Everglades National Park Florida, one of the largest National Parks in the US needs no introduction. Located in Southern Florida, Everglades is an ecosystem of wetlands and mangrove trees. Home to diverse wildlife and plants, it is a unique experience.
But to unravel its beauty it requires proper planning. We had spend one eventful day exploring the park and have written the Everglades National Park guide that will help to plan.
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About Everglades National Park
Spanning across 1.5 million acres, it is also the third largest National park in the continental US. Located in South Florida, the park has a unique ecosystem consisting mainly forest and wetlands. It is also listed as a World Heritage Site.
There are 3 entrances to enter this massive park- Homestead Entrance, Shark Valley entrance and Everglades City entrance, each having its own charm. These areas are not connected to each other so it is good to plan well.
To enjoy and experience well, plan to do one area in 1 day
Everglades National Park Tickets
USD 30 for Private vehicles ; USD 15 for pedestrians while USD 55 for an Annual Pass.
The ticket is valid for 7 consecutive days. It is preferred to but the tickets online in advance during Covid times.
Everglades National Park Hours
The Homestead entrance and the Everglades entrance are open 24 hours a day. While the Shark Valley entrance is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
How to reach Everglades?
With the massive size of Everglades National Park, there are three entrances in 3 different cities. And the worst part is that these entrances are not interconnected. So to visit the other region, you need to exit all the way out and travel to the next entrance.
It is not justice doing all the regions in one day. So you need to set your priorities while deciding.
Homestead Entrance
- To visit from Miami: Take Ronald Regan Turnpike towards Florida City followed by State Highway 9336 to reach Ernest Coe Visitor Center.
- To visit from Florida Keys: Drive US Highway 1 followed by State highway 9336 to reach the entrance.
Shark Valley Entrance
- To visit from Miami: Take FL-836 W and US-41 W to reach the visitor center.
- To visit from Florida Keys : Take US-1 N to Florida City to take a left turn to FL -997. After around 22 miles turn left to US-41W to reach Shark Valley Entrance
- To visit from Naples: Drive around 70 miles on US-41 S to reach the Shark Valley entrance
Everglades City Entrance
- To visit from Naples: Take US-41 W towards Miami turning towards State highway 29 to reach the Gulf Coast Visitor Center.
- To visit from Shark Valley entrance: Drive on US-41 W to turn on State Highway 29
How to explore Everglades National Park?
If you have one day in hand it would be great to stick to one entrance area and explore it including the trails and activities.
- Homestead Entrance – This is one of the most popular regions as you can drive through in your own vehicle and explore at your own pace. Begin by visiting the Ernest Coe Visitor Center followed by the Anhinga Trail. After sighting the alligators in their habitat, head off to Pa-hay-okee lookout point and Mahogany trail. End it at the Flamingo Bay and spot manatees at the marina.
- Shark Valley Entrance – Shark valley is a 15-mile loop with an Observation Tower at halfway. Shark Valley is best explored on a bike or taking a Tram tour From the Visitor Center. You won’t find Sharks here as the name goes. But it is named after the Shark river estuaries that flow through the National Park.
Best time to visit Everglades
Winter is the best time to visit the Everglades National Park when the temperatures are low. December to March is a good time for visiting the Everglades National Park. We visited during the Christmas week and enjoyed the warm weather as compared to the chilling temperatures of Philly.
Map of Everglades National Park
The Everglades National Park map gives a glimpse into the main attractions of Everglades that you can explore in one day.
Things to do in Everglades
Wondering what to do in Everglades National Park in one day?
We visited the Everglades National Park en route a road trip from Miami to Key West.
We reached early in the morning to the Homestead Entrance. Spent half day there and visited the Shark Valley Entrance.
Refer to the map of the Everglades National Park at the NPS website for the route and attractions.
Ernest F. Cove Visitor Center
It is best to begin from the Ernest Cove Visitor Center if you are entering from the Homestead entrance. Grab a map of the National Park and get the schedule of the various ranger tours of the day. It helps to decide and plan.
Note: Restrooms are available here.
Drive the Main Park Road from the Visitor Center all the way to Flamingo.
