Everglades National Park

At its heart the Everglades is a river, though not the kind you can paddle down in a straight line. Rain falls across central Florida and gathers into a shallow, slow-moving sheet of freshwater that creeps south across the flat land, in some places only a few inches deep and many miles wide. It moves so gently that you can barely see it move at all. That sheet of water flows through vast prairies of sawgrass, a tall, tough grass with saw-like edges, on its long journey to the sea. This is why it is called the River of Grass.

As the freshwater nears the coast it meets the salty ocean, and the landscape changes. Sawgrass gives way to tangled mangrove forests, trees that grow right out of the water on stilt-like roots and thrive where fresh and salt water mix. Beyond them lie coastal mud flats, shallow bays, and a maze of islands. Scattered across the grasslands are tree islands called hammocks, slightly higher patches of dry ground crowded with hardwood trees, ferns, and orchids. Each of these worlds, the sawgrass marsh, the mangrove forest, and the coastal flats, supports its own web of life.

Everglades National Park protects the largest subtropical wilderness in the country and one of the most important wetland ecosystems anywhere. It shelters dozens of threatened and protected species, from the endangered Florida panther to the gentle West Indian manatee that drifts through the coastal waters. Wading birds stalk the shallows by the thousands, and alligators bask on the banks with prehistoric stillness. It is the only place on earth where American alligators and American crocodiles share the same home, a small overlap of freshwater and saltwater worlds that exists nowhere else.

• Homestead / Main Entrance at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, off FL-9336 near Homestead in the southeast, is open year-round. This is the main way in and the road that leads to the Anhinga Trail, the Pa-hay-okee Overlook, and the Flamingo area on the coast.
• Shark Valley Entrance, off US-41, the Tamiami Trail, west of Miami, is open year-round. It sits on the north side of the park and is the base for the tram tour, the observation tower, and bike rentals.
• Gulf Coast Entrance at Everglades City, off FL-29 in the west, is open year-round. It is the gateway to the maze of mangrove islands known as the Ten Thousand Islands, best explored by boat or paddle.
• These entrances are far apart and are not connected inside the park, so you cannot drive from one to another without leaving and going around. From Miami, reach the Homestead entrance by heading south on the Florida Turnpike, and reach Shark Valley by driving west on the Tamiami Trail. The Gulf Coast side near Everglades City is roughly an hour and a half west of Miami along US-41 or Interstate 75.

• The Anhinga Trail is the star of the park for wildlife: an easy, mostly paved and boardwalk loop of under a mile near the Homestead entrance, where alligators, turtles, herons, and the trail's namesake anhinga birds gather close along the water, especially in the dry season.
• The Pa-hay-okee Overlook is a short elevated boardwalk that lifts you above the sawgrass prairie for a wide, sweeping look across the River of Grass, one of the best places to grasp just how vast and flat the wetland really is.
• The Flamingo area, about 38 miles southwest of the main entrance at the very tip of the park, is where the land meets Florida Bay. It offers boat tours, a campground, paddling trails, and a chance to spot manatees, crocodiles, and coastal birds.
• The Shark Valley observation tower and tram tour on the north side runs a 15-mile loop road, open only to trams, bikes, and walkers, out to a tall lookout tower with a ramp that spirals up for a panoramic view over the grasslands and the wildlife below.
• The Ten Thousand Islands off the Gulf Coast Entrance at Everglades City are a labyrinth of mangrove islands and quiet waterways, explored by guided boat tour, kayak, or canoe.
• Nearby, Big Cypress National Preserve sits just north of the park, and Biscayne National Park lies about 20 miles north, adding cypress swamps and clear snorkeling waters to a South Florida trip.

People have lived in and around the Everglades for thousands of years. The Calusa, a powerful people of Florida's southwest coast, and the Tequesta of the southeast built their lives around these waters, traveling the marshes and coasts by canoe and living on fish, shellfish, and the abundance of the wetlands. Later came the Seminole and the Miccosukee peoples, who made their homes among the sawgrass and tree islands and who still live in and near the Everglades today. For all of them, this watery land was not a wilderness to conquer but a homeland to know intimately.

For a long time newcomers saw the Everglades as a worthless swamp to be drained and turned into farmland. Canals were dug and water was pulled away, and the great sheet of freshwater began to shrink and suffer. A writer and activist named Marjory Stoneman Douglas changed how the country saw the place. Her 1947 book, The Everglades: River of Grass, taught readers that this was not a dead swamp at all but a living, flowing river, and that it was in danger. Her phrase, the River of Grass, is still how people describe the Everglades today.

That same year, in 1947, Everglades National Park was established. It broke new ground as the first national park created to protect a living ecosystem, its plants, animals, and the flow of water itself, rather than to preserve a dramatic scene like a mountain or a canyon. It marked a turning point in how Americans thought about conservation, valuing an entire web of life over a single postcard view.

