Anhinga Trail, Florida, United States

5Allen T 5:00 PM Feb 5, 2023

Boardwalk provides a different perspective on the Everglades
We had enjoyed the excellent Shark Valley Tram Tour a few years ago, and visited here to see what it offered. Good timing let us take a ranger-led walk along this short boardwalk trail. The first visit was so good, we came back with friends a week later. We saw perhaps a dozen alligators and countless herons (great blue, little blue, probably some white), egrets (great, snowy), cormorants, anhingas, ibises, and others. But what really set this apart was being able to look down into the remarkably clear "river of grass" to see the fish, turtles, plants, etc. One of the highlights was watching a turtle wrestle to bring a yellow flower down to water level so it could have a tasty snack. Another highlight was watching a cloud of hundreds of vultures soar on the thermal currents.

5tropicalsquaw 5:00 PM Feb 19, 2023

Enhanced access to the river of grass:
This was a spectacular spot to end our day. Sunset brought owl hoots, alligator sightings, great blue heron, sunlit bromeliad in bloom, marsh hens walking on the lily pads, cormorants were all over the place. Pairs of anhinga were delightfully perched. Schools of fish were visible in the pristine waters. The boardwalks were well maintained, wide enough to walk beside each other with occasional benches. One of the favorite places for viewing the habitat. A ranger walk was available at night, would have loved to do that as well, but our time was limited.