Everglades tips: everything you need to know

Everglades National Park is the most well-known national park in Florida. What are the best things to do in the Everglades? Check out these Everglades tips!

What is Everglades National Park?

Everglades National Park is an American national park in southern Florida. It is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and the largest wilderness of any kind east of the Mississippi River. The park was founded on December 6, 1947.

The Everglades themselves are a vast wetland ecosystem that covers one-fifth of South Florida. The Everglades consist of a slow-moving body of water that makes its way from Lake Okeechobee in the north to Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The greater Everglades ecosystem includes a variety of habitats, including freshwater swamps, sawgrass prairies, saline mangrove forests, and deciduous forests.

A few interesting facts about the Everglades:

• The park is 6,105 km² in size.
• There are more than 1,400 species of plants and animals in the park, including the American crocodile, alligators, the manatee, and the endangered Florida panther.
• The park is a popular destination for bird watchers, with more than 300 bird species recorded in the park.

Visiting Everglades National Park: practical tips

Do you want to visit the Everglades in Florida? Now here are some practical tips.

How to get to Everglades National Park

There are over 60 US National Parks. Three of them are in Florida and Everglades National Park is the most well-known. The park is located in the south of the state of Florida, between the cities of Naples and Miami. It is a large subtropical area, with forests and swamps that are filled with interesting wildlife, like alligators.

The park has three different entrances:

• Homestead Entrance: located in the southeast, near Homestead and the Florida Keys. Through this entrance, you can visit several places: Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Royal Palm State Park (also called the nucleus of Everglades National Park), and Flamingo Visitor Center.
• Miami Entrance: on the east side, closest to Miami. From here you can reach the Shark Valley Visitor Center.
• Everglades City Entrance: in the west, closest to Naples. From here you can reach the Gulf Coast Visitor Center.

Most people visit the Everglades from the Miami Entrance and the Everglades City Entrance. When you’re road-tripping in Florida, it’s easy to visit a section of Everglades National Park during a drive between Miami and Naples.

How much does it cost to visit Everglades National Park?

A visit to the Everglades costs $ 35 per vehicle and your admission ticket is valid for 7 days (price 2024). You can pre-purchase your admission ticket online or at the Homestead Entrance, the Shark Valley entrance, and the Gulf Coast Visitor Center.

Are you planning to visit more national parks in the United States? Then it can be cheaper to purchase an America the Beautiful annual pass. This pass costs $ 80 and is valid for a year. You can use it for almost all the US National Parks.

Check this page for the most up-to-date information on admission prices.

When is the best time to visit the Everglades?

The Everglades has a dry and a wet season. The dry season is between early December and late April and is therefore the busiest. The temperatures are nice and there are not so many mosquitoes. In the wet season (from May to November) it can rain heavily, there are many mosquitoes and it can feel quite stuffy due to the heat.

The best time to travel to the Everglades is between December and May, but in principle you can visit the park all year round.

Is the Everglades dangerous?

You’ve seen the word “alligator” a few times in this article and yes, that’s one reason Everglades National Park is so famous. There are a lot of alligators. Also, there are snakes and even the Florida panter lives here. However, that shouldn’t stop you from visiting the park. Keep at least 25 meters away from the animals at all times and you’ll be fine!

Things to do in Everglades National Park

Visiting Everglades National Park is one of the best things to do on the east coast USA. What are the best sights and things to do in the Everglades?

Ride with an airboat

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One of the best things to do in the Everglades is an airboat ride. These boats go quite fast and it feels like you are floating over the water! You can take an airboat ride on the grass-lands, but it is even more fun to take one through the mangroves. This is possible with the tours that depart from Everglades City. You can book a boat trip on the spot or make a reservation in advance through Get Your Guide. This way, you will immediately see what the top-rated tours are.

Note: many of the airboat tours offered are in combination with a wildlife show (where you can hold a baby alligator). This is something I don’t want to promote since I am not a fan of animal tourism. At the time, my friend and I chose to only do the airboat tour and skip the wildlife show. Do you want to make sure your tour is animal friendly? You can also choose to do an eco-tour by kayak.

Spot wildlife during a safari

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Did you know you go on a safari in the Everglades? There are two routes:

• Loop Road – 43 kilometers (27 miles), mainly through the woods.
• Turner River / Wagonwheel / Birdon Roads Loop Drive – 27 kilometers (17 miles). This has more open spaces and you drive through a lot of wet grasslands.

During both scenic drives, you will undoubtedly see a lot of wildlife, such as various bird species and alligators. These routes are not very busy and that makes it feel even more adventurous!