Protecting the Everglades has proven to be a long and ongoing effort. Because the park sits at the downstream end of a water system that stretches far to the north, its health depends on choices made across the whole of South Florida. Today one of the largest environmental restoration projects in the world is working to send clean freshwater flowing south again, so that the River of Grass can keep moving toward the sea the way it has for thousands of years.

• The Everglades is the only place on earth where American alligators and American crocodiles live side by side. Alligators prefer freshwater and have a broad, rounded snout, while crocodiles like the brackish coast and have a narrower, pointier one.
• The whole park is essentially one enormous, incredibly slow river. The water is often just inches deep but many miles wide, creeping south at a pace so gentle it can be hard to tell it is moving at all.
• It was the first national park set aside to protect a living ecosystem rather than scenery, a genuinely new idea when it was established in 1947.
• Sawgrass is not really grass at all but a type of sedge, and its leaf edges carry tiny teeth sharp enough to cut skin, which is how it got its name.
• The park is one of only a few places recognized around the world at once as a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance.
• Mangrove trees grow right out of the salt water on arching, stilt-like roots and can handle salt that would kill most plants, building the tangled coastal forests that shelter young fish, birds, and crocodiles.
• The endangered Florida panther, one of the rarest large cats in North America, roams the park and nearby preserves, though it is so shy and few in number that spotting one is extraordinarily rare.
• The gentle West Indian manatee, sometimes called a sea cow, drifts through the park's coastal waters and bays, grazing on underwater plants near the mangrove edges.

• An entrance fee applies (per vehicle, good for seven days), and interagency annual passes are accepted. Check the National Park Service website for current rates.
• The park is open year-round, and its three main entrances are far apart and not connected inside the park, so decide which side you want before you go.
• The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center at the Homestead entrance is the main gateway and a good first stop for maps, ranger advice, and current conditions.
• The best time to visit is the dry season, roughly November through April, when wildlife gathers around shrinking water holes and mosquitoes ease off. The wet summer months, May through October, are hot, humid, and very buggy.
• The Anhinga Trail near the Homestead entrance offers the easiest and richest wildlife viewing in the park, especially in the dry season.
• The Flamingo area is about 38 miles southwest of the main entrance and offers boat tours and a campground at the park's coastal tip. Shark Valley on the north side has the tram tour and observation tower.
• Bring insect repellent, water, sun protection, and patience. Fill up on gas in a gateway town such as Homestead or Florida City before you head in, since services inside the park are limited.

The dry season, roughly December through April, is by far the best time. As the water levels drop, alligators, wading birds, and other wildlife gather around the remaining pools, so animals are easier to spot, and the mosquitoes ease off. The wet summer months are hot, humid, and famously buggy, which many visitors find hard going.

The main entrances are far apart and are not connected inside the park, so you should choose which area you want to see. The Homestead entrance and its Royal Palm area, including the Anhinga Trail, are in the southeast. Shark Valley, with its tram tour and observation tower, is on the north side along the Tamiami Trail. The Gulf Coast entrance at Everglades City is in the west. Getting from one to another means driving around the outside of the park.

Alligators are wild animals and should always be treated with respect. Keep well back, give them plenty of space, and never approach, touch, or feed one, since feeding makes them lose their fear of people and become dangerous. Stay on marked trails and boardwalks, keep children and pets close, and you can enjoy watching these remarkable creatures safely from a distance.

Yes. Mosquitoes are a real part of the Everglades, especially in the wet season from about May through October and near the mangroves and coast. Bring insect repellent, wear long sleeves and long pants when you can, and consider visiting in the dry season when the bugs are far less troublesome.

Yes. Everglades National Park charges a per-vehicle entrance fee that is good for seven days, and interagency annual passes are accepted. Check the National Park Service website for the current rate before you go.

General entry to the park does not usually require a reservation, but specific activities such as boat tours, the Shark Valley tram, guided walks, or campsites may need to be booked ahead, especially in the busy dry season. Check the park website for what to reserve before your trip.

You can see one area, such as the Anhinga Trail and a nearby overlook, in a half day. To explore the Homestead road all the way to Flamingo, or to add the Shark Valley tram, give it a full day. Seeing two or three of the far-apart entrances well is really a multi-day trip.

For most first-time visitors, the Anhinga Trail near the Homestead entrance is the highlight, with alligators and birds gathered close along an easy loop. The Shark Valley observation tower gives a sweeping view over the grasslands, and the Pa-hay-okee Overlook lets you take in the wide River of Grass. On the west side, a boat trip through the Ten Thousand Islands is unforgettable.

Pets are allowed in limited areas such as campgrounds, parking lots, and along roads, but they are not permitted on most trails, boardwalks, or in the backcountry, partly for their own safety around alligators. Keep pets leashed, never leave them in a hot vehicle, and check the park website for the current pet rules before you visit.

Yes. There are campgrounds inside the park, including at Flamingo on the coast, along with lodging options in nearby gateway towns such as Homestead and Florida City for the eastern side, and Everglades City for the western Gulf Coast. Backcountry camping is also possible by permit for paddlers and experienced visitors.