Everglades National Park in One Day (9 Amazing Things You Can’t Miss)

Everglades National Park is massive, over 1.5 million acres, and has three main entrances, each hours apart.

You can enter through the Main Entrance if you’re coming from Homestead or Miami, Shark Valley if you’re coming from Miami, or the Gulf Coast near Everglades City. There’s no “best” entrance; it all depends on where you’re coming from. For this guide, we’re starting at the Main Entrance.

There’s no public transportation in the Everglades. The simplest way to explore is by car, which gives you the freedom to stop wherever you want.

Tours are another great option, especially if you want a guide who knows the best spots for wildlife. My choice would be to check out the Everglades National Park Biologist Led Adventure: Cruise, Hike + Airboat.

All visitors pay an entrance fee, which is good for seven days. You can buy passes online before you go or at the park entrances. A private vehicle costs $30, motorcycles $25, and pedestrians, cyclists, or paddle-crafters $15. Digital passes or credit cards are preferred at all fee stations.

If you’re visiting from Miami or Homestead, staying in Homestead makes a lot of sense.

The Courtyard by Marriott Miami Homestead has clean, comfortable rooms with a fridge and microwave, and breakfast is available. If that’s booked, the Hilton Garden Inn Homestead is a solid backup.

The Everglades is one of the largest wetlands in the world, but it’s really a slow-moving river flowing south from Lake Okeechobee. The park has a mix of habitats, from mangroves and sawgrass prairies to freshwater sloughs and pine rocklands.

Wildlife is incredible here—manatees, alligators, American crocodiles, and even the elusive Florida panther call this place home. Birdwatchers will love it too; more than 360 species spend the winter in the Everglades, including the stunning roseate spoonbill.

GOOD TO KNOW: It’s the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live side by side.

South Florida has two seasons.

The wet season, from May to November, is hot, humid, and full of afternoon thunderstorms. Wildlife is harder to spot, and mosquitoes are everywhere.

The dry season, from November to April, is much milder with low humidity. Animals gather around remaining water holes, making wildlife viewing easier. Birdwatchers especially love this season, and mosquitoes are much less of a problem.

The following map shows the first section of the park you will be visiting. It covers 8 stops. Use it to get a sense of distances, see how the highlights connect, and stay on track as you explore the park.

The second section of the park covers Shark Valley, and we will talk about it during stop number 9.

The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center is the perfect place to start a one-day visit to Everglades National Park. Inside, you’ll find educational displays that introduce you to the park and its wildlife.

Stop by the information desk to check on trail conditions, get tips from the Rangers, and pick up maps or brochures. There’s also a short movie about the Everglades that gives a great overview.

Once you’re ready to explore, drive to the Park Entrance Station. This is where you officially enter Everglades National Park.

The first stop that you want to make is at the Royal Palm Information Station. There are restrooms here, vending machines, and a small bookstore.

There are two trailheads for two short trails: the Anhinga Trail, named after a bird, and the Gumbo Limbo Trail, named after a tree. As you might expect, the Gumbo Limbo Trail focuses on the trees and vegetation in the area, and the Anhinga Trail is all about animals.

Following is the map to help you navigate:

Start your hike with the Anhinga Trail, which is about 0.8 miles round-trip. The Anhinga Trail was named after the waterbird Anhinga.

The Anhinga is a striking bird with some unusual nicknames. Its long, snakelike neck has earned it the name “snake bird,” while its tail, shaped like a turkey’s, has led people to call it a “water turkey.”

Unlike most waterbirds, the Anhinga doesn’t have waterproof feathers. That might seem like a disadvantage, but it actually helps the bird. Its wet feathers and dense bones allow it to slowly sink beneath the water. The Anhinga can often be seen perched along the edges of lakes and ponds, stretching its wings to dry in the sun.

Next, take the Gumbo Limbo Trail (named after the tree). It is an easy trail with no elevation change that is about 0.4 miles round trip.

