Everglades & South Florida

The Everglades are best explored by water — paddle the mangrove tunnels and the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway, kayak Florida Bay, and fish the flats for tarpon, snook, and redfish. Boardwalk trails like Anhinga and Shark Valley put alligators and wading birds at arm's length.

Airboat tours operate outside the park boundary, while birding, ranger-led 'slough slogs,' and backcountry canoe camping define the in-park experience.

The dry season, December through April, is by far the best: wildlife concentrates at shrinking water holes, temperatures are mild, and mosquitoes are bearable.

Summer's wet season brings oppressive heat, daily thunderstorms, ferocious mosquitoes, and hurricane risk — most visitors avoid June through October.

This is the only place on Earth where American alligators and American crocodiles coexist. It shelters the endangered Florida panther (fewer than ~200 left), West Indian manatees, roseate spoonbills, wood storks, and more than 360 bird species.

The park is a globally important wading-bird rookery, though populations are a fraction of their historic abundance after a century of drainage.

Nine distinct habitats interlock: sawgrass marsh, cypress swamp, mangrove forest, pineland, hardwood hammock, and the marine flats of Florida Bay. As the largest subtropical wilderness in the U.S. and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, and Ramsar Wetland, it is simultaneously one of the most threatened ecosystems in the country.

The Everglades sit on a vast, nearly flat limestone plain, the porous Floridan aquifer formed from ancient sea floors. Water flows imperceptibly southward — a 60-mile-wide, inches-deep river dropping only about 2 inches per mile — from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay.

Solution holes, marl prairies, and the slight elevation of tree islands create the subtle topography that organizes all life here.

The Calusa and later the Seminole and Miccosukee peoples lived in and around the Everglades for centuries; the Miccosukee Tribe still holds land within the region. Early-20th-century drainage schemes nearly destroyed the ecosystem.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas's 1947 book 'The Everglades: River of Grass' reframed the swamp as a vital living river and helped spur the park's creation that same year, dedicated by President Truman.

The Miccosukee and Seminole tribes maintain a living presence and cultural centers along the Tamiami Trail. Gladesmen traditions of fishing, hunting, and airboating remain part of the regional identity, and nearby Miami brings a vibrant Latin American and Caribbean culture to the park's doorstep.

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), authorized in 2000 at an estimated $10+ billion, is the largest ecosystem-restoration effort in U.S. history, aiming to re-establish natural water flow disrupted by canals and levees. Invasive Burmese pythons have decimated mammal populations, and rising seas and saltwater intrusion threaten the freshwater system's future.

The main entrance near Homestead is about an hour from Miami International Airport; Shark Valley and the Gulf Coast (Everglades City) have separate entrances. A vehicle is essential, and boat and tram tours plus canoe and kayak rentals operate at the major visitor areas.

Heat, humidity, and relentless mosquitoes are daily realities — bring repellent, water, and sun protection. Never feed or approach alligators, and keep a respectful distance from all wildlife. Afternoon lightning is severe in the wet season, and the mangrove maze is easy to get lost in by boat.

An entrance pass is required. Backcountry camping and overnight paddling require permits; drones are prohibited.

Feeding wildlife is illegal and dangerous. Stay on boardwalks and marked trails to protect the fragile marl prairies.

Visit in the dry season (winter) for the best wildlife and fewest bugs, but carry strong repellent regardless. Dawn and dusk are prime for birds and alligators. Bring binoculars, drink plenty of water, and consider a guided mangrove paddle for the quintessential Everglades experience.

Biscayne National Park, almost entirely underwater, lies just east near Homestead, offering snorkeling and diving on coral reefs; Big Cypress National Preserve borders the Everglades to the north. The Florida Keys begin a short drive south, and Miami's beaches and city life are an hour away.