The Best Hiking Trails in Everglades National Park
Everglades National park hiking trails are very unique. I have visited many National Parks around the world,and every once in awhile, my expectations get blown out of the water by some unexpectedly beautiful destination. The Everglades hiking trails vary from short interpretive trails up to long day hikes. Everglades National Park is located in the state of Florida in the southern United States. This park is packed full of adventure, the best hikes, nature, and animals so unique, you can’t miss it during your visit to Florida.
These are the best hiking trails in Everglades National Park
Never had I imagined a wetlands landscape would be so mysterious, wild, and stunning. There are no other Everglades in the world– so I shouldn’t have been too surprised.
My Everglades National Park Guidewill take you through all the unique ecosystems of the everglades. With all you need to know, including hike suggestions to make the most of your time in the park. I hope you enjoy your time there as much as we did!
Everglades National Park Information
The Everglades National Park charges a fee for entry – as do all of the United States National Parks. Fees for Everglades are listed below.
Vehicle – $30 usd
Motorcycle – $25 usd
Foot, Bike, Watercraft – $15 usd
Annual National Park Pass – $55 usd *this is the most economic way to pay if you are planning on exploring Dry Tortugas, or Biscayne National Parks*
COVID-19 Response
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local public health authorities, park operations continue to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining public access, particularly outdoor spaces. Before visiting a park, please check the park website to determine its operating status. Updates about the overall NPS response to COVID-19, including safety information, are posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus Please recreate responsibly.
– Everglades National Park Service
Popular Trails at Everglades National Park
Elevation in the Everglades is typically measured in inches instead of feet. The highest elevation in the park doesn’t exceed 8 ft. so when I saw this elevation sign at 4 ft it made me laugh a little. The elevation levels in the park define each habitat, from the lowest freshwater marsh to the higher tropical hardwood hammocks.
Pine Island Short Interpretive Trails
Anhinga Trail – Easy, 1.5 mi, est 36 min
Gumbo Limbo Trail – Easy, 0.4 mi, est 10 min
Mahogany Hammock Trail – Easy, 0.4 mi, est 10 min
West Lake Trail – Easy, 0.3 miles, 7 min
Pahayokee Overlook Trail – Easy, 0.2 mi, est 4 min
Pinelands Trail – Easy, 0.4 mi, est 10 min
Eco Pond Trail – 0.5 miles, 12 min
Guy Bradley Trail – 1.1 miles, 27 min
Three-in-One Trail – 0.7 miles, 7 min
Anhinga Trail
This self-guiding trail winds through a sawgrass marsh, where you may see alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons, egrets, and many other birds, especially during the winter. This is one the most popular trails in the park because of its abundance of wildlife.
Anhinga & Gumbo Limbo are the first trailheads you will come across as you enter from the east entrance of the park. The Anhinga trail is the best hike in the Everglades that we explored. The boardwalk trail winds through the sawgrass marsh and is the best trail to spot wildlife in Everglades National Park.
We saw wildlife such as alligators, egrets, anhingas, herons, turtles, tropical colored birds, and lots of unique fish. Anhinga trail typically has heavy traffic and can be quite busy, but we never felt over crowded.
ANHINGA BIRD
CAUTION!
A word of caution- at the trailhead parking lot there are vultures that are waiting to feast on your vehicle. They’re quite fond of the rubber window seals for some reason, and they WILL destroy your car if you do not cover it with a tarp. The tarps are provided with straps by the bathrooms and rest area.
Gumbo Limbo Trail
After we finished the Anhinga hike we made our way over to the Gumbo-Limbo trail. A short 0.4 mile hike takes you into a dense tropical hardwood hammock. The trail tunnel through a tropical hardwood hammock, a world dramatically different from the wide-open slough. In the shadowy tangle of vegetation, the plants at first appear all alike and the wildlife non-existent. The trail was not crowded, and it was a nice break into the trees from the sunny Anhinga hike. Forests like this can survive only because of the tropical conditions. About 70% of the 700 native plant species of the park are of tropical origin.
The hammock has a surprising variety of species that take unique forms. In the intense competition for light and space, the vegetation grows in layers. A botanist exploring this hammock in 1983 was so in awe of the profusion of bromeliads, royal palms, and orchids that he suggested the area as a federal park. His journey here from Miami took three days.
ANHINGA BIRD FISHING
Pinelands Trail
Take a short walk along this 0.4 mile trail through a sub-tropical pine forest. You’ll be walking through one of the most diverse habitats in south Florida. You’ll see the scenery changing as hardwoods are taken over by young pine. Higher areas in the Everglades eventually become large hammocks, unless they are destroyed by fire first. Fire preserves the natural diversity of the Everglades, and is crucial to the regrowth process of the various ecosystems.
Formerly, 52 color varieties of tree snails lived in the hammocks of South Florida. They came from the West Indies, dispersed, and settled in separate tree islands. After years of inbreeding, many multi-colored varieties came about. After gathering many of one variety, collectors sometimes would burn the hammock, destroying any left and making their collection more valuable. Thus putting at least four kinds of tree snail into extinction.
A short walk will guide you to a beautiful overlook known as Pa-hay-okee. This ecosystem of freshwater marsh is a wide, shallow, slow moving “river of grass”. It’s amazing how large this green river of grass really was. It seemed to expand forever into the horizon- with the occasional tree sprouting out.
Water is the lifeblood of Everglades National Park, this river of grass is dependent on the seasonal rise and fall of fresh water. It is also dependent on people. For over 100 years we dredged, dammed, and drained the landscape. Controlling the ebb and flow of this life-giving force. In doing so, we endangered the Everglades and the life dependent on it.
