How to Plan an Epic Everglades National Park Itinerary!
David and I are Florida natives, but we have to admit we haven’t had the chance to visit the Everglades until now. We’re thrilled that we finally made it happen, what a special place it turned out to be! Honestly, whatever preconceived notions we had about the Everglades National Park were completely off the mark.
We envisioned swamps, alligators swarming like the mosquitoes we were warned about, muggy humid weather, and no shade. Instead we found cypress and mahogany hammocks, lush shaded trails, walls of mangroves, fields of grass that go on for miles, and epic waterfront sunsets. And yes there were alligators, but surprisingly not as many as we thought! There were also majestic osprey, great blue herons, peacock bass, turtles, snakes, snails, egrets, and manatees.
Where is the Everglades National Park?
Everglades National Park sits at the southern tip of Florida and is the third largest national park in the continental United States. Covering 1.5 million acres of wetlands, the Everglades protects over 39 threatened or endangered species and is part of the UNESCO Everglades & Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve. The best way to really explore the park is by car, and the closest airport is in Miami.
Everglades Itinerary Day One: Explore the Park on Land
Because we only had two full days to visit and the Everglades is so large and spread out, we concentrated our time in the western & southern “backcountry” areas for this trip. This is where freshwater meets saltwater and you can spot tons of wildlife, including the elusive American Crocodile that can only be seen when you are this far south in the U.S.! The southern part of the park has several very distinct and beautiful areas that were vastly different from one another, each one worth checking out.
Start at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center is located right before the main park entrance and is a short drive from Homestead, Florida. The kids loved seeing all the animals they can find in the park replicated in life-sized form inside the center. David and I enjoyed the rocking chairs on the back deck overlooking a pond! It was a breezy and cool morning, which is rare this far south even in March.
The visitor center is the perfect starting point for your day. Once you have finished up here you will officially enter the park, and pay the entrance fee. Then head south on the scenic drive, a 2-way well maintained road that will take you all the way to the south end of the park in Flamingo.
Having the America the Beautiful National Parks Pass really helped us on this trip! We visited 3 national parks in Florida, some of which we entered twice. The pass paid for itself and then some on one trip! If you are planning on visiting more than 2 parks a year, the pass is definitely worth your investment. At some parks it even saves you time entering the park, as you can bypass the normal lines and drive right in!
Head to Royal Palm
Royal Palm will be the first stop once you enter the park from the after the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, and it was one of our favorite parts. Here you will find the Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo Trails, each well maintained but both very different from each other. And the trails are short enough to easily do both!
Anhinga Trail
The Anhinga Trail was where we spotted our first alligator in the park. And then we just kept seeing them, all the way up until one was sleeping half on the trail! We also saw turtles, huge fish, and- you guessed it!- tons of birds including anhinga. The trail is mostly boardwalks and is less than a mile total, but it took us a while due to all the stopping and animal watching.
Gumbo Limbo Trail
Next is the half mile Gumbo Limbo trail, which looks intriguing right from the start. The trail begins directly next to the parking area, and instantly you are transformed into a rainforest of trees. They refer to it as a “dense tropical hammock”, and it is cool and quiet inside. We were told that this is where the cougars and deer like to roam, but you most likely won’t see one. We did see intricate root systems and really neat tree snails!
Drive to the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook
From the Royal Palm area, head south on the scenic drive to the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook. This 0.2 mile boardwalk trail shows you why the Everglades is called the “River of Grass”. You can see nothing but tall grass for miles that moves in the breeze like water. It was a great place to stop for a few minutes before continuing on the scenic drive.
Mahogany Hammock Trail
Your next stop on the scenic drive is the Mahogany Hammock Trail. Take a 0.4 mile walk through a jungle-like forest. This is another easy trail that again shows the great diversity of this huge park.
End at the Flamingo Visitor Center and Marina
This is the southernmost point of the park and the best area to watch a sunset, hands down. If you are renting kayaks or canoes, this is also a great place to explore the mangroves or the Florida Bay. Sometimes you can see manatees and other wildlife right at the marina. We watched an osprey family catch a fish and bring it to the nest right from the dock!
