Things to do & places to visit in Everglades National Park, Florida, United States

Water covers nearly the entire Everglades. So it's best if you have a boat.

Everglades National Park national park in Florida, United States. Timezone: America/New_York, current date and time: Saturday, April 27, 2024, 16:58.

Top things to do (16)

Top places to visit (27 attractions)

5.0 Florida Outdoor Adventures - Guided Everglades Kayak Tours (96 reviews)
- Discover the remote islands of SW Florida
Saturday: 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM Kayaking & Canoeing

I am SO grateful for the 5-day kayak tour that Dave led, exactly the way that he led it. All seven of us appreciated Dave's extensive experience, excellent fresh food, and first-rate equipment. Above an beyond them, Dave gave us an element of discovery such as when we approached coves with dolphins, or walked past the cemetery on Fakahatchee Island. He led us to them without introduction, and quietly let us appreciate them for the first time. Many thanks for sharing the remote islands of southwest Florida with us! See more..
5.0 German Tours Everglades LLC (68 reviews)
- Great tour and we don’t speak German!
Eco Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Kayaking & Canoeing

Caren was an excellent guide in the Everglades National Park. I first looked into the tour because my son has a year of high school German under his belt, but the rest of us do not. From the website, I could tell tours are offered in German, English and bilingual. The English tour was awesome! I am so glad we choose the wet walk because it is nothing like anything I’ve done before. Canoeing was memorable too! Five stars. We learned so much about the area, so much more than on our own. Thanks German Tours for a great experience. See more..
5.0 Slough Slog (21 reviews)
- Wow!
Bodies of Water

This 100-mile long river is actually the Everglades. See more..
4.5 Shark Valley (2.151 reviews)
- Need a Sunny Day
Saturday: 8:30 AM - 6:00 PM Biking Trails • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Valleys

Located in the Everglades, this trail is a great way to explore the Florida landscape. See more..
4.5 Anhinga Trail (1.441 reviews)
- The Quintessential Everglades Trail
Hiking Trails

A half-mile boardwalk along a man-made canal with striking views. See more..
4.5 Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center (332 reviews)
- Excellent place to see the southern Everglades
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Visitor Centers

Having already visited the Shark Valley area of the Everglades, we wanted to see the southern area on this visit. The Ernest Coe Center is a great way to begin your journey as the center includes a small museum, restrooms and a gift shop. The center contained much information including the Nike Missile site, various trails and a map for those wishing to drive the entire road through this part of the park, which is about 29 miles each way. The visitor center hours are 9-5. We found the rangers to be very helpful when describing the various activities within this section of the park. At the center, we only spent about 45 minutes before spending several hours touring the park and it's various trails and the Nike site. Well worth starting here to get the information you need. See more..
4.5 Royal Palm Visitor Center (301 reviews)
- Very good visitor centre
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 4:15 PM Visitor Centers

The original center of the National Park with an abundance of trees and nature. See more..
4.5 HM69 Nike Missile Base (83 reviews)
- Must-see for everglades national park
Spent < 1 hour Historic Sites

Ranger Daniel was perhaps the best ranger at any state or national park that we've ever visited. We did not know that we would stop for a short talk and then drive further to the actual site, this should have been said before on the NPS website. We also did not know that there would be no public restrooms. Otherwise the tour was very good and again the ranger was very knowledgeable and friendly. Missile was also very impressive and we were allowed to go up close to it. See more..
4.5 Nine Mile Pond Canoe Trail (51 reviews)
- Fantastic morning
Nature & Wildlife Areas

We met our guide Skyler (so sweet and knowledgeable) at the pond. There were 6 canoes and her that headed out on the pond. There were 2 alligators swimming in water close to where we were so had to wait for them to clear out first! . We travelled through the mangrove tunnels. Skyler lead and banged on her kayak to warn any alligators or crocodiles that we were coming. We did pass one alligator but saw no crocodiles. One couple had a hard time steering the canoe around all the turns and Skyler made sure that they didn’t get left behind. Did get a few mosquitos so wish we would have put on repellent first. Skyler answered tons of questions during the trip. We learned so much and had such a great time. See more..
4.5 Long Pine Key (36 reviews)
- Great bike trail
Islands

Area in Everglades National Park that offers camping facilities. See more..
4.5 Everglades Birding (17 reviews)
- Absolutely great! Skip the air boat and take a small boat or kayak.
Nature & Wildlife Tours

