National Parks are the hidden treasures and we, as a family, plan our vacations visiting the parks, monuments and cities close by. Our little Hurricane, Rishi, is also a nature enthusiast and loves to spend time with nature. That’s perfect for our family. We visited Everglades National Park in the month of May,2022 and it’s the first National Park visit for Rishi. And it holds a special place in our list, as one can witness 6 different habitats in a single visit.
Everglades National Park:
Everglades National Park is the third largest park in the contiguous United States, Death Valley and Yellowstone. Unlike those parks, Everglades is comprised of water and waterways. This landscape is unlike any other – beautiful, mysterious, and wild. Tropical and Temperate species flourish side-by-side in this environment, partly Caribbean and partly North American. The essence of the everglades is found in the sharp, ragged edges of sawgrass blades, an alligator’s deep bellow, the high-stepping dance of wading birds, the waterway labyrinth of the Ten Thousand Islands, and the sparkling, aquamarine waters of Florida Bay. Everglades is majorly influenced by water, elevation, fire and hurricanes.
Unlike Everglades, Everglades National Park is a collage of habitats and is dynamic.
- Marine and Estuarine: Depends of freshwater and is key to sustaining productive fisheries outside the park
- Mangroves: Nesting habitat for wading birds
- Freshwater Marsh: Main avenues for freshwater flow
- Cypress: Thrives in flooded conditions; grows in the shape of dome; a cypress can live as long as 600 years
- Pine Rockland: Rarest and most diverse habitat of Everglades; home to over 200 varieties of tropical plants
- Tropical Hardwood Hammocks: Dense island forests on elevated land; ferns and air plants thrive here.
Everglades National park has 4 visitor center and each area holds offers a different perspective to the visitors.
Turtle – Anhinga Trail
Gulf Coast Visitor Center:
The visitor center is located in Everglades City and is staffed daily. The Gulf Coast offers information, exhibits, wilderness permits, picnicking and ranger-led activities in winter.
- Boat Tours: Offered daily and provides a glimpse into the mangrove estuary and the Ten Thousand Islands.
- Canoeing/Kayaking: A special experience to view wildlife in the Ten Thousand Islands
Shark Valley Visitor Center:
Staffed daily and is one of the most visited area in the park. It is the best place to see birds, particularly in the dry winter months.
- Bobcat Boardwalk (0.4 mile, easy) – A boardwalk trail crosses an open sawgrass prairie and into a bayhead of coco plum and red bay.
- Otter Cave Hammock Trial (0.2 mile, easy) – Walk from the visitor center through a topical hardwood hammock
- Tram Trail (15-mile, Bike/walk) – Paved way to see alligators, birds, turtles, and fish
Shark valley offers Airboat tours, bicycling rentals and tram tours.
Ernest F Coe Visitor Center
The visitor center is the park’s main entrance and features orientation films, educational displays, and Souvenirs.
The main park road is a scenic, 38-mile drive from the visitor center to Flamingo. Please ensure to stop by Royal Palm information station.
- Anhinga Trail (0.8 mile, easy) – A must-see, with great opportunities to view birds, alligators, turtles and fish
- Gumbo-limbo trail (0.4 mile, easy) – Walk through a jungle-like hammock of royal palms
- Pinelands trail (0.4 mile, easy) – Walk through subtropical pine forests
- Pahayokee Trail (0.2 mile, easy) – Boardwalk with the observation tower
- Mahogany Hammock Trail (0.2 mile, easy) – Walk through jungle-like island forests
- Paurotis Pond – Nesting pond for anhinga, wood stork, egret and roseate spoonbill
Flamingo Visitor Center
Staffed daily and offers daily narrated excursions into Florida Bay and mangrove estuaries. The visitor center also offers wildlife viewing and canoeing/kayaking rentals. American crocodiles and manatees may be found around the Flamingo Visitor Center. At low tides, birds congregate on the mudflats in front of the visitor center.
Alligator in Scenic Drive
What did we do?
We rented an AirBnb near Homestead as we are travelling with Little R.
Day 1:
- We visited Shark Valley visitor center as our first stop. We collected pamphlets for Air boats at the center
- Air Boat Tour is a must-do in Everglades and it is one of its kind. We did Air boat tour with Everglades Safari Park. It’s a 60-minute ride and please ensure to use ear plugs. Air Boat tour is a great way to see American Alligators, American Crocodiles, Otter, Great Blue Heron and Anhingas. We saw couple of alligators, Egrets and Herons. Little R was thrilled to ride air boat but then he was scared of the gigantic motors running at the back of the boat. Ensure to wear sunscreen, hat and carry water bottles.
- We brought packed lunch and after lunch, we took Tram tour. It was a 2-hour tour where you can witness 3 different types of habitats. We saw anhingas drying on the trees, turtles and alligators. There was an observation tower at the end of the trail from where you can witness the vast wilderness of the Everglades National Park
- We drove through the scenic loop road from Shark Valley visitor center. The scenic drive is one of the best places to see American alligators close by. We had seen around 10 of them in a single spot.
Swallow Kite – Everglades
Day 2:
- We visited Gulf coast visitor center on our Day 2 and we took boat tours
- Boat tour is one of the best activities to do in Gulf Coast visitor center where you can watch Dolphins and Manatees
- We saw couple of Dolphins and Manatees. It was fun watching them swim with your boat. Look out for them when you are in the water.
- After Lunch, we headed to Ernest Coe Visitor center.
- We took a short hike in the Anhinga Trail.
- We then visited Paurotis Pond. Since we visited in wet season, we had our fair share or downpour and hence, we headed back to home.
Day 3:
- We visited Flamingo Visitor center. But then, we could spend much of time due to mosquitoes. They invaded us and hence, we had to run back to the car.
- As we couldn’t roam much in the sun or take hikes due to the extreme hot weather, we then decided to visit the famous juice shop – Robert is Here.
- It’s must visit if you love tropical fruits like us. We had jackfruit milkshake, tender coconuts, chikoo shakes and picked few for our return journey
That summarizes our 3 days visit to Everglades National park. Unlike other parks, most areas of the park can be explored only through waterways. And to see everything the park offers; 3 days are not sufficient.
Swallow Kite
Things to do in Everglades National Park
- Catch up the park movie at one of the visitor centers
- Air Boat Tour is one of must to do in Everglades National Park. There are many franchises offering Air Boat tours around Shark Valley Visitor center. Pick what suits your schedule
- Take a tram tour to witness the different habitats of Everglades
- Take boat tour at Gulf visitor center to explore the mangroves and Ten thousand Islands
- Take Canoe/Kayal rental
- Take short hike to Anhinga Trail
- Watch out for Owls in Mahogany Hammock Trail
- Have picnic lunch
- Grab your favorite tropical punch from the shop – Robert is Here
Few things to note when you visit Everglades National Park
- Wear sunscreen
- Wear Hats and Sunglasses
- Carry bug sprays
- Watch out for reptiles – Everglades is home to deadly pythons
- Carry water bottles
- Beware of Mosquitoes
Though I may not like Everglades like Yellowstone or National Park’s in Utah, it will always remain special as it’s the first park we visited with Little R. We got a National Park Passport for him as remembrance and stamped it with Panther Paws! I hope he will enjoy it when it grows up.
Lbis – Everglades
If you have visited Everglades, let me know what you like about it in the comments. If you would like to check out the first two largest national parks, then check out my post about Yellowstone and Death Valley National Park.
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Thanks,
Karthi