The visitor center is small, they are still rebuilding after Hurricane Irma ripped through South Florida. Coming soon (late 2022) there will be a giant lodge containing suites with kitchenettes and balconies overlooking the Florida Bay. The lodge will also have a restaurant and bar, but right now the marina has a food truck called the Weeki Tiki.
We can’t stop raving about the awesome portable GPS navigation we brought on this trip! It really saved the day when we found ourselves deep in the Everglades with no cell phone service. But the best part? You can search for anything your heart desires and it will show you the way. For us, all we had to do was type in “Anhinga Trail” to get directions and even read Trip Advisor reviews. We highly recommend this affordable and easy-to-pack GPS device to all you fellow travelers out there. It will make your journeys a breeze!
Day Two: Get on the Water
Whether you take an airboat ride, a guided boat tour, or rent canoes and kayaks, seeing the Everglades by water is a must to really explore the park. Flamingo Adventures/ Everglades Florida Adventures is the only company that rents kayaks, canoes, and boats inside the park.
Everglades Boat Tours
There are pontoon boat tours that take you on a 90 minute guided expedition of the park’s waterways: in Flamingo they tour the Florida Bay or the Backcountry, on the other side of the park in Everglades City they do tours through the Ten Thousand Islands. You can also rent a houseboat in Flamingo for a few nights for a super unique way to stay the night inside Everglades National Park!
Note: There are no airboat tours beginning inside of Everglades National Park. If you do want to take a (super fun!) trip on an airboat choose a place outside of the park to book, there are several authorized companies near the Shark Valley entrance: Coopertown, Gator Park, and Everglades Safari Park.
Kayaking in the Everglades National Park
We rented 2 tandem kayaks online to kick off our second morning in the Everglades, and got on the water right from the marina. When you get your rental vessel of choice you choose either to paddle the “backcountry” going up the canal into Coot Bay (brackish water), or out into the Florida Bay (saltwater). The canal is noted to be easier to paddle, which helped make our choice since we had one adult and one child on each kayak.
However, due to the wind that morning this was not an easy venture! We barely made it out to the bay (about 3 miles) before turning around, and I think the wind kept most of the animals underwater and out of sight. We did see one manatee and giant birds like osprey and herons. On the plus side the wind kept the mosquitoes away! Also paddling through all the mangroves was so beautiful, I felt like I was in another world.
Where to Stay: Camping in the Everglades National Park
There are two main drive-in campgrounds when you enter the park from the Homestead area, Long Pine Key and Flamingo.
Until the Flamingo Lodge is completed, there is no other lodging currently inside the park. The most central place to stay if you aren’t staying inside the park is in Homestead. Click here to see the top hotels in this area on TripAdvisor!
Long Pine Key Campground
The Long Pine Key Campground is located 7 miles from the park entrance in Homestead. It is large, with 108 drive-up sites for tents and RV’s. Each site has a fire pit and there are public restrooms.
Note: There are no electric or water hookups at these sites!
Flamingo Campground
We chose to stay at the Flamingo Campground due to the electric hookups that are available (only on the T-Loop so check before reserving!). The sites were large, not many were shaded though. Not a problem in the winter, could become an issue in the hot summer months! There is a potable water filling station near the public restroom area for your fresh water tanks if you have an RV. Overall we were very impressed with the cleanliness and the solitude of this campground.
On the Florida Bay side at the Flamingo Campground, there are walk-in and group camping sites. Eco-Tents are also available to rent for a true “glamping” experience! There are fire pits, restrooms, and picnic tables scattered throughout the area, and sunsets here are phenomenal.
If you have more time...
If you have a third day or more, be sure to visit the Shark Valley and Gulf Coast areas! Ideally you would spend a day exploring each section of the park. The four main park entrances each offer a unique viewpoint of the Everglades National Park, and it takes about an hour in the car to go between each one- there are no routes through the park connecting all of the entrances.
