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While other US National parks flex their mountains, oceans, rivers, lakes, vast forests or ancient trees, the Everglades on initial first glance look like a flatland swamp. But look a little closer at this fascinating land of marine estuaries, mangroves, freshwater marsh, cypress trees, pine rockland, tropical hardwood hammocks, plus the extraordinary cast of wild creatures that inhabit the place, and the parks quiet majesty becomes evident. So, is Everglades National Park worth visiting? Yes!
The everglades are not just a wetland, or a swamp, or a lake, or a river, or a prairie, or a grassland – it is all of those, twisted together into long vistas, soft horizons and sunsets that stretch across your entire field of vision.
Nowhere is the state of Florida will you feel so far removed from civilization. Encompassing 1.5 million acres, this is where spotting an ocean manatee, crocodile, alligator, Florida panther, herons, white-tailed deer, pelican, blue heron, flamingo, otter and snake, and turtle is not only possible, it’s probable.
There’s lots to see and do from kayaking or canoeing through mangrove canals and peaceful lakes, to hiking past basking alligators as herons stalk nearby water in search of prey. You can explore cypress domes and hardwood hammocks, stroll boardwalks at sunrise, or catch a glimpse of gators swimming along narrow channels. There’s also back country camping, biking, and boat tours.
Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
Be sure to stop at the park entrance visitor center for a park map and update on ranger interpretive talks taking place. There are a number of exhibits here to help you understand the unique biodiversity and habitat, importance that the Everglades play in water management for the state of Florida.
Royal Palm visitor center
The Anhinga Trail and Gumbo Limbo Trail start at Royal Palm. Just 4 miles past the visitor center, this is a great place to talk a walk along the Anhinga trail and over a loop boardwalk to get a sense of what makes the everglades so special. Ranger interpretive talks are at 10:30am and 2:30pm daily. It’s well worth timing your day to hit one of these. You’re pretty much guaranteed to spot an alligator, tons of birds, fish and turtles, plus tons of other wildlife above and below the wetlands.
The Nike Nuclear Missile Base – Cold War hidden treasure inside Everglades National Park
While you may have come to the Everglades for the wildlife and to escape civilization, did you know the park also houses a former secret US Military site, and a major player in the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, able to launch nuclear missiles? Now a relic of the Cold War, you can tour the historic Nike Hercules Missile Based, which remains virtually the same as it was when official use of the site terminated in 1979. This is no doubt one of the most surprising things to make Everglades National Park worth visiting.
The area includes 22 buildings and structures associated with events that contributed to American history. You are able to tour one of the three missile barns, a missile assembly building, and see the exterior of the guard dog kennel and barracks.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was prompted by the discovery in 1962 of Soviet missiles in Cuba capable of delivering nuclear warheads to major US cities. After this, the US Air Defense created the Nike Missile Base, capable of defending against attacks from the Soviet Union, to seal the US perimeter in south Florida. The nuclear warheads were roughly three times the power of the Hiroshima bomb, capable of intercepting an entire fleet of bombers. Although the missile site served to protect against threat, a Nike Hercules was capable of striking a ground target within mainland Cuba.
Guided tours of Nike Missile Base in everglades national park
Guided tours are fascinating. Often lead by retired US Military veterans, you’ll get to view an actual missile, see the panel switches and protocol required to fire a missile, and immerse yourself in the stories and news during that tense time in US history. You’ll also come to appreciate why locating the site within Everglades National Park was key to keeping it secret.
Our guide shared the story of how close the US actually came to nuclear war. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and soviet occupied East Germany, it was discovered that there were actually 44,000 Soviet troops in Cuba in 1963, not the 4,000 that intelligence thought at the time. Had the US invaded Cuba they would have been desperately under-armed. Plus, it was revealed that Russia did have nuclear arms capable of hitting mainland US all the way to New York and Washington, so the outcome of an offensive attack could have been catastrophic.
Ranger guided tours are the only way to access the site. 1.5hr tours are scheduled at 10am and 2pm daily. Check with the Ernest Coe Visitor Center to confirm.
Be sure to stop off and tour Mahogany Hammock and Nine Mile Pond, either on your drive down to Flamingo, or on the return.
Mahogany Hammock
Mahogany Hammock is essentially a tree island, a tropical oasis in the Everglades river of grass. A short boardwalk trail immerses you in the jungle feeling of the hammock.
Nine Mile Pond
Nine Mile Pond is easily accessed from the road, and kayaks or canoes are available for rent. What makes the stop unique is its placement in the proximity to the flow of fresh water and salt water, making it one of the only places where you are apt to see freshwater alligators and salt water crocodiles in the same proximity.
Flamingo – as far south as you can go in everglades national park
Flamingo is the southern-most area of the Everglades. And it’s your best chance of seeing a manatee and crocodile from the land – making Everglades National Park worth visiting, even if just for one day! Here you’ll find camping, boat and kayak eco-tours, a boat launch and harbor, plus the Guy Bradley Visitor Center. Be sure to check out the exhibits at the visitor center, and spend some time wandering the harbor and shoreline.
If you’re lucky, in the late afternoon you may spot manatee in the harbor, having returned from a day feeding on sea grass out in the ocean. They tend to retreat to the harbor at low tide to be less at risk from boat propellers hitting them in the shallow key waters. Their signature “gassing off” after a day eating, offers dead give-away bubbles to the location they will soon surface in. Because the harbor is salt-water, you can occasionally see them there, surfacing their entire head. We spotted one at the harbor entrance. Alligators, at home in fresh water, but occasionally seen where fresh and salt water mix, typically surface their nose and eyes only
If you’ve only got one day in the Everglades you’ll need to choose between a day in the north or a day in the south. Arriving via Florida City lends itself to orienting towards the south, plus it enables you to fully embrace the proximity and ecosystem at play, relative to the mainland and Florida Keys.
Where to say while visiting Everglades National Park
If you are day tripping from the Florida Keys, Key Largo is a great option. It affords you access to the park from a reasonable distance, while also making it possible to trip down the Keys on other daily outings. Florida City or Homestead are other solid options – a little closer to the park boundary. Of course there are also camping and accommodation options within the park you may wish to consider. Link here to the National Park Service site for more information. Check out some accommodation options on the map below.
Everglades National Park organized tours
Hopefully it’s now a resounding yes to the questions, “Is Everglades National Park worth visiting?” But if you prefer to join a guided tour or group adventure, check out GetYourGuide (insert link here). Options include an airboat tour and wildlife show, mangrove kayak eco tour, Everglades by airboat and nature walk, Everglades airboat ride and gator encounters. You can also purchase entrance to top sights in Everglades National Park, such as Gator Park, Everglades Alligator Farm, and Everglades Safari Park.
Looking for more Florida Key travel inspiration? Be sure to check out this post – Things to do in Florida Keys