Go cycling in Shark Valley

Did you know you can go cycling in Everglades National Park? You can rent bikes in Shark Valley and there’s a nice loop trail you can follow that has a length of 24 kilometers (15 miles). At the far end you pass an observation tower, from here you have a beautiful view of the landscape.

Do you think cycling is a bit too much? There’s also a tram you can take that follows the same road. Check this website for a timetable and reservations.

Go hiking

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Of course, you can also go hiking in the Everglades. The Florida Trail (a long-distance hike that traverses all of Florida) runs right through the Everglades, but there are also plenty of short hiking trails to discover.

There are many hiking trails at the Homestead Entrance, with the Anhinga Trail (1.2km) being one of the most popular.

Another recommendation is the trail over the boardwalk in the Kirby Storter Roadside Park. This one is about 1.6 kilometers (a mile) long and you walk right through the swamp (but with dry feet).

Check this page for an overview of the trails in the Everglades. It is also always wise to ask around in the visitor center about the best hiking trails that are accessible at that time.

Learn about the park at the visitor center

Something you should do at every national park in the United States: go to the visitor center and learn more about the park. The best spots to learn more about the Everglades are the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and Shark Valley Visitor Center. Here you can get a lot of information about how the park was created and you learn about the best things to do in the park. Are you looking to see some alligators? The rangers can often point them out for you.

What to pack when you’re visiting the Everglades?

There are a few things that are handy to bring with you when you visit the Everglades:

• Raincoat or poncho: rain showers in Florida can come unexpectedly.
• Insect repellent: especially in the wet season it is a must to apply DEET or another insect repellent.
• Food and drinks: there are no supermarkets or restaurants in the park. At most, you can buy some snacks at a visitor center.
• Fill up your tank: there are no gas stations in the park, so make sure you have a well-filled tank.

Best places to stay

What are the best places to stay when visiting the Everglades?

In the park: camping

If you want to sleep in the park, this is only possible by camping at one of the campgrounds. There are two of them:

• Flamingo Campground: suitable for RVs and tents. You can also rent an eco-tent here to sleep in (glamping in the Everglades!). You can reserve a spot for the high season (December-April), otherwise, it is first-come, first-serve.
• Long Pine Key Campground: suitable for RVs and tents. First-come, first-serve.

Both campsites are accessible via the Homestead Entrance and open all year round. Check this website for more information and to reserve a spot at the campsites in the Everglades.

The best places just outside the park

Would you rather sleep in a hotel? Then I would look for something in Homestead/Florida City or Everglades City. From here you can drive straight into the park. These are some nice accommodations just outside Everglades National Park:

• Travelodge by Wyndham Florida City/Homestead/Everglades (3⭐) – Great hotel with a nice outdoor pool and not far from the park entrance.
• Everglades Adventures Hotel Suites by Ivey House (3⭐) – A hotel with beautifully appointed rooms in Everglades City. Here too you have a nice outdoor swimming pool.
• TownePlace Suites Miami Kendall West (3⭐) – Very highly rated hotel on the outskirts of Miami. The rooms are very spacious, they are all studios and suites.

Check Booking.com for more options, availability, and prices.

Book a trip to Florida

Would you like to travel to Florida and visit Everglades National Park? Book your trip now!

✈️ Plane tickets – There are several airports in Florida. For the Everglades National Park, it’s smart to fly to Miami. Check WayAway to find the cheapest plane tickets. This is a flight aggregator that provides travelers with the best rates on airline tickets.

🚘 Rental Car – The best way to get around is by renting a car. Check Rental Cars to find the best deals.

💊 Travel insurance – As for me, travel insurance is a necessary component of any trip, if you want to be calm in every unexpected event during your journey. So, I suggest you choose Insubuy. It is currently the largest provider of visitor insurance. You will definitely find the most appropriate insurance plan for you!

🛶 Tours & activities – There are a lot of fun tours and activities to do in Florida, like interesting guided tours and fun boat trips. Check Get your Guide for all options.

Read more about Florida

Want to read more about Everglades National Park and Florida? Then there are a few travel guides that will make the preparations even more fun!

Moon Florida Keys: With Miami & the Everglades

Fodor’s Florida

Do you want to read more about Florida? I also wrote these articles:

• 9 Awesome Things to do on the Gulf Coast of Florida
• Florida itinerary: an amazing 2-week road trip
• The best theme parks in Florida

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This article was published in March 2021. Last update with more tips: April 2024.

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