12 things to know before visiting Everglades National Park

27.03.2024 - 11:43 / lonelyplanet.com / National Park

Around an hour's drive from Miami on Florida's southern tip, Everglades National Park offers 1.5 million acres of natural wonder. Covering an area the size of Rhode Island, this complex and vital ecosystem of wetlands, swamps, mangroves and forests is North America's biggest protected sub-tropical wilderness reserve.

Teeming with wildlife such as alligators, crocodiles, manatees and birds, the park is laced with hiking and biking trails, dotted with campsites and has waterways navigable by kayak, canoe and boat. On any given day, you can hear airboats whizzing by, wading birds splashing about and fishing rods whirling in the wind as they're cast. In the park's more silent and serene nooks, you're likely to hear nothing at all.

Amid the awe, however, there are plenty of ways to get the most out of your trip here. Having lived nearby for nearly a decade, guiding friends and families deep into the Everglades, I've gotten to know a few dos and don'ts, tricks and tips. Here's everything you need to know before you visit Everglades National Park.

There's a joke in South Florida from the fall through early spring (October–March): the leaves don't change, but the colors of the car license plates do. That's because while the rest of the Eastern USA is freezing, Florida remains warm, so travelers – known locally as snowbirds – migrate down here for the cooler months. Expect the Everglades National Park to be particularly busy during this time.

The best way to avoid the crowds in the Everglades is to get up early during the summer months (June–August) and visit in the morning. Note that the park is often muggy by noon, and temperatures regularly reach at least 90°F (32°C).

The Everglades only has four entrances . Two are in Homestead: the Flamingo Visitor Center, which is a gateway to an extensive network of canoeing facilities; and the Royal Palm, which is primed for walking adventures. The latter also has several paved and well-packed dirt trails nearby. 

The other two entry points are found west of Miami. Shark Valley is the busiest and is known for its gator-surrounded, 15-mile bike trail; the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City, meanwhile, attracts fewer people. It is primarily a gateway for boating and exploring the nearby series of mangrove islands. Depending on where you are traveling from in Florida and the traffic levels, it can take hours to drive between each park entrance, so plan wisely.

Airboats – flat-bottomed watercraft with giant fan propellers at the back – aren't just kitschy tourist vehicles for gawking at gators. They are actually vital in delicately navigating the wet prairies, both in terms of helping preserve the vegetation and avoiding debris that would otherwise damage a