All National Parks in the United States have their own unique charms, however several of them are actually quite similar. Death Valley National Park, Zion National Park, and the Grand Canyon National Park all feature expansive arid landscapes and incredible rock formations. Similarly, Rocky Mountain National Park, North Cascades National Park, and Glacier National Park all have alpine vegetation, and stunning mountain slopes blanketed in snow. In a sense, this makes the Everglades National Park unlike every other National Park as it is the largest tropical wilderness in North America, and the only American National Park that consists almost entirely of wetland. Additionally, it is the home to wildlife that is almost impossible to observe anywhere else. Several entrances to the are relatively close to Miami, making this park very accessible to international travelers.

A Great Egret near and entrance to the Everglades National Park.

The most popular entrance to the Everglades National Park is the Shark Valley Visitor Center, located along the Tamiami Trail that links South Florida with Tampa. Shark Valley is a slough, which is a type of slow moving, shallow body of water that is typically dominated by sawgrass meadows. The most well-known attraction in this part of the Everglades is the Shark Valley Observation Tower, and the fifteen mile road that connects the tower to the park entrance. The tower offers expansive views in every direction while the road is among the best places in the park to see alligators basking in the sun. These alligators are very active, often crossing the road, or eating prey like pythons and turtles. Some of them are several years old, but there are also many juvenile alligators with their characteristic yellow stripes along their bodies.

A baby Alligator basking in the Sun.

Several species of water birds are also very common. The anhinga or snake bird can often be found perched on branches over the water, with its wings spread so that their feathers can dry out. Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets are also very common, and can be seen actively hunting fish and flying. Slightly less common in this part of the park are white ibis, wood storks, and roseate spoonbills, but they’re not rare and park rangers can usually offer advice on sighting them.

Great Blue Heron.

There are tram tours to the Shark Valley Observation Tower, but it is also possible to bike to the tower. Each method of transport comes with different benefits and downsides, for example, the tram tour is guided by park rangers, and much easier than cycling fifteen miles in the sun, but it is on a fixed schedule with less time spent at the tower. Near the visitors center, there are also several walking trails that meander through sawgrass meadows, and tropical hardwood forests. For park visitors who take the tram, it’s advisable to walk a section of the road, as well as these walking trails in order to leisurely observe some wildlife after the guided tram tour.

View from the Shark Valley Observation Tower.

The other major entrance to the park is at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center which is roughly the same distance from Key Largo as it is from Miami, making it ideal for anyone interested in visiting the Everglades as well as the Florida Keys. In the mid-nineteenth century, surveyors realized that the largest stand of royal palm trees in all of Florida could be found in this area, and it was designated as the first state park in Florida, ultimately becoming the nucleus of the Everglades National Park. In addition to the stately palm trees, this area includes the largest expanse of pineland forest in the entire National Park, as well as sloughs, hardwood hammock forests, and cypress groves. The variety of habitats make this area near Homestead ideal for birdwatching, and luckily there are guided tours offered almost every day and trails that venture into each of these unique habitats.

Royal Palm Visitor Center seen from the Anhinga Trail at Everglades National Park

From here, it is a long scenic drive towards the Flamingo Visitor Center located along the coast of Florida Bay. Over the course of the drive, the scenery shifts from Cypress forests and sawgrass prairies to saltwater marshland, and eventually mangrove swamp. The most popular activities here are on the water, and there are boat tours, kayak rentals, and various other marina services. The wildlife here is also very different from the more inland areas of the Everglades. Pelicans and ospreys are plentiful, and can be spotted diving into the water to hunt fish. Instead of alligators, crocodiles can occasionally be found swimming in the distance while West Indian Manatees swim near to the docks as they feed on the plentiful seagrass growing there. Both of these animals can tolerate saltwater, and prefer the warmer tropical temperatures so they rarely venture to the more northern areas of the Everglades.

Flamingo Visitor Center

This part of the Everglades is among the best places to watch a sunset and stargaze since there is little obstruction as the sun slips towards the ocean, and there is virtually no light pollution to obscure the night sky. It’s the perfect way to end an incredible day at the Everglades National Park.