Anhinga Trail
Located 4 miles from the park entrance, Anhinga Trail is an easy 0.8-mile trail. The path is a boardwalk that traverses through a freshwater marsh where you can spot alligators and anhinga (a bird on which the trail is named). The black alligators are lying still on the rocks seeming unreal and sometimes difficult to spot. If you are lucky you might spot them basking in the sun or even crossing the boardwalk. We were lucky to spot an alligator basking by the edge.
Other creatures that you might spot are turtles, egrets, and herons.
The trail begins from the Royal Palm Visitor Center. There are many other ranger led tours that begin from the Anhinga trail, mainly from the Parking area. Do check the schedule from the visitor center and reach 5 minutes prior to the scheduled time. We missed our tour by just a matter of few minutes.
Gumbo Limbo Trail
This trail also begins from the Royal Palm Visitor Center. Gumbo Limbo is a 0.4 mile long round trip paved trail traversing through the jungle of gumbo limbo trees, palms and other plants.
Pa-Hay-Okee Lookout Point
Located 19 miles away from Ernest Cove Visitor center, Pahayokee Overlook point comes along the road to Flamingo. This is a 0.16 mile roundtrip trail and is a boardwalk that passes through the woods to an elevated lookout point. All you see from the lookout point is vast expanse of marshy grass.
Mahogany Hammock Trail
As the name suggests the trail gives you a glimpse into the Mahogany trees in the park including the largest one in the US. The 0.5 mile round trip trail is an boardwalk trail traversing through a hammock of trees.
Paurotis Pond
Further ahead of Mahogany Trail is the Paurotis Pond, 24 miles from the Ernest Visitor center . This pond is the largest bird nesting site at the park and often gets closed around January to protect the birds and providing them a safe environment.
Nine Mile Pond
If you are interested in canoeing through the mangroves through the water tunnels, then taking a ranger led tour at Nine Mile Pond is great. Get your own canoes or rent them from the Flamingo Visitor Center.
It is a great opportunity to look at the wildlife including alligators, turtles, a variety of birds in the area.
Since we had small kids with us, we skipped this pond and headed forward towards Flamingo.
West Lake
This is an elevated boardwalk, 0.5 mile long taking through the mangroves and to the edge of the West Lake.
But this was closed due to the damage done by Hurricane Irma. It was devastating to see the loss caused. There was debris along the route to the National Park as well.
Flamingo Visitor center
Overlooking the Florida Bay, is the Flamingo Visitor Centre. This is a place to spot manatees and American crocodiles at the Flamingo marina.
There are many ranger led tours available from the visitor center. Some of the boat tours are run from the marina including the Florida Bay Tour and Backcountry boat tour.
Florida Bay Tour
This is a 90 minute tour where the naturalist will take you along and highlight the flora and fauna Everglades has to offer while outlining the rich history of Flamingo and Everglades National Park.
Tips:
- Do carry insect repellant, sunscreen, hats and sunglasses.
- Do pack your lunch and carry water along.
- While you enter or exit the Homestead entrance, don’t forget to try the milkshakes at the fruit stand ‘Robert is Here’. We loved our Coconut shake and mango shake. You can even try some local tropical fruits here.
Where to stay in Everglades National Park?
Everglades National Park Camping
There are two campgrounds in the National Park from the Homestead Entrance –Long Pine Key Campground and Flamingo Campground. The Campgrounds can be booked from here.
Hotels in Everglades National Park
There are no hotels in the National Park and the nearest best places to stay near Everglades National Park is at Homestead if you want to enter from the Homestead entrance. Ernest F Coe Visitor Center is 1 hour away from the Shark valley Visitor Center.
These hotels near Everglades National Park are great for families. These are comfortable and conveniently located from the National Park.
Courtyard by Marriott Homestead
Hampton Inn & Suites Miami-South Homestead
Townplace Suites by Marriott Homestead
Since we visited Everglades as a trip enroute from Key Largo to Miami, we stayed in a hotel in Key Largo.
Might be interested: Florida Keys Resorts & Hotels
Have you visited the Everglades National Park FL? Hope our list of things to do in Everglades National Park will help you plan a memorable Everglades day trip.
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