Approximate driving times:
- Homestead to Gulf Coast Entrance = 1 hr 45 minutes
- Homestead to Shark Valley Entrance = 1 hr
- Homestead to Flamingo = 1 hr
- Flamingo to Shark Valley = 2 hrs
- Flamingo to Gulf Coast = 2 hrs 45 minutes
Shark Valley Visitor Center
Start at the Shark Valley Visitor Center, where you can take a guided tram ride to the Observation Tower. (No, there are no sharks in Shark Valley). If you are more adventurous you can also rent bicycles or bring your own, it is a 15 mile paved trail from the parking lot at the visitor center to the tower and back. There is a water refill station and restroom at the halfway mark. This would be enjoyable in the spring and winter but would probably be extremely hot in the mid-day summer hours so plan accordingly!
If you choose to take the tram, be sure to get your tickets in advance as they do have limited seating and sell out almost daily. There are two short boardwalk trails located directly off the tram trail you can check out when you are here!
Note: If you want to book an airboat ride, this is the closest park entrance to the rental companies we mentioned above.
Gulf Coast Visitor Center
Located just south of Naples in Everglades City, this park entrance is known as the gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands. There is a marina and boat launch near the visitor center, with canoe/ kayak/ boat rentals and tours. The original Gulf Coast Visitor Center was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in September of 2017 and a temporary visitor station is now open.
Ten Thousand Islands is a maze of mangrove islands and waterways that extends to Flamingo and Florida Bay, and is accessible only by boat. The easiest way to explore the area is with the guided boat tour. If you would rather explore on your own, follow the PVC “trail” so you don’t get lost amidst all the mangrove islands! For more information about this area, check out this article “5 Ways to Explore Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands“.
Itinerary for one full day in the Everglades
It is really hard to see everything a national park has to offer in one day since the Everglades is such a massive park. But sometimes that is all the time you have. We’ve done day trips through Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, and we spent one day in Death Valley on an epic California road trip. The key is to start early, and plan for a day full of driving. Also there aren’t many food options in between the stops, so if you have a cooler and can pack a lunch it saves you time!
Here is the itinerary we would suggest if you have one full day to spend in the Everglades:
- Start at the Shark Valley Visitor Center and take the first tram out to the observation tower. Plan on spending about 2 hours in Shark Valley.
- After the tour, drive one hour to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. Spend a few minutes here, grab a park map and use the facilities if necessary. There are picnic tables placed around the visitor center if you want to have a quick lunch! (Royal Palm is the next stop, and has bathrooms and a small shop as well.) Then begin on the 38 mile scenic drive towards Flamingo.
- Next stop is Royal Palm, explore the Anhinga and Gumbo Limbo Trails.
- Drive to the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook and stop for a snack with a great view!
- Finally, head to Flamingo. Watch the animals around the marina like manatees, crocodiles, and osprey. Depending on time, the last boat tours leave at 4PM. And if you are still here for sunset, you are in for a treat!
Hiking Trails in the Everglades National Park
There are several short (under 1 mile) boardwalk trails scattered throughout Everglades National Park, each with multiple “overlooks” meant for taking your time and viewing the beautiful trees, lakes, ponds, and wildlife around you. You can spend as little or as much time as you want in these spots, each is equipped with benches and some even with shade structures. We mentioned our favorites above, you don’t want to miss these!
Some of the longer trails are not maintained by the National Park Service due to protecting the habitats of endangered species, such as Long Pine Key Trail (15 miles) and Coastal Prairie Trail (17 miles). Snake Bight Trail falls in the middle at 3.6 miles. Side note, “bight” is another word for a bay within a larger bay, so don’t let the name scare you off!
Tips and What to Pack When Visiting the Everglades
- Make sure you have a good GPS, as parts of the park have zero cell service. We use this Garmin GPS on every road trip and it has been amazing! You can type in any destination or landmark and it will give you directions and even TripAdvisor reviews. We don’t travel without it!