The trail weaves through tropical hardwood trees in a hammock. Just so you know, a hammock is a term for stands of trees, usually, hardwood, that grow on elevated areas, often just a few inches high, surrounded by wetlands.

Now, make sure you identify the gumbo limbo trees as you are hiking. The gumbo limbo trees are big and beautiful, with showy red bark and interesting branches low to the ground.

The gumbo limbo trees develop unusual red bark that peels back – reminiscent of sunburned skin – which gives gumbo limbo the nickname of “Tourist Tree.”

Next, head to the Nike Missile Base.

Everglades National Park houses one of the best-preserved relics of the Cold War in Florida, a historic Nike Hercules missile site called “Alpha Battery” or “HM69”. It is really interesting to see the base, and a missile, and learn about the individuals posted here during the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

You can visit the site most days between early December and late March. There is an open house program, as well as Ranger-guided tours. Make sure to check with the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center for scheduled programs at the site.

The next stop in Everglades National Park is Pineland Trail. Pineland Trailhead is located 6.6 miles (11-minute drive) from Ernest E. Coe Visitor Center.

Following is the map of the trail:

The trail is a 0.4 miles paved loop that meanders through one of the most varied habitats in the park ranging from cactus on high ground to the jungle tangle at the edge of the hammock.

Many educational displays along the trail provide invaluable insight into this diverse habitat.

The trail starts with lined rows of saw palmetto and the Coontie.

Did you know that saw palmetto possesses special characteristics which make them resistant to wildfire, which is a regular threat in this area? Saw palmetto plants wrap their buds in a protective tissue that shields them from fire and allows for easy rebirth.

Similarly, the Coontie, a fern-like under-plant, grows deep root systems that enable quick sprouting after a fire. The pine trees themselves have special bark which takes the brunt of the fire, leaving their undersides healthy to re-grow.

In the distance, you will see Slash Pines. The Slash Pine forests used to extend up the Atlantic coast of Florida. However, due to heavy logging, today the 20,000 acres of Everglades pineland forest is now the most endangered pine community in North America and represents virtually all that is left of this habitat.

The Slash Pines’ special bark takes the brunt of the fire, leaving their undersides healthy to re-grow.

Be on the lookout for solution holes! These are pits in karst that formed when the sea level and the water table were lower than the present levels.

Solution holes provide winter (dry-season) refuge for aquatic animals and are a repopulation source for species upon reflooding of the marsh during summer (wet season).

Pa-hay-okee Trail and Lookout Tower are located 13 miles from the main park entrance.

The trail is an easy hike/walk along an elevated boardwalk about 0.16 miles round trip ending with a lookout tower that offers sweeping vistas of the Everglades river of grass.

Did you know that Pa-hay-okee is a Seminole word meaning grassy waters and this land has long been inhabited by American Indians?

The trail starts on a boardwalk lined with Magnolia trees. Then it opens up to Bald Cypress Forest. The Bald Cypress Trees are tall deciduous trees with needle-like leaves and distinctive “knees” that rise from the soil or water around them.

Do not miss interpretive signs explaining the ecology of the Shark River Slough. The slough is an 8-mile wide sheet of slowly moving water. It flows southwest towards the Gulf of Mexico and is the central support system of the Everglades.

Mahogany Hammock Trailhead is located 20 miles from the park entrance. It is an easy boardwalk trail about 0.5 miles long (loop).

The trail meanders through a dense, jungle-like hardwood “hammock.” Lush vegetation includes gumbo-limbo trees, air plants, and the largest living mahogany tree (Swietenia mahogani) in the United States.

Mahogany Hammock is surrounded on all sides by wetlands, making it an island of sorts.

In either direction, you will see stately ancient mahogany trees, peeling gumbo-limbo, and strange-looking strangler figs.

The West Lake Trail wanders through a forest of white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa), black mangrove (Avicennia nitida), red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), and buttonwood (Conocarpus erectus) trees to the edge of West Lake.

