, you can look here from 8 or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (depending on what season it is: dry or wet, opening hours will vary). We recommend checking them out on a regular basis on the park’s website(click).

Prices, how much does a ticket to the Everglades cost?

There is a fee to enter Everglades National Park – $30 per car (not per number of passengers). Buy your ticket online, at the entrance (there are special booths with guards) or at the Visitor Center.

If you go to Shark Valley by car then here you have to pay an additional $25 for parking.

Getting to the Everglades

Everglades National Park is located in southern Florida, about an hour’s drive from downtown Miami. Driving west from this city on Highway 41, after driving about 36 miles (about 58 kilometers), one reaches Shark Valley – here is one of four Visitor Centers and the entrance to the park.

The next point and entrance is in the city of Everglades and is called Gulf Coast Visitor Center (western part of the park). To get here you need to continue on Road 41 and at the intersection with Road 29 turn south – this road will take you to the city of Everglades.

The third point is to the east of the park, and to get here you need to head south from downtown Miami on Route 1, and then in Florida City, turn west. From there, it’s less than 10 miles from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center.

Addresses:

Gulf Coast Visitor Center
815Oyster Bar Lane Everglades City,
Florida 34139

Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
40001 State Hwy 9336
Homestead, FL 33034

Shark Valley Visitor Center
36000 SW 8th Street Miami,
Florida 33194

Accommodations in the Everglades area

There are no hotels, guest houses of accommodation in the National Park…. there are only two campgrounds for campers and tents.

As for accommodation in the area, you can look for it in the Everglades (east of the park) or in the Miami metropolitan area (possibly Key West).

Some sample accommodations:

Everglades City Motel – Everglades Adventures Inn
Address: 309 Collier Ave, Everglades City, FL 34139
Prices: from 620 PLN for a double room
Link:
http://r4b.link/everglades-city-motel
Holiday Inn Express Doral Miami, an IHG Hotel
Address: 1691 NW 107th Ave, Doral, FL 33172
Prices: from 780 PLN for a double room (breakfast included)
Link:
http://r4b.link/holiday-inn-express-doral-miami
Residence Inn Doral Mall Area
Address: 10234 NW 19th Street, Doral, 33172
Prices: from 920 PLN for a double room(breakfast included)
Link:
http://r4b.link/residence-inn-by-marriott-miami-northwes
Motel 6-Miami, FL
Address: 7330 Northwest 36th Street, Miami, FL 33166
Prices: from 380 PLN for a double room
Link:
http://r4b.link/miami-7330-northwest-36th

Our opinion of the Everglades

The draft of this post has been ready for a long time, but only now, after returning from another trip to the US, was able to finish and update it. And while we once would have given it a 4-4.5 out of 5 score, after seeing other national parks in the States this one may be less stunning.

Nevertheless, still as a place where we can see reptiles in their natural habitat, many exotic bird species and wetlands, in our opinion it is one of the most interesting points on the map of Florida. So if you’re going to the Miami area be sure to check out the Everglades :)