Skip the airboat. You'll see and hear nothing. Walking and small boats or kayak trips are the way to see wildlife. The birding is great, especially if you're from another part of the country, because many species are unique to the area. As an amateur birder, I was in heaven with many first sightings for me. See more..
4.5 99 Mile Wilderness Waterway (14 reviews)
- Absolutely Amazing
Hiking Trails

A 100-mile marked inside water route that winds through creeks, rivers and open bays from Everglades City on the Gulf of Mexico to Flamingo on Florida Bay. See more..
4.5 Mrazek Pond (11 reviews)
- Lots of wildlife
Bodies of Water

We were mesmerized watching all the birds and their activities. You need to spend some time here as they come and go. See more..
4.0 Pa-hay-okee Trail (201 reviews)
- Gorgeous Cypress Dome Boardwalk
Hiking Trails

Boardwalk trail through the "watery grass". See more..
4.0 Mahogany Hammock (194 reviews)
- Worth a visit for night photography, but take precautions!
Nature & Wildlife Areas

Area of dense jungle-like plant life. See more..
4.0 West Lake Trail (60 reviews)
- Beautiful boardwalk trail through mangroves to lake
Piers & Boardwalks

West Lake Boardwalk is closed for repairs Scenic area filled with mangrove trees. See more..
4.0 Pineland Trail (29 reviews)
- Flat paved trail ; tree snails
Spent < 1 hour Hiking Trails

This is a stop on the road to Flamingo and is worth a 1/2 hour. It’s a completely different ecosystem and although there are no alligators there are several different plant species and an area where you can see different types of tree snails which you don’t see in other areas. Definitely worth a stop. We spent about 1/2 hour exploring the area - if you just quickly walk through the paved trail area you will miss many things so walk slow and look at the trees. See more..
4.0 Paurotis Pond (6 reviews)
- Peaceful
Spent < 1 hour Bodies of Water

This was our last stop on our way north out of the Everglades on a short day trip. We got to the Pond just in time to see a Roseate Spoonbill take flight, along with a couple of Wood Storks!! We had been in search of the Roseate throughout our day and were delightfully rewarded by stopping here! This is a very quiet, peaceful spot even in the busy season of January. See more..
3.5 Flamingo (484 reviews)
- This is a Cool Place if You LIke the Everglades
Saturday: 6:00 AM - 5:30 PM Neighborhoods • Parks

Small village that is the tourist area, and offers lodging, tours, dining and shopping. See more..
3.5 Flamingo Visitor Center (226 reviews)
- Under Construction
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Visitor Centers

Visitor center in the village of Flamingo. See more..
3.5 Gumbo Limbo Trail (224 reviews)
- Gumbo Limbo Trail
Hiking Trails

Half-mile hiking trail through scenic areas. See more..
3.5 Eco Pond (63 reviews)
- wonderful bird watching
Bodies of Water

Pond excellent for viewing nature. See more..
3.5 Snake Bight (44 reviews)
- Awesome wildlife
Bodies of Water

Area to canoe and view the plant and animal life. See more..
3.5 Buttonwood Canal (27 reviews)
- Crocodile!
Bodies of Water

This manmade waterway is part of Everglades National Park. See more..
3.5 Chokoloskee Bay (18 reviews)
- Tucked away and quite pretty
Bodies of Water

Excellent place for canoeing where you can see native plants and animals. See more..
3.5 Old Ingraham Highway (6 reviews)
- Very nice scenic drive
Hiking Trails

This is a wonderful way to traverse the Everglades. Take your time and enjoy the scenery on this 38 mile journey. There are several pullouts for trails and viewing. We say an alligator early on in one of the ponds right by the road. I'm sure there is plenty of wildlife around during the early and later periods of the day. It's a good road with lots of room. The speed limit is actually 55mph so you won't be poking around unless you want to. See more..
3.0 Coastal Prairie Trail (4 reviews)
- Closed and unmaintained, but go to the trailhead!
Spent 1-2 hours Hiking Trails

If you're in the Everglades and decide to drive down to Flamingo (which I highly recommend), stop near the Coastal Prairie trailhead. This and the nearby trails are closed and aren't being maintained by NPS, but the area along Florida Bay is stunning. I sat by the water and played some harp music as two ospreys nested in the distance. There were only a few people resting on the shore, and a few boats going by occasionally. Very peaceful and a world away from the northern part of the park. See more..