This is page 3 of this article. To start at the beginning, click here.
6. Shark Valley
If you want to see the vast beauty of the Everglades and more alligators than you can count, then Shark Valley should be your #1 stop. This small section of the park packs in everything you need to see to make your vacation epic!
What You Need to Know
Shark Valley doesn’t have a lot to do…you’ll find a small visitor center, a few short hiking trails, and a 15-mile loop road through the area. But even though it’s a small area, WOW, it will blow you away!
Your top priority in this area should be to see as much of the 15-mile loop road as you can. You can walk along it, bike it, or take a tram tour. Halfway through the loop road, you’ll reach the Shark Valley Observation Tower that offers amazing views of the Everglades.
It’s common to see dozens of alligators along this route, so have your camera ready! They especially like to sun themselves near the loop road during the winter months. Be sure to give them their space, especially if you are traveling the road on foot or by bike. Pets are not permitted on the road or trails in this area.
The parking lot here is small and fills up quickly. Get here early, or be prepared to wait for a while. The hours at Shark Valley are typically 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. during the winter, and there is a gate that gets locked during the off-hours.
Getting Here
Shark Valley is located along the Tamiami Trail Road (Highway 41) about 25 miles west of Miami.
7. Birdwatching
Everglades National Park is home to more than 300 species of birds, including large and vibrant pelicans, anhingas, cormorants, and roseate spoonbills. These spectacular birds are fascinating to watch and photograph!
What You Need to Know
No matter your level of interest or experience in birdwatching, you’ll find the perfect opportunity to see some amazing creatures in the Everglades. On my last trip to this park, my young kids sat and watched a pelican eat a large fish dinner at Mrazek Pond for a long time — it was one of the most memorable parts of the trip!
You’ll often spot large birds from the road or trail, but the best place to go is to the ponds. Paurotis Pond, Mrazek Pond, Eco Pond, and Nine Mile Pond are fantastic birdwatching spots.
To see even more, head out on the water in a canoe or kayak!
Getting Here
You’ll find these ponds along the main park road as you travel between the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and Flamingo.
8. Gumbo Limbo Trail
Find solitude amongst a small forest of gumbo limbo trees!
What You Need to Know
For many, this will be your first introduction to the gumbo limbo tree, a unique tree with reddish-brown bark that peels and flakes off the tree. This tree is also known as “the tourist tree” because it mimics peeling skin after a bad sunburn.
The Gumbo Limbo Trail is a 0.4-mile wheelchair-accessible loop. It provides a quiet walk through the dense vegetation and allows some peace and quiet in the otherwise busy Anhinga Trail vicinity.
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 Gumbo Limbo Trail begins.
9. Ranger-led Adventure
Everglades provides some of the most epic ranger-led adventures of any national park! Join a ranger as you see the park in a new way, such as slogging through the wetlands, biking, kayaking, or boating.
What You Need to Know
The ranger-led tour lineup for this park is impressive. This is especially fantastic if you want to truly experience the Everglades but don’t know where to start — a park ranger can help you!
You’ll find the various options here, but they include options like slough slogs, bike rides, kayaking popular water trails, starlight or moonlight walks, and motorboat tours out into the bay. Many of these ranger-led activities require reservations in advance, but equipment such as kayaks and bikes are often provided.
I suggest joining a ranger tour in either the Royal Palm or Gulf Coast areas of the park. If you’re not able to attend a ranger-led activity, consider renting a bike or kayak on your own. It’s well worth the effort to get off the beaten path in the Everglades!
10. Airboat Ride
Zip through the water on an exciting airboat ride! This is a fast-paced way to see the Everglades, but it’s an experience you won’t easily forget.
What You Need to Know
Chances are that when you think of exploring the Everglades, you imagine yourself on an airboat. Airboat rides have long been a popular thing to do in this part of the country, and it truly is a thrilling experience!
Is it the best way to see the Everglades? No. These airboat tours are loud and fast, so definitely don’t expect to fully experience the natural sounds and sights that make the Everglades so amazing.
Is this the best way to see wildlife? No. You’ll see more alligators and birds in Shark Valley or along the Anhinga Trail.
Is riding an airboat controversial? Yes. Some people are extremely against allowing airboats to operate in the Everglades because of the disturbance they cause to the natural landscape and wildlife.
Is it a unique and fun way to appreciate the vastness of the park? Yes. It’s amazing to be zipping through the “river of grass” at such high speeds and realizing that you’ve barely scratched the surface of the Everglades.
As with all things in the national parks, it’s about finding a good balance between protecting the land and letting people enjoy it so that they appreciate it more.
For that reason, if you decide to take a ride on an airboat, please use one of the three companies that are authorized by the National Park Service — Coopertown, Everglades Safari Park, and Gator Park. These companies are required to follow certain protocols and tour routes in an effort to minimize their effect on the environment. You can often find discounted tickets for any of these companies on Groupon.
Getting Here
You’ll find these authorized airboat tours along the Tamiami Trail Road (Highway 41) about 10-12 miles west of Miami.
Bonus: Food adventures near the park
Everglades National Park has some unique and incredibly exciting food choices just outside of the park! Here are a few of my favorite can’t-miss restaurants:
ROBERT IS HERE — this fruit stand just outside of the Homestead entrance is epic! If you like key lime, you’ve got to try their key lime milkshake.
GATOR GRILL — if you’re hoping to go all-in during your Florida vacation, stop here and order the gator bites or the frog legs. The gator is actually pretty tasty, but the frog legs are a little slimy for my taste.
TRIAD SEAFOOD — Everglades City is also known as “the stone crab capital of the world”. Stop in at Triad for all-you-can-eat stone crabs or, my personal favorite, grouper.
KNAUS BERRY FARM — yes, you can get berries here, but the cinnamon rolls are the showstopper!
Have an amazing time in Everglades National Park! Click NEXT to see the Ultimate Everglades Trip Planning Guide.
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!