Visiting Everglades National Park
Visiting Everglades National Park is an experience unlike anything else on the planet. Why? There is only one Everglades! It’s a vast expanse of nature and rare ecosystems and wildlife like no other on Earth. Have you visited yet? What are you waiting for!!! Oh, you’re waiting for good weather so it’s not too hot, not too rainy and no mosquitoes? Smart!
If you get the chance to visit the Everglades, you’ll need to prepare ahead of time. There are multiple locations to enter into the park, lots of trails and locations for paddling and birdwatching. There are campgrounds and multiple visitor centers, along with guided tours and educational programs available. Our favorite spot to enter is from the south end of Miami at the main Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center.
Everglades National Park Visitor Centers
There are five visitors centers that sit at the various entrances to Everglades National Park. These entrances into the park spread from the east coast to the west, and from central Miami to the end of the contiguous United States.
The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center is the main, largest visitor center, which is located in south Miami-Dade County (nearest to the City of Homestead).
Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center in Miami-Dade County
Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center is the largest, main Everglades Visitor Center. It’s free to enter, and located just before the main Everglades entrance. Once you go past the visitor center, there is a guarded entrance with park rangers that will charge $35 per vehicle and answer most any question you can think of.
This main visitor center is open every day of the year. There is plenty of parking, and friendly to RVs. The restroom facilities are normally clean. The building itself is very nice with a gift shop and museum-quality displays representing all the various wildlife and ecosystems that live inside Everglades National Park. There’s a short video presentation available to watch, maps and even a porch out back where you can often see alligators swimming around or basking in the sun.
Preparing to Visit the Park
The main road from the entrance (from South Miami/Homestead) to the end (Flamingo Visitor Center) is paved. If you enjoy bike rides, it takes a couple of hours but the ride is pretty amazing and there are lots of places to stop along the way. You can park at the Visitor’s Center and ride in.
For vehicles, make sure you have gas because it’s a lot of miles from the north end to the south without a gas station!
Bring mosquito repellent and water. And make sure to pick up a map from the Visitor’s Center. There are parts of the park where you won’t have a signal, which means no GPS to show you which way to go.
First stop: Royal Palm Visitor Center
Royal Palm Visitor Center
Royal Palm Visitor Center is our favorite stop in the park, and comes up quick. After entering the park and about four miles in, a very small sign and a left hand turn will appear. It’s easy to miss if your driving fast, so watch closely for the small sign (and don’t speed, really, we’ve seen bears and deer crossing the main road and you’d feel horrible if you hit one)!
This spot has plenty of parking. It’s got a building with vending machines and picnic tables, and a small gift shop with frozen bananas and maps. There are restroom facilities and some shelter in case you get there when it’s raining or crazy hot.
You are GUARANTEED lots of great photo taking opportunities. Be prepared! There are two trails here: Anhinga Trail and Gumbo Limbo Trail.
Anhinga Trail
Anhinga Trail starts here and is a paved .8 mile loop into the sawgrass marsh. You’re almost guaranteed to see alligators here (sometimes lots, up close and even on the trail!). The paved trail extends into a long circular boardwalk which extends even further over the water and marsh for even more wildlife viewing up close. You’ll also see turtles and birds, water lilies and fish.
Anhinga Trail Boardwalk Loop
Extending past the paved Anhinga Trail is a loop boardwalk that extends even further out into the marsh. It sits a couple of feet above the water and winds through a watery habitat filled with turtles and fish.
There are alligators all over, just be patient and keep watching. Most often the gators are sunning themselves on a water bank or big rock but watch the water… they are there!
Gumbo Limbo Trail
The second trail (less popular than Anhinga) in Royal Palm is the Gumbo Limbo Trail. It’s also self-guided. It’s shaded and winds through a jungle-like hardwood hammock ecosystem so you aren’t likely to encounter gators on this trail, though anything’s possible in the Everglades! There’s lots of plant life and birds, including owls.
Mahogany Hammock Trail
At this point, you’ve walked a lot and seen alligators. Do you still want to venture further into Everglades National Park? Most people visit Royal Palm, walk the Anhinga Trail, see a couple of alligators and are happy and ready to leave Everglades National Park. You?
If you want to keep going, there are plenty of viewpoints (scenic stops), more boardwalk trails plus ponds, lakes and campsites. Our second favorite spot for finding alligators is Mahogany Hammock Trail. It’s a boardwalk, some shade but not most. It’s an amazing spot of the Everglades to see alligators up close and lots of other wildlife, depending on the time of day, time of year and weather.
And at the very end of the main road, and the very end of the continental United States… is Flamingo Visitor Center. It’s got a marina with boat ramps and kayak rentals. There’s a small store with food, bait and tackle and gifts. There’s fuel for boats and vehicles. And you can get fishing permits here as well. There’s wilderness and a few glamping eco tents, and trails.
Flamingo and the surrounding area is often regarded as one of the very best spots on planet earth. Not many people venture here, or can handle the heat and mosquitoes. But if you’re adventurous, a lover of nature and not soft… you will love Everglades National Park and where Main Road takes you.
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