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1. Anhinga Trail
If you’re visiting the Everglades with the hope of seeing wildlife, the Anhinga Trail is a great place to start. This boardwalk trail travels through a sawgrass marsh that is home to alligators, anhingas (a type of bird), turtles, herons, pelicans, and many more — you never know what you might find!
What You Need to Know
This trail is 0.8 miles roundtrip and wheelchair-accessible. You’ll wander along a mostly flat boardwalk that elevates you above the water. If you look down into the water often, you’re likely to see creatures swimming around or lying on shore.
Alligator sightings are extremely common along this trail! You’ll also want to keep your eyes peeled for this trail’s namesake, the anhinga, which is a large water bird with an s-shaped neck and pointy bill.
Vultures are known to chew the rubber off your car in this area, so you’ll find tarps near the visitor center that you can use to cover your car while you hike!
Pets are not permitted.
Getting Here
From the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, drive west on the park road for 2 miles. Turn left (following signs for Royal Palm/Anhinga Trail) and follow the road until it dead-ends at the Royal Palm Visitor Center. This is where the Anhinga Trail begins.
2. Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook
For sweeping views of the “river of grass”, head to the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook. This observation platform looks out into the heart of Everglades National Park, providing a unique look at the immensity of this park.
What You Need to Know
The Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook Trail is 0.2 miles roundtrip along a boardwalk, and a portion of it is wheelchair accessible. I love this trail because, although very short, it shows off the slow-moving river that brings life into the Everglades — this is why the national park exists!
Pets are not permitted.
Getting Here
From the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, drive west on the park road for 12.5 miles. Turn right at the sign for Pa-Hay-Okee and drive for another 1.3 miles to the trailhead at the end of the road.
3. Flamingo Marina
If you drive through the Everglades to the very end of the road, you’ll be treated to coastal views and wildlife sightings where the “river of grass” meets the ocean! The Flamingo Marina is a great place to go if you’re looking to embark on an adventure.
What You Need to Know
You’ll find the Flamingo Marina at the bottom of the Florida peninsula. From here, you can take boat tours, rent canoes, go biking, and camp near the beach. Click here for more information about those activities.
The highlight of visiting the Flamingo Marina is the wildlife! If you’re lucky, you might see an elusive crocodile that makes its home in the salty ocean water. And if you hang around the marina for a few minutes, you’ll likely be able to see manatees right from the dock!
Getting Here
From the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, drive west along the main park road for 38 miles until you reach Flamingo.
4. Nike Missile Base
You might be surprised to find a fascinating piece of history in the midst of the beautiful Everglades! The Nike Missile Base (built in response to the Cold War and Cuban Missile Crisis during the 1960s) is the perfect stop for any history buff — or for anyone who is excited to see a real Nike Hercules missile.
What You Need to Know
The Nike Missile Base includes a guard dog kennel, a missile assembly building, three missile barns, barracks, and two Nike Hercules missiles. This site was completed in 1965 in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Basically, it was there to protect the U.S. from an air attack from the south. At one point, 140 soldiers were staffed here.
The site is typically open during the winter months from about 10 a.m. -2 p.m. for an open house. You can walk through the site, take pictures, and chat with rangers and volunteers about the history of the area.
A ranger-led tour is typically offered in the afternoons during the winter. This provides a chance to dig into the history and learn fascinating facts and stories of the Cold War. This tour is by reservation only.
At the very least, be sure to engage in conversation with a ranger or volunteer. They have so much information to offer that will greatly enhance your experience here!
Check the calendar for more information about Open House and Ranger-led Tours offered at the missile base.
Getting Here
From the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, drive 2 miles west on the main park road. Turn left (following signs for Royal Palms/Anhinga Trail/Gumbo Limbo Trail) and drive for 0.8 miles. Turn right (following signs for the Daniel Beard Center/Nike Missile Site) and continue on this road for 6 miles until you reach the missile base.
5. Mahogany Hammock Trail
Take a walk through the jungle as you explore this island of trees! The Mahogany Hammock Trail is a short but adventurous hike through some of the most beautiful trees in the park.
What You Need to Know
In the Everglades, a hammock is an area of land that is slightly higher in elevation than the wetlands around it. This change in elevation, even if it’s slight, makes it possible for trees (like mahogany) to grow out of the water.
The Mahogany Hammock is a fascinating area to hike through, and you’ll learn about the various plants as you read the interpretive signs. The vegetation is dense, but a boardwalk trail cuts through the foliage to bring you up close to the trees. Look for the peeling gumbo limbo trees and the largest mahogany tree in the U.S.
This trail is a 0.5-mile loop and is wheelchair accessible. You’ll want to wear long sleeves and bug spray on this hike — the biting insects can be especially brutal as you walk through the trees.
Pets are not permitted.
Getting Here
From the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, drive 20 miles west along the main park road. Turn right (following signs for Mahogany Hammock) and drive for 2 more miles until you reach the trailhead at the end of the road.
Click NEXT to see stops 6-10, including the best place in the park to see alligators!