- Pack a cooler before you head into the park. Stock it with ice, waters, and cold drinks for the day because amenities are few and far between. This one is great for road trips and stays cold for 4 days!
- Wear sunscreen, and remember to reapply. The sun is super strong down in south Florida, and you will sweat more than you think. We love this one because it is reef friendly and zinc based- no more chemicals!
- Wear UPF clothing, and a good hat. This helps with the sun and with the bugs!
- I brought a UPF car blanket like this one that really helped keep the sun off my legs during the day.
- Pack some sandwiches in your cooler and snacks for the car. Then you can eat whenever and wherever you want.
- Fill up your gas tank before you enter the park. Because of the lack of cell phone service and extreme heat in the summer, you don’t want to risk running out of gas. If you need to refill there is a gas station at the Flamingo Marina for boats and vehicles..
- I can’t say this enough: hydrate hydrate hydrate! Here is our absolute favorite travel mug. It stays cold all day, holds 40 ounces of liquids, comes in over 10 colors, AND fits in our cup holders!
- Bring good bug spray, and citronella candles or tiki torches if you are camping.
The Best Time to Visit the Everglades
The best time to visit the Everglades is from December through March. This is after hurricane season in south Florida, and before it starts to get too hot. We lucked out when we camped mid-March for the kids’ spring break, it was cool enough at night for a campfire and long pants, but warm enough during the day to kayak. And there were no bugs, not a single bite! We were prepared with two kinds of bug spray (All-Natural and one with DEET), citronella candles, and this mosquito repellant lantern. But because it was cool and breezy at night bugs were not an issue. Hallelujah!
Florida in early spring is perfection. It is also the busiest time to visit the park, so plan ahead! We booked our campsites months in advance, and by the time we had decided on different boat and tram tours they were mostly sold out. So once you know what you want to do in the Everglades, go ahead and book it!
We’re hopeful we have inspired you to consider adding Everglades National Park to your itinerary. Make sure to sign up below to receive our monthly emails, highlighting our latest adventures!
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“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them.”
– Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Happy travels!
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I’ve only been to Florida once and it was when I was very young, so I don’t remember much. However, I have always thought that Florida in general and the Everglades was a place I would love to visit again now that I would actually remember the trip. I love your Everglades National Park itinerary and will have to look into planning my own trip there one of these days.
You should definitely plan a trip down here again!
I love the white sands, but not the alligators.
Looks like an amazing trip and a wonderful Everglades National Park Itinerary. I would love to visit here one day.
Simply stunning! Adding this to my bucket list!
This area looks absolutely stunning, I have to say the alligators look a bit menacing but no more than our crocodiles in the Daintree… What a fantastic visit and now on our DO list for Florida…
I want to go!!!! Thanks for this in-depth post on the Everglades, I have always wanted to go, this place is just so unusual and a must-see for me.
I miss Florida so much! I remember being on a tour coach when suddenly the driver slowed to make us aware of the alligator chasing a large bird right on the road! So wild and something I’ve never seen before, like watching a documentary being filmed (I have the moment on camera, too!) There is so much diversity where you live; I hope you have a chance to go out often and make the most of it! Besides, it is educational for little ones and adults alike. It is one thing to read about nature in books and much better experience it!
What a coincident. I just visit a mangrove jungle last week. Would love to visit America’s National Parks some day.
This looks like such a fun trip! One of our goals is to get to the Everglades this year, so I’m happy I have this post to refer too.
I hope you do get to visit, we were very impressed!
What a fabulous area! I looove the look of those trees on the gumbo limbo trails… but the best thing has to be the possibility of seeing manatees, crocodiles, and osprey! I would be sooo excited by the wildlife!
Love the everglades! Air boat rides and seeing alligators are so much fun! I’ll have to try kayaking next time. Great pictures and information!
oh gosh that monitor lizard made me do a double take! bet it was quite an eventful moment chancing upon that lil fella for you guys as well! 😅
Thanks so much! I’ve been as a kid and am planning a trip back and this helped to refresh my memory on what I want to go back to see.