An alligator sunning itself beside a walkway may seem so sluggish and lazy that you should be able to reach out, touch it and the animal wouldn’t notice. The animal is probably more alert than you can imagine.  Breach an alligator’s territorial boundaries and you could find yourself in a real predicament. Historically, alligator attacks are uncommon but the occasional...

This miniature forest has another of those signs everyone takes photos of: “Dwarf Cypress Forest – Elevation 4 Feet.” The trees are stunted due to the shallow soil, which has few nutrients. Many trees grow no taller than 3 feet. The bedrock underlying them is too close to the surface for sufficient soil and nutrients to accumulate. In most of...

On the Main Park Road, drive past the Flamingo Visitor Center and head toward the Flamingo Campground. Before reaching the campground, you’ll find Eco Pond located on the right. Park in the designated area. The half-mile (800 meter) loop goes around a fresh water pond that once was an exceptional spot for birding and photography. Unfortunately, many of the nesting...

Everglades City, sometimes called just “Everglades,” sits on the edge of the Ten Thousand Islands section of ENP. It is a destination in itself with interesting architectural and natural photo subjects. The current human population is just above 500, far from the city’s heyday when it expected to be a major financial center. The town really began in the early...

See the Everglades online and prepare your photo itinerary with the help of these webcams, podcasts and videos. Unfortunately, the Everglades NP and the National Park Service in general have a tendency to remove what should be evergreen links for videos, webcams and audio tours.  If a better version is made it should use the the same link for continuity...

Flamingo Campground is located at the end of the Main Park Road, 38 miles from the park’s main entrance. Fronting Florida Bay and close to the Flamingo Marina, Flamingo Campground is Homestead’s most requested camping site. Reservations are a must during the cooler winter season. Overall, there are 234 drive-in sites and 64 walk-up sites, with 55 campsites near Florida...

Flamingo Marina is the only place inside ENP to buy soft drinks and snacks once you leave Florida City. Fuel is available here for boats but not for cars, so depart with a full tank. The marina can accommodate more than 50 boats with a maximum draft of 4 feet. Electric and water hookups available. To explore the mangrove canals...

Although the Ten Thousand Islands are separate from the mainland, they are part of Everglades National Park, itself a designated Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site and a Wetland of International Importance. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center of Everglades National Park offers 2 boat tours that explore different segments of one of the world’s largest mangrove forests. With just 6...

The Gulf Coast Visitor Center serves as the gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands, the mangrove maze that extends from Lostman’s River to Cape Romano. The region is accessible only by boat. Located 5 miles south of Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) on State Road 29 in Everglades City, the Gulf Coast Visitor Center includes educational displays, orientation films, brochures, and...

Flamingo once was a quiet fishing village that could only be reached by boat coming across Florida Bay or, later, through the Homestead-Flamingo Canal. Today, you follow the 38 mile Main Park Road from the Coe Visitor Center to the Flamingo Visitor Center and the nearby Flamingo Marina, both located at the end of the Homestead road. The town of...

The Nine Mile Pond canoe trail, located 12 miles north of Flamingo on the Main Park Road, is a good place to actively enjoy anhingas, cormorants, herons, great egrets and alligators as you paddle through their territory. The hardest part of this 5-mile loop route sometimes is at the outset when you have to fight strong winds to paddle east...

Paurotis Pond, located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead, has multi-seasonal use. The small pond attracts canoeists and hopeful bird watchers and photographers. Paurotis Pond is seasonally closed to protect nesting roseate spoonbills, wood storks and other birds. It may close in January when spoonbills begin nesting and not reopen until the end of July or August. When the pond...

The Ten Thousand Islands region of Everglades National Park contains one of the largest stands of protected mangrove forest in the Western Hemisphere.This is area is part of a transition zone between the freshwater marsh areas of the mainland Everglades and the salt water region of the Gulf of Mexico. The maze of mangrove islands is an important nursery for...

With its long, down-curved, bright red bill and long red legs and all-white body, the American white ibis is a striking bird, a study in color contrasts. Juveniles, however, are mostly brown with duller legs and bill. An adult white ibis grows to 26 inches high. It is found in ENP marshy wetlands and on the edges of shallow pools....