We’ve really enjoyed several of your other trip itineraries! Do you have one for Everglades? Or a breakdown of some highlights to hit per day? I never know how much is realistic to try to put in one day or a good order to hit all the highlights so you aren’t wasting your time driving back and forth! You make it so easy to take these trips! :)
Thanks Beth! I don’t have one for Everglades, but I do have some podcast episodes that will help get you started!
Hi Ash! We are planning a trip to the Everglades after Christmas. We are staying in Key Largo. Where is the best place to start exploring the park? Thank you!
From Key Largo, the closest part of Everglades is near Homestead/Coe Visitor Center. Have fun!
Thank you! All your tips have helped to make our trip amazing!
I’m so glad to hear that!
Hi! I’m planning a trip this weekend to Palm Beach for my fiancé‘s birthday… We’ve been to Palm Beach several times so I thought it would be fun to drive down to the Everglades for the day on Saturday and be back in time for dinner. Do you have a recommendation of an itinerary – what time we should leave and what order we should do things in? Would you be open to being our guide?
That’s so exciting! I don’t have an itinerary for that park, but you will find an article called “How Many Days Should I Spend in the Everglades” that will give you a good idea of what you’ll have time to do in one day. Have fun!
Planning a trip first week in April to Miami, Key West & Everglades. Trying to decide if 1 or 2 days should be allotted for Everglades. Also, prioritizing list of things to do whether it is a 1 or 2 day allotment. Any recommendations?
Thanks!
I would give yourself 1.5-2 days for the Everglades. One day for driving the main park road out to Flamingo, and another half day at Shark Valley. Add another half day if you want to take an airboat tour or drive out to Everglades City.
I was listening to your recent podcast about the everglades. It was great! I’m doing 4 days in the area, with the days 1 and 2 in the Everglades NP, then on day 3 a boat tour over at Biscayne NP and day 4 going over to the gulf side. What’s to do on that side?
I don’t have a ton of experience with that side of Florida besides what you can do in the park over there. We like to hang around Naples, Marco Island, or Sanibel Island. I like the beaches better on the gulf coast :)
If you haven’t gone yet, try Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Lovers Key State Park, which is on the beach. Both are near the Naples Ft Meyers Beach area. A great urban spot is the Edison Ford Estates right on the water in the city of Ft Myers.
Hello, I’m headed there in early March. I was planning on e-biking the shark valley loop. Is there a self-guided tour guide?
Not that I’m aware of. But you will love biking the loop!
Headed to the area in a few days! Last minute trip and I see that the shark valley tram tours and the bike rentals are sold out. Should I skip this? Really want to see wildlife and now I’m disappointed – that’s last minute travel though!
I would still go in and walk the path for a minute. If you head along the pathway near the visitor center for a minute (the straight portion of the Shark Valley path if you look on the map), you should still see some alligators!
Hi! We’ll be traveling with a baby along — our kids are ages 11, 8 and 9 months. Are any of these tours doable with a baby? Thx!
You can still take the Shark Valley Tram Tour with a baby :)
We are planning to visit the Everglades for one day in December. We plan to stay in Homestead. Based on that and trying to fit in as much as possible, would you suggest starting a Shark Valley, and then working the list from there? Thank you so much for any insight.
Yes, that’s exactly what I’d do!
Spent a few high school years on loop road. Went to everglades city school. It was nice to see this article.
Very cool! What a fun area to spend so much time in!
My family and I will be vacationing a couple hours from the Everglades in July. I know summer is not the best time to visit the park for multiple reasons, but we have also never visited this national park. I’m having a difficult time determining whether we should try to fit in time to visit even if it may not be the ideal season. Would you recommend we take a half to whole day to visit the park in July or wait until we can visit in the winter months for a better experience? If so, which area would you recommend? We will be traveling with our seven year old son who enjoys doing the junior ranger programs and we all enjoy viewing wildlife and hiking kid friendly easy to moderate trails.
I think if you really want to visit, you should! If it were me, I’d go to Shark Valley. That’s where you’ll probably have the best luck seeing wildlife!
Thank you for your info! It’s kind of a lot to try to understand having not been there. I’m thinking if we fly into Miami then we would head down to Homestead and stay there a couple nights and drive trails and do hikes from the entrance there and then head into Shark Valley and do a tram tour and then head to Everglades City and hike in the Big Cypress National Preserve or rent a canoe and go through the mangroves.
SO my questions for you are…
Can we go from Homestead in the morning and to Shark Valley and do a tour and then do Everglades City all in a day? Or will Shark Valley take a day and we should go back to Everglades City and give that it’s own day?
Also, if we were to choose one place to bike, where would you go biking in the Everglades? Would you get an e-bike?
Thanks for you help! Feel free to reach out to me through my email or here, whichever is easier.
Annette
Hey Annette,
It would be a long day, but you could do it if that’s all the time you have. I’d plan at least a half-day in Shark Valley, so that won’t leave you much time at Big Cypress. If you want to bike in the Everglades, I would bike Shark Valley instead of taking the tram…it’s amazing!
Does the Everglades allow pet/dog inside the park?
You’ll find the dog regulations here: https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/pets.htm
Excellent. Very Helpful!
Have fun in the Everglades!
This was really helpful. Thank you!
You’re welcome!