Park sights in The Everglades
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Shark Valley
Shark Valley sounds like it should be the headquarters for the villain in a James Bond movie, but it is in fact a slice of National Park Service grounds heavy with informative signs and knowledgeable rangers. Shark Valley is located in the cypress-and-hardwood-and-riverine section of the Everglades, a more traditionally jungly section of the park than the grassy fields and forest domes surrounding the Ernest Coe visitor center. A 15-mile/24km paved trail takes you past small creeks, tropical forest and 'borrow pits' (manmade holes that are now basking spots for gators, turtles and birdlife). The pancake-flat trail is perfect for bicycles, which can be rented at the…
reviewed
-
Big Cypress National Preserve
The 1139-sq-mile Big Cypress Preserve (named for the size of the park, not its trees) is the result of a compromise between environmentalists, cattle ranchers and oil-and-gas explorers. The area is integral to the Everglades' ecosystem: rains that flood the Preserve's prairies and wetlands slowly filter down through the Glades. About 45% of the cypress swamp (actually a group of mangrove islands, hardwood hammocks, slash pine, prairies and marshes) is protected. Great bald cypress trees are nearly gone, thanks to pre-Preserve lumbering, but dwarf pond cypress trees (more impressive than the name suggests) fill the area with their own understated beauty. The Oasis Visitor…
reviewed
-
Shark Valley Visitor Center
For a quick peek from Miami, come here. On the excellent two-hour tram tour along the 15-mile asphalt road, you'll see copious numbers of alligators and lots of migratory herons and ibis in winter. The narration by park rangers is both knowledgeable and witty, providing an ideal overview of the Everglades and its inhabitants. Halfway along the trail is the 50ft-high observation tower, an ugly concrete structure that offers a dramatic panorama of the 'river of grass.' The pancake-flat road is also perfect for cycling stop and gawk as long and often as you wish. Bring water.
reviewed
-
Flamingo Visitor Center
From Royal Palm, Hwy 9336 cuts through the belly of the park for 38 miles until it reaches the isolated Flamingo Visitor Center, which has maps of canoeing and hiking trails. Call ahead about the status of facilities: the former Flamingo Lodge was wiped out by hurricanes in 2005, and at the time of research Flamingo Marina was closed for renovations. It should reopen again and offer backcountry boat tours and kayak/canoe rentals for self-guided trips along the coast.
reviewed
-
Ernest Coe Visitor Center
Those with a day to give the Glades could start with this visitor center in the south. It has excellent, museum-quality exhibits and tons of activity info: the road accesses numerous short trails and lots of top-drawer canoeing opportunities. Call for a schedule of fun ranger-led programs, such as the two-hour 'slough slog.' Most programs start at the nearby Royal Palm Visitor Center, where you can catch two short trails. The Anhinga Trail is great for wildlife spotting, especially alligators in winter, and the Gumbo-Limbo showcases plants and trees.
reviewed