Explore Everglades National Park

What to do in the Everglades

Ranger-led tours

See NPS site for details.

Visit "Royal Palm / Anhinga Trail" and "Eco Pond

For wildlife, especially in the dry season. The 'glades are a vast, shallow, slow moving river of grass that extends from Lake Okeechobee in the North to Florida Bay and East to West almost the width of the state. During the dry season (winter through May depending on the year) it dries up except for the deeper places. From the main trail the Anhinga and Eco Pond trails are two very productive wildlife areas as they stay wet all year long. If you bring children and child-like adults, please instruct them to walk quietly and keep their voices down so they don't scare the more timid animals. You will probably see alligators, great blue herons, anhingas, double-crested cormorants, garfish, bass, talapia (and other fishes), various turtles (hard and softshell), snowy egrets, tri-color herons, greenback herons, -- and you might see one or more of the following: deer, stilts, great white herons, bitterns, limpkins, purple gallinules, avocets, roseate spoonbills, ibis, woodstork, snail kites (Everglades kites), sandhill cranes (along the dry bed before you get to the Anhinga Trail), and many other species -- and if you are VERY lucky, a Florida Panther. Take your time, bring your binoculars and camera, and enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty.

Shark Valley Tram Tours

Phone: 305-221-8455. A guided two-hour narrated tram tour along a fifteen-mile loop in the heart of the "River of Grass". Tours depart from the Shark Valley Visitor Center and provide a great opportunity to see wildlife, while escaping the heat and bugs of the wet season. Reservations are strongly recommended for the dry season. Bicycle rentals are also available here.

Everglades National Park Boat Tours

Gulf Coast Visitor Center. Phone: 239-695-2591. A narrated boat tour of the Ten-Thousand Islands. Canoe rentals are also available to explore nearby waterways. Reservations are strongly encouraged during the busy dry season.

Flamingo Lodge, Marina, and Outpost Resort

Phone: 239-695-3101. Offers boat tours through the Florida Bay and Whitewater Bay areas of the park. Reservations are strongly recommended during the busy dry season. The Flamingo Lodge and Marina sustained major damage due to Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. Boat rentals, lodging and restaurants are not currently available (2006). While some boat tours have resumed, visitors are strongly encouraged to phone for current schedules and pricing.

Video Courtesy YouTube.com

Cypress Airboat Rides

Phone: 561-798-2884. Open year round. Explore this ecosystem on a heart pounding ride, or a more relaxed airboat tour.

Fishing

There are snapper, sea trout, redfish, bass, and bluegill in the waters of the Everglades. Separate Florida licenses are necessary for freshwater and saltwater. There are very few areas where fishing from shore is possible.

Boating

Boat ramps within Everglades National Park are located at Flamingo, Little Blackwater Sound, and West Lake. Several commercial boat ramps are located in Everglades City and Chokoloskee. Note that there are closed areas, motor-restricted areas and no wake zones. See the Park's Boating Regulations.

Water skiing and personal watercraft such as jet skis is prohibited.

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