Ten Thousand Islands

The islands are the work of the red mangrove, a tree that grows on stilted, arching roots out in the salt water where almost nothing else can live. As mangroves take hold on an oyster bar or a shoal, their roots trap sediment, leaves, and shell, slowly building up soil and land. Island by island, over long spans of time, the mangroves have raised this entire coastline out of the shallows.

That tangled root system is far more than scenery. It is one of the most productive nurseries on the planet, sheltering young snook, tarpon, redfish, and countless smaller creatures among its roots, feeding the birds and dolphins that hunt them. The mangroves also absorb the force of hurricanes, buffering the mainland from storm surge. What looks like an impenetrable green wall is really a living machine that makes the whole ecosystem work.

Long before the fishing towns, this coast belonged to the Calusa, a powerful people who thrived here for thousands of years without farming, drawing their wealth instead from the sea. They built towns and ceremonial mounds out of the shells of the oysters and whelks they ate, and some of those shell mounds still rise out of the mangroves as islands of higher, drier ground. The Calusa were shattered by disease and conflict after European contact, and their descendants and neighbors dispersed.

In the centuries that followed, the region became home to the Seminole and Miccosukee, who fought long wars to remain in the deep Everglades and whose people live in Florida today. Later still came fishermen, plume hunters, and famously the outlaws and hideaways drawn to a place with no roads and endless hiding. The old settlement at Chokoloskee, built partly on a Calusa shell mound, carries the memory of that hard, isolated frontier life.

The star of a boat trip is often the bottlenose dolphin, which patrols the passes and frequently rides the bow wave of a slow-moving boat. West Indian manatees, huge and gentle, drift through the warm, sheltered water, surfacing to breathe with a soft huff. In winter they gather in the calmer inland creeks where the water stays warm.

Overhead and along the shorelines the birdlife is extraordinary. Brown pelicans dive, ospreys carry fish back to their nests, and great flocks of white pelicans winter here. Herons and egrets stalk the flats, magnificent frigatebirds hang on the wind, and the roseate spoonbill sweeps its odd spatula-shaped bill through the shallows. Beneath the surface, the mangrove roots hide the sport fish that make this some of the finest backcountry angling in Florida.

There is no single way to see the Ten Thousand Islands, and that is part of the appeal. Guided boat tours out of Everglades City and Chokoloskee are the easy introduction, covering ground quickly and putting a knowledgeable captain between you and the wildlife. Kayakers and canoeists get the intimate version, slipping into narrow mangrove tunnels and camping on remote beaches and chickees along the Wilderness Waterway, the long paddling route that threads down to Flamingo.

Whichever way you go, the maze demands respect. The islands look identical, the tides run strong, and a wrong turn can leave you lost among miles of mangrove that all look the same. Rangers and guides stress preparation: charts, a plan, plenty of water, and protection from sun and insects. Handled with care, it is one of the last truly wild coastal wildernesses in the country.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Ten Thousand Islands, along the southwest Gulf coast of Florida near Everglades City, are a vast and beautiful labyrinth of mangrove islands, waterways, bays, and estuaries where the Everglades meet the Gulf of Mexico. This remote and pristine maze of countless mangrove islets is a haven for wildlife, including dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, wading birds, and fish, and it offers world-class kayaking, boating, fishing, and wildlife watching amid stunning coastal wilderness. Part of a national wildlife refuge and the Everglades, it is a paddler's and nature lover's paradise. With its mangrove islands and wildlife, the Ten Thousand Islands offer a spectacular destination in Florida.

You can kayak, canoe, or take a boat tour through the maze of mangrove islands and waterways, fish the rich waters, watch for dolphins, manatees, sea turtles, wading birds, and other wildlife, camp on remote beaches for the adventurous, and take in the pristine coastal wilderness where the Everglades meet the Gulf. Paddling and wildlife watching are the main draws, offering an immersive nature experience, best with a guide or good navigation given the complex maze. With its paddling, boating, fishing, and wildlife, the Ten Thousand Islands offer a rewarding experience in southwest Florida.

The Ten Thousand Islands are a vast, remote maze where it is easy to get lost, so paddlers should go with a guide or carry a map, GPS, and navigation skills, tell someone their plans, and bring plenty of water, food, sun protection, and insect repellent. Watch the tides and weather, wear a life jacket, and be prepared for a wild area with no services. Alligators and other wildlife live here, so keep a respectful distance. Going prepared, navigating carefully, and respecting the wilderness ensure a safe visit to the Ten Thousand Islands in Florida.

The dry season, roughly winter through spring, is the best time to visit, when the weather is milder and drier, insects are fewer, seas are often calmer, and wildlife viewing is excellent, including manatees in the cooler months, whereas summer is hot, humid, buggy, and stormy. Winter is the pleasant peak season. For paddling and wildlife, calm, mild days are ideal. For the best combination of comfortable weather and wildlife, aim for the winter-through-spring dry season at the Ten Thousand Islands in southwest Florida.

The Ten Thousand Islands are along the southwest Gulf coast of Florida near Everglades City, within reach of Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park, Naples, and the Gulf coast. That makes the Ten Thousand Islands a spectacular stop to combine with Big Cypress National Preserve and the other attractions of southwest Florida on a visit to the state.