
Everglades National Park

Here is your Adventure Guide to Everglades National Park!

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


How to Get to Everglades National Park
The closest airport to


Where to Stay in Everglades National Park
Nature Camp & Cabins
RV resort & campground with 300 sites that accommodates RV’s and tents. There are also cabins, and lodges for rent. Located 15 miles from the Everglades, 30 miles south of Miami, and halfway to Key Largo. The park is surrounded by palm, avocado, and mango trees.
Near Everglades & Biscayne National Parks
This cozy, laid back hostel is 10 miles from Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. Hang out in the tropical garden and read a book or just sit back & relax in a tree hammock. Hoosville has 14 rooms available in a variety of occupancies for 2 to 8 guests.
Family Friendly
Hilton Suites offers guests the ideal mix of value, comfort and convenience. The hotel is family-friendly, close to Everglades National Park, and restaurants. With a wide range of amenities such as family rooms, a pool, and complimentary breakfast.
Modern & Updated
Tru is a newly built pet friendly hotel close to Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. Pick up some fresh fruit from local fruit stands nearby and enjoy the complimentary breakfast before your day in the park!


Things to do in Everglades National Park
One of the most popular things to do in Everglades National Park are airboat tours through the “river of grass”. There are several companies that offer different tours, however some of these companies partake in animal shows, caged animals, animal touching and disturbing the natural balance of the everglades. I do not in anyway support those activities. Which is why I am recommending Wild Lime Adventures.


Take an Airboat Tour Along the Grass River
Wild Lime Adventures is owned by a couple who are master naturalists and marine biologists. The intriguing cultural tours, are led by the local indigenous Miccosukee tribe who live in the everglades and predate Columbus. You will see alligators, manatee, dolphins, colorful birds, and a native tree island village. All without disturbing the animals or eco systems of the ONLY EVERGLADES IN THE WORLD.




Everglades National Park is largely associated with birds, and is one of the very popular bird watching locations in Florida. The River of Grass warm, shallow, waters have been attracting hundreds of bird types for thousands of years. Over 360 different species of birds can be seen throughout the Everglades, all varying in shape, size and color.
Download the Everglades National Park Bird Checklist Here!
NPS States the Wood Stork (Mycteria americana) is a large, bald-headed wading bird that stands more than 3 feet (0.9 meters) tall, has a 5 foot (1.5 meter) wing spread, and weighs 4 to 6 pounds (1.8 to 2.7 kg). It is the only stork breeding in the United States and was placed on the Federal Endangered Species list in 1984. The species was downlisted from endangered to threatened in June 2014, reflecting a successful conservation and recovery effort spanning three decades. The Wood Stork serves as an indicator species for restoration of the Everglades ecosystem. Indicator species serve as excellent messengers of the past, present, and future because their specific habitat requirements are so closely associated with one particular environment.

Kayak the River of Grass
Go on a kayak adventure and watch birds hunting, see some turtles, songbirds, orchids, and air plants. Paddle through beautiful mangrove tunnels, and keep an eye out for the famous Florida alligators! Kayaking through Everglades National Park will provide you with a whole new way of seeing the park. The tour is led by a professional naturalist guide and will be able to answer all your questions about the mysterious world of water.


Do the Triple Crown Tour: City, Everglades, and Star Island Boat Cruise
The triple crown tour is great for families and kids of all ages. If you only have 1 day this half day tour will be great! On the tour you will experience the Everglades National Park and the city of Miami. The tour has everything you need for an adventure! You’ll be provided luggage storage, water, park maps, WiFi, and a phone charger! The tour starts in Miami where a local guide will show you the cultural sights, Art Deco instagram worthy District in Miami Beach, and the delicious Cuban food at the Latin street fair by Domino Park. After your city tour you’ll be taken to Everglades National Park for an airboat ride. Once you’re back in Miami you’ll enjoy a relaxing boat cruise around Star Island as you watch the sunset.


