Everglades National Park

About This Park

Everglades National Park is a vast subtropical wetland in South Florida where sawgrass marshes meet mangrove estuaries and tidal channels feed a river of grass. The park spans roughly 1.5 million acres, hosting alligators, crocodiles, and a wide array of birds in a water-driven landscape that changes with the seasons. It operates year-round, but visitors should plan around variable visitor-center hours and occasional closures due to construction. Entry is not reserved; pay the standard vehicl...

Why Visit

The Everglades is a system-wide hydrological landscape—coast to coast—where water rhythms shape every habitat. Its scale creates a mosaic of mangrove shoreline, sawgrass marsh, and tropical hardwood hammock that supports a unique assemblage of wildlife and ecological processes not found in many other places. The park’s size and connectivity provide a framework for understanding subtropical wetlands at continental scale, with a dynamic interface between land and sea that continually tests the limits of access and management. The vast, low-lying terrain demands disciplined planning and respect for seasonal access, making it a case study in how large-scale freshwater and estuarine ecosystems function in a changing climate. The park’s magnitude and hydrological complexity drive ongoing, high-stakes management decisions that visitors should observe from trailheads, overlooks, and backcountry routes.

Highlights

Best Time to Visit

Weekdays and shoulder seasons to avoid peak winter crowds

Nearby Services

Limited services inside park; larger services in Homestead and nearby towns

Park Strategy