AMERICA’S EVERGLADES: THE LARGEST SUBTROPICAL WILDERNESS IN THE UNITED STATES

Welcome to Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and the first national park in the country established to protect an ecosystem and the abundance of life it nourishes.

The Everglades is recognized globally as a World Heritage Site, a Wetland of International Importance and an International Biosphere Reserve – one of only three places on the planet with all three designations.

A serious place for serious people, right?

Well, yes, but…

Everglades National Park is also a great place to explore, to see alligators and crocodiles living side-by-side, to hike, bike and paddle, to pitch a tent, spend the night, relax and soak up some nature.

So, let’s get started. Here are some quick links to the park’s website that will help you plan a visit:

Three Great Places to See Wildlife

• Royal Palm (Anhinga Trail)

• Shark Valley

• Flamingo

Things to do in the park

• Hiking Trails

• Biking Trails

• Canoe and Kayak Trails

• Boat Tours and Shark Valley Tram Tours

• Fishing

• Historic Nike Missile Base Tour

Park Campgrounds

• Long Pine Key Campground

• Flamingo Campground

• Backcountry Camping

Here’s a map to help you find your way:

• Everglades National Park Map

And a few quotes for inspiration:

“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them….”

 Marjory Stoneman Douglas, The Everglades: River of Grass, 1947

“Here are no lofty peaks seeking the sky, no mighty glaciers or rushing streams wearing away the uplifted land. Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last receiver of it. To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes this place from all others in our country.”

President Harry S. Truman, Dedication of Everglades National Park, December 6, 1947