Mahogany Hammock Trail
This 0.4 mi walk takes you through a jungle-like island forest. Tropical Hardwood Hammocks as seen above grow in Everglades National Park The hammocks create dense island forests that grow out of the freshwater marshes.
The Best Hikes in Everglades: Longer Trails on Pine Island
Flamingo Campground – Easy, 2.2 miles, 53 min
Snake Bight Trail – Easy, 3.6 mi, est 1.5 hours
Rowdy Bend trail – Easy, 5.2 miles, 2 hours
Long Pine Key Trail – Easy, 15.5 mi, est 6.15 hours
The Everglades National Park looks so beautiful and verdant. The hikes look really promising and they all take you right into the lap of nature. I like the fact that there are a range of hikes, some easy and some more challenging, but each one of them looks so thrilling.
I can’t believe I never made an effort to visit this park when I lived in Florida for 10 years. Luckily, my sister still lives there so we definitely need to make the visit. The Anhinga Trail sounds great and I love self-guided trails with possible wildlife sightings. I’ll make sure to go before the hot humid summers 🙂
I lived in Florida for 11 years a regret never visiting Everglades National Park. I definitely need to visit some day. These hikes look amazing! I love the multicolored snails! And I can’t believe those vultures on the cars at the trailhead parking lot! Kind of creepy!
I have never enjoyed flat trails out here, usually like to go for mountain hikes. But Everglades seem to have such distinct flora and fauna, it makes me want to try more!
I agree! That was one of the reasons I was hesitant to visit. However, as flat as they may be – they are full of interesting foliage & wildlife. Highly recommend it!
I have to admit, I dont actually know much about the Everglades National Park expect that it is in Florida and they have snappy creatures. So to know that there are a variety of hiking trails is good to know as I sure love a good stroll. I do plan to come to Florida eventually, but I just wait for my two young creatures to grow up a bit so they know about those green snappy creatures and the area I dread, Disney! But first, one of them needs to learnt to walk. But I so cant wait to go to national parks in the USA, not just the everglades, but others so I can educate my children as well. Fantastic post and good advise.
Everglades is really a great park to visit. My husband wants to kayak and camp there but I will hard to convince on that one! Kayaking in the mangroves with a guide is about my limit!
oh gosh – we visited in April and IT WAS SO SO SO HOT. We are campers, (tent when traveling) and we said we would never ever camp there because of how hot it was 😂 but I bet if you went in the winter it would be more bearable. The kayak tours I mentioned are REALLY good and worth it.
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19 comments
The Everglades National Park looks so beautiful and verdant. The hikes look really promising and they all take you right into the lap of nature. I like the fact that there are a range of hikes, some easy and some more challenging, but each one of them looks so thrilling.
I can’t believe I never made an effort to visit this park when I lived in Florida for 10 years. Luckily, my sister still lives there so we definitely need to make the visit. The Anhinga Trail sounds great and I love self-guided trails with possible wildlife sightings. I’ll make sure to go before the hot humid summers 🙂
Yes! Try and visit if you have the opportunity, I promise you won’t be disappointed!
I lived in Florida for 11 years a regret never visiting Everglades National Park. I definitely need to visit some day. These hikes look amazing! I love the multicolored snails! And I can’t believe those vultures on the cars at the trailhead parking lot! Kind of creepy!
Oh my gosh – i’m not gonna lie – I sat there and watched the vultures laughing hysterically for quite some time 😂 there were SO MANY of them.
I have never enjoyed flat trails out here, usually like to go for mountain hikes. But Everglades seem to have such distinct flora and fauna, it makes me want to try more!
I agree! That was one of the reasons I was hesitant to visit. However, as flat as they may be – they are full of interesting foliage & wildlife. Highly recommend it!
I have to admit, I dont actually know much about the Everglades National Park expect that it is in Florida and they have snappy creatures. So to know that there are a variety of hiking trails is good to know as I sure love a good stroll. I do plan to come to Florida eventually, but I just wait for my two young creatures to grow up a bit so they know about those green snappy creatures and the area I dread, Disney! But first, one of them needs to learnt to walk. But I so cant wait to go to national parks in the USA, not just the everglades, but others so I can educate my children as well. Fantastic post and good advise.
It blew my expectations away – I thought it was just a giant boring swamp lol I should have known better.. US National Parks are all incredible.
I went here as a kid and was convinced I was going to be eaten by an alligator!
I would love to visit! Florida definitely has some gems. I cannot believe the vultures there – how crazy that you have to cover your car!!
This might sound dumb, but I didn’t even know the Everglades had hikes hahah. It sounds pretty nice though, I’d love to go strolling through the park!
I LOVE that there is a campground called flamingo. Also terrifying there is a trail called snak trail. I would afford for fear of running into snakes.
The Kayak tours sound really fun! I think I would certainly have to go in the winter otherwise I might melt!
Everglades is really a great park to visit. My husband wants to kayak and camp there but I will hard to convince on that one! Kayaking in the mangroves with a guide is about my limit!
oh gosh – we visited in April and IT WAS SO SO SO HOT. We are campers, (tent when traveling) and we said we would never ever camp there because of how hot it was 😂 but I bet if you went in the winter it would be more bearable. The kayak tours I mentioned are REALLY good and worth it.
These look like incredible trails to hike on! I love learning about new hiking routes so thanks for sharing these!
A very detailed post of the best hikes at Everglades National Park. We will visit next winter.
I love the variety of hikes available in the Everglades National Parks – it looks like there are options for everyone with so much to see and do!