Dolphin and Manatee Boat Tour in 10,000 Islands
This private boat tour is led by a US Coast Guard Licensed Captain. You will cruise through one of the most pristine Mangrove Forests in the World! This tour is centered around wildlife conservation, and is very family friendly! Experience the most unique eco-system in the country as you cruise around the Everglades. The best part of the 3 hour cruise is of course the close-up encounters with playful dolphins, sleepy manatees, and the famous alligators!
Adventure Paddle Tours is also a member of 1% for the Planet. Which means 1% of each tour gets donated to the Everglades Foundation, so you will be supporting a eco-minded company! Learn about the different wildlife you’ll encounter with your Florida Naturalist Captain. They can tell you all you want to know on the Mangrove Ecology, Manatee protection, and other interesting facts about the Everglades ecosystem.





Anhinga Trail
This was our favorite trail we did during our day in the park. It was the first hike as you entered the park, so it was quite busy. The 0.8 mile hike was the best area to spot wildlife. We saw alligators, turtles, varies birds, and lots of unique fish.

Gumbo Limbo Trail
But the hammock contains a surprising variety of species that take unfamiliar 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.

Pinelands Trail
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.

Pa-hay-okee Overlook
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.

Mahogany Hammock Trail

Everglade Mangroves


4 Day Tour from Miami
If you have more time and want to see all the top sites in southern Florida this tour is for you! Starting in Miami this tour includes trips to Everglades National Park, Key West, South Beach, Miami City, Little Havana, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, location of the Mar-a-Lago -Palm Beach, plus an exclusive dinner at the Fort Lauderdale Dinner & Cruise Show. Or if you prefer, the Miami South Beach Night Tour on the day of airport pickup.

5-Day Tour From Miami
This 5 day tour from Miami to the Everglades and throughout southern Florida is perfect if you have the time. The tour leaves from Miami and takes you to Everglades National Park, a shopping outlet, Exclusive* Fort Lauderdale’s Dinner & Show Cruise or Miami South Beach Night Tour on the day of airport pickup. See the best of Florida in this hot spots: Key West, South Beach, Miami City, Little Havana, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, location of the Mar-a-Lago -Palm Beach, and etc.





Headed to Key West? Check out my guide to plan your perfect adventure!


SHOP MY HIKING CLOTHING & ESSENTIALS

I spent several weeks in Florida when I was RVing in 2016 and absolutely LOVED Everglades! It has tons of wildlife and off road areas as well as the usual FL boardwalk. Can’t recommend this park enough – thanks for the memories as now that I am living on the East Coast I want to go again!
We wanted to do the off road hikes so bad! But they were all flooded/really muddy and we didn’t have the right footwear. You needed tall rainboots to do them so we absolutely want to go back. Especially to do a kayak/boat tour. Florida has TONS to do! It sounds like you’re in the cold winter snow like me – SOOOOOO ready for spring.
Wow – looks like such a diverse area! Dolpin and Manatee tour sounds fantastic!
Hi Chelsea
really enjoyed this, thanks for sharing! We didn’t even scratch the surface of the Everglades National park based on everything else we could have done!
The park really surprised us with all that there is to do! We didn’t make it on the kayak / manatee tours as we were only there for 1 day – we want to go back and do an airboat/kayak/wildlife tour!
I used to lead canoe and sea kayak trips in the Everglades in the Ten thousand Islands and also the Wilderness Waterway. This post brought back lots of memories. P.S. I don’t think that’s a wood stork in your photo–more like a heron.
I had so much difficulty identifying some of the birds we saw 😂😂 I will have to update accordingly, thanks! What a cool job that must have been! Did you see a lot of wildlife?
I love birds so much! I think if a vulture landed on the hood of my car I would never take it to the car wash again!
hahahahahaha hilarious. Not gonna lie – I sat there and watched them/photographed them for quite awhile. Logan was like, ok soooo do you want to leave the parking lot and hike? orrr… loll SO MANY BIRDS!
Everglades looks epic to explore. There is so much more to Florida that I need to see at some point. I’ve seen gators on a bayou tour outside of New Orleans, but its cool you could see so much more of them here. 🙂
Yes! I’ve seen them on a Nola boat tour as well as kayaking cenotes in Mexico. Logan was scuba diving while I kayaked… so when we were about 5 ft away from the aligator I was SO GLAD to be in the boat and not the water haha
Love this. We made such a quick visit that I really hope to go again with more time. You cover everything in this guide! Excellent.
Thank you! I’m glad it is helpful. We were only there a day, and it would have been nice to have another day or so to do kayak/boat tours.