At a glance
The short version
- Guide type
- Real Life Locations
- Read time
- 8 min read
- Last updated
- Nov 12, 2026
Quick answer
5-million-acre wetland in southern Florida, about an hour's drive from Miami, and the dry season from November to April is the time to go.
Guide details
| Item | What to know |
|---|---|
Where | Everglades National Park, southern Florida, about 40 miles southwest of Miami |
Best time | November to April (dry season); December to January for the most concentrated wildlife |
How long | One full day for the Homestead to Flamingo road; a second morning for Shark Valley |
Difficulty | Easy; flat boardwalks and paved paths, the longest walk below is under a mile |
Tickets | $35 per private vehicle for 7 days; $30 motorcycle; $20 per person on foot or by bicycle (16 and over); under 15 free. Non-US residents 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person unless admitted with an annual pass. No reservation for entry. Cashless |
Nearest airport | Miami International (MIA), about 1 hour to the Homestead entrance |
Prices checked | 12 November 2026 |
Why it looks like this
The Everglades is not a swamp. It is a river — a sheet of water up to 60 miles wide that creeps south from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay, so slowly it looks still. Marjory Stoneman Douglas called it the River of Grass in 1947, and the name stuck, because the water moves through sawgrass, not between banks. The park protects 1.5 million acres of it, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The ground is almost perfectly flat — the whole park rises only a few feet above sea level — so a change of a few inches in water level decides what grows where. Sawgrass prairie covers the wettest ground. Slightly higher ground grows tropical hardwood hammock, dense islands of mahogany and gumbo limbo trees. The coast turns to mangrove forest and then open bay. Walk the boardwalks and you cross all three in a morning.
The animals follow the water. In the dry season the marshes shrink, fish and wading birds crowd into the remaining ponds and canals, and alligators gather along the trails. That is why winter is the season for wildlife, not summer. The Everglades is the only place on Earth where alligators and American crocodiles live side by side, and more than 350 bird species have been recorded here, from roseate spoonbills to wood storks.
What order to see it in
The park has three entrances and no road inside it links them, so one day covers one side. The Homestead entrance, with the 38-mile road down to Flamingo, is the fullest day. Shark Valley, off the Tamiami Trail, is a separate half day — see the note at the end of this section.
Anhinga Trail at dawn — Royal Palm, 4 miles from the Homestead entrance. A 0.8-mile boardwalk over a sawgrass pond, and the most reliable place in the park to see alligators and wading birds in winter. Anhingas dry their wings on the rails, herons stalk the shallows, and alligators lie on the banks a few feet from the boards. Go early: the light is low, the birds are feeding, and the tour groups have not arrived yet.
Gumbo Limbo Trail — A 0.4-mile paved loop through tropical hardwood hammock, five minutes from the Anhinga Trail. The trees close overhead, the air turns cool, and gumbo limbo trunks peel in red-brown sheets. It is the fastest way to see what the Everglades looks like when the sawgrass stops.
Pa-hay-okee Overlook — A short boardwalk and a low observation tower halfway down the main park road. From the top, the sawgrass runs to the horizon in every direction, broken only by tree islands. This is the view that explains the River of Grass better than any map.
Mahogany Hammock — A 0.5-mile boardwalk through the largest tropical hardwood hammock in the park, with mahogany trees and air plants overhead. Listen for the birds that stay in the shade while the prairie bakes, and look for the largest living mahogany in the United States.
Nine Mile Pond — A 5.2-mile marked canoe trail through the sawgrass, with rentals at Flamingo if you do not bring your own boat. Paddling puts you at water level, where the herons feed and the alligators slide off the banks. Allow two to three hours, and go in the morning before the wind picks up.
Flamingo at the end of the road — 38 miles from the entrance, where the road ends at Florida Bay. Take the 90-minute boat tour into the backcountry or out on the bay, about $50 per adult — this is the best chance of seeing manatees and American crocodiles, and the only reliable place in the park to see both in one trip. Stay for sunset over the bay, then drive back in the dark: deer and raccoons cross the road after dusk.
Shark Valley, second morning — If you have a second morning, drive the Tamiami Trail to Shark Valley, about 45 minutes from Miami. The 15-mile paved loop is closed to private cars. Take the two-hour narrated tram, about $35 per adult, or rent a bike, and climb the 65-foot observation tower halfway round for the widest view of the sawgrass in the park. Reservations are strongly recommended from November to April; check current rates at sharkvalleytramtours.com.
Best time to go, and what not to do
November to April is the dry season, and the Park Service says so plainly. The dry-season page, updated 13 October 2026, calls these the most popular months: temperatures are lower, mosquitoes drop off, and wildlife is abundant. Average highs run about 77°F (25°C) and lows about 53°F (11°C). December and January are the months when the wildlife is most concentrated, as the water reaches its lowest.
Summer, May to October, is the wet season: hot, humid, with afternoon thunderstorms most days and mosquitoes at their worst. The water is high, so the wildlife spreads out across the marsh and is harder to find. Winter is the season to plan around, and the park is at its busiest then — book the tram and the boat tour ahead, and start early.
Do not expect airboats inside the park. Airboats do not operate inside Everglades National Park; they run on private land outside it, along the Tamiami Trail. The park itself is quiet — tram, bike, boat, and foot only.
Do not walk up to alligators. They look slow and they are not. Stay on the boardwalks, keep a clear distance, and never feed any animal — it is illegal, and a fed alligator is a dangerous one.
Do not skip mosquito protection. The dry season cuts the mosquitoes back, but the Park Service still warns about dawn and dusk: bring repellent and a head net for the early morning on the trails.
Do not drive the park road at night without watching for wildlife. The 38-mile road to Flamingo crosses deer, raccoon, and possum country after dark, and the drive back takes over an hour — leave Flamingo with fuel and daylight to spare, or drive slowly.
Practical information
Fly into Miami International Airport and rent a car — there is no public transport into the park, and the three entrances do not connect inside it. Shark Valley is about 45 minutes from the airport, the Homestead entrance about an hour, and the Gulf Coast entrance at Everglades City about 2 hours 15 minutes. The park's main entrance at Homestead is open 24 hours; the Shark Valley gate opens 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; visitor centers keep daytime hours in the dry season, generally 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
A private vehicle pays $35 for seven days, a motorcycle $30, and anyone arriving on foot or by bicycle aged 16 or over pays $20. Children 15 and younger enter free. Since 1 January 2026, non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person, unless admitted with an annual pass. The park does not take cash — bring a card or buy a digital pass in advance. No reservation is needed to enter, but the Flamingo campground requires reservations from 20 November to 15 April.
Bring sunscreen, a hat, and insect repellent, and wear closed shoes with grip for the boardwalks — they are slippery when wet. Pack a warm layer: a cold front can drop the temperature close to freezing overnight, even in the dry season. Binoculars are the one piece of gear that changes the day: most of the birds are across the water, not beside the boardwalk. With a second day, drive to the Gulf Coast entrance at Everglades City and take the 90-minute Ten Thousand Islands boat tour through the mangrove islands.
Gear to bring
The Everglades is a wet place, and the one thing you will use all day is something to keep your gear dry. A dry bag rides in the canoe at Nine Mile Pond, on the boat at Flamingo, and in the car between boardwalks — phone, keys, and camera stay dry through rain, spray, and a wet boardwalk.
Bottom line: the Everglades rewards a simple plan — one day, a car, and an early start. Dawn on the Anhinga Trail, the sawgrass horizon from Pa-hay-okee, the slow drive to Flamingo, and sunset on Florida Bay. November to April is the window — the water is low, the birds are close, and the park is at its most walkable.