There are more than 1.5 million acres of wilderness here, which can seem intimidating to those interested in visiting Everglades National Park. Most visitors skim simply the surface of this park, and justifiably so. There are a limited number of easy ways, and a multitude of difficult ways, to get to know the Glades.
Here are some things you’ll want to know before visiting Everglades National Park.
Everglades National Park lies at the southern tip of the Sunshine State, which some may know as Florida. The park sits just to the west of Miami and represents a vast wilderness just outside the boundaries of a major American city.
Entrance Fee
As a Park Junkie, you already have the National Parks Pass, aka the Interagency Pass. It’s only $80 and is one of the best purchases you’ll make this year. It grants entrance to more than 400 national park service units and is an economic necessity for those who make it a practice to visit multiple parks in a calendar year.
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You may also access the park with a Military Pass, Annual 4th Grade Pass, a Senior Pass, an Access Pass or a Volunteer Pass.
These passes can be obtained at the gate to most national park units and can also be ordered online at the link below.
If this idea doesn’t turn you on, prepare to spend $30 to enter the park. It should be stated, that park junkie writes fortune cookies on his days off, and he predicts this fee will certainly increase, much like postal rates and taxes… Just buy the pass. Below is a link to the current entrance fee.
The Everglades is vast and wild. The park consists of four separate regions which each offer a visitor center and a variety of activities. The Gulf Coast, Shark Valley, the Pinelands and Flamingo each provide access to vastly different ecosystems that exist in south Florida’s subtropical park.
Gulf Coast
Located in historic Everglades City, this location offers a jumping off point for those who want to immerse themselves in the park’s most remote backcountry or who want to paddle the Wilderness Waterway. This is the place to be in the Everglades for folks on the southwestern side of the Sunshine State.
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The Gulf Coast is the jumping off point for a number of cool canoe and kayak journeys. There is not a lot of land-based activity here, but the Ten Thousand Islands are just an hour’s paddle from the visitor center, and offer secluded coves and endless mangrove islands and passages to explore.
The fishing is excellent along the Gulf Coast, both inland and in the surrounding Ten Thousand Islands. A valid Florida freshwater or salt water fishing license opens a world of opportunity for eager anglers who hope to land a nice snook, redfish or tarpon from the rich waters of the Glades.
There are a number of boat launch sites available in the area, including one at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. For those who are interested, numerous guided fishing charters are available in Everglades City.
History buffs will be intrigued by the curious exhibits found at the Museum of the Everglades, in Everglades City. Within the walls of this well-preserved building, whose age nears the century mark, numerous displays detail more than 2,000 years of human history in the Everglades.
The Gulf Coast and Everglades City reward visitors with a slower pace than the park’s eastern sites. You’ll probably enjoy the laid back feel to the area. That said, nearly all services are available in this small community, including restaurants, lodging, gas stations and a post office, along with guided boat tours, fishing charters and canoe and kayak rentals.
Shark Valley, located just south of Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) is perhaps the easiest place to visit in the Everglades, and the wildlife viewing along the canal trail which leads southward are among the best in the park. If you want to see an alligator, or twenty, Shark Valley’s paved canal trail is a good bet.
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There are very few services here, but guests can hike, bike or take a guided tram tour (fee) to the Shark Valley observation tower. This tower, located about 7 miles from the visitor center, features a 45-foot-high deck from which guests can attain a marvelous view of the Everglades landscape.
There is a visitor center and small gift shop on location. Tickets are sold here for the guided tram tour and bicycle rentals are available as well. See the link below for more information on these services.
Shark Valley is gated, and is open during daylight hours only.
The Pinelands are found at the eastern entrance to the Everglades. The landscape here is forested with tall thin pines that stand silhouetted against some of the most gorgeous sunsets you’ll ever see. These tress continue westward until the elevation decreases by a few feet. Don’t worry, your ears won’t pop, it’s only a 5 foot drop or so.
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The elevated landscape of the Pinelands means there is solid land here. The limestone base of this region provides hiking and biking opportunities, which are somewhat lacking in other parts of the park. The Long Pine Campground is a good home base while visiting, and is a nice central location for exploration.
Just to the south, the Nike Missile Base sits quietly decaying, after a tense few months back in the 1960s, during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ranger-led tours offer a good recount of the fear that gripped the area during this time and are a treat that any history buff will not want to miss.
The forests of the Pinelands provide habitat for numerous species of wildlife, including the elusive Florida Panther, which unfortunately has held a place on the endangered species list for as long as I can remember. These, and other creatures find good cover behind the region’s saw palmetto and sable palm plants.
When you hear of fires in the Everglades, you may wonder “how can the Everglades burn?” I known I wondered that before I visited. Well, it’s usually the Pinelands that are burning. This area can be very dry for a good portion of the year, and if conditions are just right, a massive wildfire in the Everglades is possible.
Strangely enough, if these fires didn’t keep the vegetation thinned out, the Pinelands would cease to exist, as it is the fire itself which prevents hardwood forests from replacing the faster growing pines.
Flamingo
The Flamingo area offers an in depth introduction to the Everglades. Although you may not feel it at first, this remote fishing village has a glow all of its own, and a view to go with it. Flamingo is right at home on the Florida Bay, near the southern most tip of the contiguous 48 states.
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During past decades, winter months at Flamingo witnessed a bustling community that offered two bayside restaurants, a lodge, and a full fledged marina which provided boat tours and rentals, along with fishing charters and a bait and tackle shop.
However, Flamingo’s position at the southern tip of Florida has placed it in the path of many hurricanes. This has proved understandably detrimental to visitor facilities in the small village in recent years.