The trail is a boardwalk that is 0.5 miles in length round trip. It begins by going through the mangrove forest. You will see bromeliads and giant leather ferns.

Continue hiking along the boardwalk until you reach a T-intersection, this begins the lollipop portion of the loop. Eventually, you will reach the shores of West Lake.

Be on the lookout for waterfowl, alligators, and American crocodiles that call this lake home. Eventually, the boardwalk returns to the shade of the mangrove forest, completing the loop.

There is a lot to do at the Flamingo Visitor Center.

First of all, you should check out Backcountry Boat Tour, which is a 90-minute Everglades Backcountry Tour that departs daily at 11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm. This boat tour ventures up the Buttonwood Canal through Coot Bay and Tarpon Creek into the mouth of Whitewater Bay.

Second, check out Florida Bay Tour, another 90-minute tour that departs daily at 12 noon, 2 pm, and 4:30 pm. Along the way, the naturalist will highlight the unique plant and animal life the Everglades has to offer while outlining the rich history of Flamingo and Everglades National Park. Tickets may be purchased in the Marina Store. Visit www.flamingoeverglades.com or call (239) 695-1095 for more information.

Also, there are kayaks to rent and you can paddle the Buttonwood Canal through the mangrove trees up to Coot Bay.

If you are not interested in any boat tours or kayaking, then take a stroll around the marina. Hands down, it is the best place in the park to see crocodiles and manatees!

However, one of my favorite places that I always go back to is Eco Pond Trail. The trailhead is on the right just past the Flamingo Visitor Center.

Eco Pond Trail is about 0.5 miles round trip easy boardwalk trail that I will ensure you find a wide variety of wading birds, songbirds, ducks, and other wildlife. Alligators and Florida softshell turtles often cruise the pond.

Once you are done exploring the Flamingo area, jump back in your car and head to Shark Valley.

There is no way around it, and you basically will have to drive back to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, which takes about 1 hour.

Next, the drive from the visitor center to Shark Valley is about 50 miles long; however, because you will be going through some residential and industrial areas, the drive will take you about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Following is the map to help you navigate to Shark Valley:

GOOD TO KNOW: If it is getting late and you are running short on time, then my recommendation is to save Shark Valley for another visit and combine it with Scenic Loop Drive in Big Cypress National Preserve!

However, if you are ready to continue, then head to Shark Valley in Everglades National Park. First of all, you should check out Shark Valley Visitor Center. It is small, but the displays are informative and rangers are there to answer all your questions.

Hands down, the highlight of Shark Valley is a 15-mile loop road around the area with a is a raised observation tower at the back of the loop.

You can walk, ride a bike or ride a tram around the loop. My recommendation is to rent a bike; it gives you the flexibility of going at your own pace and stopping and taking pictures. The loop is paved, and you just need to move aside when the tram passes you by.

Bikes may be reserved online; otherwise, it is on a first-come, first-served basis. My recommendation is to make the reservations as soon as you finalise the details of your trip because there is only a limited number of bikes to rent.

If you decide to take the tram, then what you need to know is that it is a two-hour escorted tour by Shark Valley naturalists who will give you an excellent insight into the ecosystem of the wetlands. Again, make your reservations way in advance.

Needless to say, whether you decide to walk, bike, or take the tram, you are guaranteed to see a ton of wildlife!

You will start along a man-made canal and right from the start, you see lots of different birds: blue herons, cormorants, and green herons, just to name a few.

Also, I am sure you will see a ton of alligators and various turtles.

Once you get to the observation tower ahead of you will be a short climb, however, you will be rewarded with awesome views!

PRO TIP: One of the highlights of visiting Everglades National Park is taking an airboat ride. As a part of the restoration project, airboat rides are banned in the park. However, at the northeast corner, near Shark Valley, airboat rides are still permitted.

Several companies work in conjunction with the park. They all pretty much offer the same type of tours. My recommendation is to go with the Florida Everglades Airboat Tour. I liked their tour a lot, and the guide was awesome!