Hurricane Wilma visited Flamingo in 2005, destroying the old Flamingo Lodge and both of the restaurants. So today, there are limited services here. However, as of 2020, there are attempts underway to reconstruct a visitor center and to reintroduce lodging.
Guest Services, the concessioner who operates the outpost, now provides eco tent camping, an on-location food truck, a small store and gift shop in addition to wilderness boat tours. Canoe and kayak rentals are available as well, along with bicycle rentals for those who want to hit the trails on a bike.
See the activities page and the link below for more information on the services currently available at Flamingo.
The park has four visitor centers to provide information for the public, one at each of the four regions outlined above. Hours, contact info and seasonal variations can be determined by clicking on the link to each visitor center provided below.
There are only two campgrounds inside Everglades National Park. There are camping opportunities outside the park to the north in the Big Cypress Preserve, but these won’t do much good for someone hoping to see the Pinelands or Flamingo.
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Long Pine Campground
Despite my love for Flamingo, I usually choose to camp in the Long Pine Campground. The tall pines are soothing and the setting is idealistic in my mind. Vegetation here provides your camp with quite a bit more privacy than you’ll find at the Flamingo Campground, which is sort of wide open.
Long Pine Campground is open November through April, although schedules may change due to weather or other circumstances. The campground has 108 sites and I’ve never had a problem obtaining a spot here. There are spaces for RVs as well as plenty of tent sites. Most sites are back in, but there are a number that can accommodate larger RVs. You may wish to call ahead if you have an exceptionally large rig. (855) 708-2207
The campground offers numerous restrooms with flushing toilets, and even showers, although cold. There is a dump station and fresh water fill-up available too..
The Flamingo Campground is located right on the shores of the Florida Bay. It is a short walk or bike ride from Flamingo Village & Marina, where a small store provides basic amenities. Sites are quite numerous and I can’t ever imagine the place booking up, but wonders never cease, so who knows.
The campground is situated in a large prairie and sites are largely open, with a few trees scattered about. But you can pretty much camp right on the shore, and if you cherish a fabulous sunset view over the water from your camp, you can have it right here.
The Flamingo campground is open year round, although I will warn that if you enjoy camping here in the summer, there must be something wrong with you… I ran from this campground in a mad dash of insanity before I even set up my tent during my first visit to the Everglades one hot fourth of July. The mosquitoes can be slightly bothersome during the summer months. Jus sayin’…
Another exciting option for those who forgot their tent is the Eco Tents that are offered at the Flamingo Campground. These podlike structures provide a fan and electricity, and some of the comforts of home. They sit right next to the Florida Bay and offer quick access to the village of Flamingo.
The only lodging available in the Everglades today is the Eco Tents, located adjacent to the Flamingo Campground. The Flamingo Lodge was destroyed by a hurricane back in 2005. There are numerous options for lodging in surrounding communities, such as Everglades City and Homestead. Links to the Eco Tents are found in the Flamingo Camping section above.
Eating in Everglades
The only dining currently found in the park is thanks to a food truck located in Flamingo. The small marina store there has a small selection of packaged food items as well. Numerous dining options can be found in Everglades City and Homestead.
Outside the Park
Many of the services you’ll need, such as lodging and dining, will be found outside the park. The towns of Everglades City and Homestead are the nearest to park entrances, and Miami is a stone’s throw away. These locations offer everything you’ll want.
Lodging near Everglades
You shouldn’t have a problem obtaining a place to stay near the Everglades. I don’t have any personal recommendations at this time, but the following article will give you a few ideas on where to start your search.
Eating near Everglades
Numerous dining options are available outside the park for those in search of tasty sustenance. The Everglades sits adjacent to one of America’s largest cities, and a cultural center with no shortage of excellent cuisine. Florida City, the Tamiami Trail, and Everglades City all suffer no shortage of dining options.
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If you are in the Gulf Coast area, check out a place on the Tamiami Trail (Hwy 41) called Jonies Crab Shack. My buddy Hippie Mike pulled into this place one time in his microbus and ended up staying in her yard for 6 months, helping out in the kitchen. Tell her Hippie Mike sent ya…
If you’re cruising through Florida City with an empty belly, cruise on in to Robert is Here. This is a farmer’s market like setting with an array of excellent options, as well as a tasty Key Lime Pie!
Camping options outside the park are limited, although there are a few options you’ll want to consider. The area immediately outside the park’s eastern side is pretty much farmland and city, so it’s pretty much a no-go, aside from a few large RV parks.
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Florida City
There are a number of RV parks located in the Homestead area. Ya’ll big rig folk probably already has this info, but here it is anyway.
For my tent-camping friends, the options are a bit more limited. There is a place in Florida City that offers tent camping, although I have never used it.
If you’re driving the Tamiami Trail (Hwy 41) on the park’s north side, the Loop Road offers a couple of sites that are part of the Big Cypress National Preserve. The Mitchell Landing Campground is an option, and the Loop Road is a really cool drive with lots of wildlife sightings.
Another excellent option, but not that practical for Everglades adventures, is the Bear Island Campground, located at the end of the Turner River Road, in Big Cypress National Preserve. This campground is out there, & I mean out there… I can’t recall the mileage, but it is at least a 30 minute drive north on the Turner River Road.
That said, wildlife viewing is excellent on this canal-side road, and the campground is quiet and removed. Some sites close during summer, but there are sites open here year-round.
Everglades City doesn’t currently have any camping options in the immediate vicinity of the park or visitor center. The best bet here is to head east on the Tamiami Trail, and hit one of the campgrounds listed above.
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