Three Days in Everglades National Park

Is visiting all the national parks (or at least a vast majority of them) on your bucket list? Do not leave out the Everglades National Park! The second oldest national park in the system, and one of the biggest, the Everglades has a lot to offer. Here’s what you can do if you have three days in Everglades National Park.

As always, these are based on our personal experiences. The best time to go is during winter and early spring. Summer is the worst time to go due to the heat and bugs. If you like Florida for the weather then summer is unbearable – it is hot, humid, and it rains… a lot.

Be sure to check out other great places in our Things-To-Do Series:

Things to do in Amelia Island
Things to do in Sarasota, Florida
Things to do in St Augustine, Florida
Things to do for a weekend in Gainesville, Florida
Things to do in Marco Island for a Weekend

Day One: Homestead/Florida City Main Entrance

Ernest Coe Visitor Center

Website: https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/coedirections.htm

The Ernest Coe Visitor Center is the largest visitor center of all the Everglades entrances. The main building has a nicely sized gift shop that sells everything from postcards and magnets to snacks and books. In addition, there is a museum with information about the history of the Everglades, as well as a theater where you can watch a movie about the park. It’s a perfect starting off point for your Everglades trip.

The restrooms are located outside before the entrance, where you can also talk to park rangers about any trails or the park in general.

Pahayokee Overlook

The Pahayokee Overlook is 14 miles west from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, so that’s about a 20-minute ride. It’s a very short trail, about a fifth of a mile, so quite an easy hike. The walk goes through a boardwalk to an observation platform, where you have great views of the famous Everglades prairie grass.

Be aware, though, that the boardwalk can be full of bees. We were forced to dodge quite a few of them, even for such a short trail. If you are afraid of them, then I’d steer clear.

Mahogany Hammock

The Mahogany Hammock trail is about 10 miles south of the Pahayokee Overlook. It’s a half-mile boardwalk loop, so it’s another simple walk. As the title implies, this walk is all about trees (the hammock is something like a tree island). There are mahogany trees, gumbo limbo trees, and the strange and wonderful strangler figs. Be on the lookout for green anoles as well on this trial.

Just like in Payahokee, there are several bees that will be in your way as you go through the boardwalk. If you don’t like them, then prepare to dodge and run!

Royal Palm Visitor Center

Website: https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/royal-palm.htm

The Royal Palm Visitor Center is located 4 miles southwest from the Ernest Coe Visitor Center. It has a small store where you can buy postcards, magnets, drinks, and some food (typical tourist gift shop). Do note that due to Covid, they allow only one person at a time in the store, due to the fact that it’s pretty small and narrow in there.

There are bathroom and, surprisingly, a filtered-water station for those that bring their own water bottles. That feature is not available at all the Everglades visitor centers, so definitely a plus. The nice thing about the Royal Palm is that it’s right next to a body of water, where you will often see gators gliding around.

Nike Missile Site

One of the great things about spending three days in the Everglades National Park is that you get the time to unearth some real gems. Like, for example, a nuclear missile site at the Everglades! Sounds incredible and a little crazy, but it was built there in the early 60s during the Cold War. The Everglades weren’t exactly happy that the Army chose to put the site there, but they didn’t have much choice back then. In order to see the site, you will have to reserve a place for a ranger-guided tour.

Our guide was great, as she explained the history of the site, why it was put there, and the details about its security and the men who worked and lived there. The site itself is a little run-down, but it does contain a replica of the type of missiles that were housed there, which is pretty incredible to see (and touch!). This is definitely a can’t miss activity when you visit the Everglades. The tours are popular, so reserve your seat in advance.

Anhinga Trail

The Anhinga Trail was our favorite trail in the Royal Palm Visitor Center. It’s a roughly 0.8 mile boardwalk trail (roundtrip) where you will see many anhingas, herons, and of course, gators. Of all the trails we did during our 3-day trip, this was the one with the 2nd greatest amount of gators. Be on the lookout even in the most unlikely of spots, because we spotted a gator in a small crevice below the boardwalk, eating something. If I reached down, I would almost have been able to touch it. This was a spot that most people just walked past, so keep your eyes open.

Gumbo Limbo Trail

The Gumbo Limbo Trail is the other trail that is directly accessed through Royal Palm. It’s walking distance from the start of the Anhinga Trail. It’s a shorter trail than Anhinga (about 0.4 miles roundtrip), and it’s a much different type of trail. Whereas in the Anhinga Trail you would see a lot of wildlife, the Gumbo Limbo Trail is all about trees and air plants. You will see lizards and the occasional bird, but that’s about it in terms of wildlife. If you like a little more peace and less people (most people just go to the Anhinga Trail and skip this one), then this is a good choice.

Day Two: Flamingo Visitor Center

Website: https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/flamdirections.htm

The Flamingo Visitor Center is probably the most popular of all the visitor centers, mainly because it offers the very popular Backcountry Boat Tour (more on that below). In addition to that, there are about fifteen (!) manatees in the canal water right next to the Visitor Center, which is a pretty cool thing. We spent maybe thirty minutes looking at the manatees that were feeding so close to us, we could have reached out and petted them (but don’t do that, it’s illegal and harmful to these gentle creatures!).

There is a pretty big gift ship in the center of it that offers all the tourist items, as well as things like mosquito nets and water sports accessories. Be aware, though, that there is currently (as of April 2021) a TON of construction work being done around this visitor center. They are essentially building a new visitor center and restaurant adjacent to the current site, so it’s a bit loud and messy around the parking lot.

Guy Bradley Trail

The Guy Bradley Trail is one of our favorite trails in the Everglades, because no matter how hot it is, you are walking right by the waters of the Florida Bay. You get a pretty incredible breeze for most of your walk, so it is definitely one of the most pleasing walks you will ever take. We spotted an osprey nest on the walk, along with a few other birds. This is a one-way trail that is a mile long, and while the first half of the trail you will see some obstructions in terms of trees, that goes away towards the end and you will have open view of the Bay. Definitely a must-see in the Everglades.

Flamingo Adventures Backcountry Boat Tour

I would say that one of the most popular tours in the Everglades is the airboat tours. The second is probably this boat tour that takes you down the Buttonwood Canal. The price is $40 per person, but it is cheaper if you buy the tickets in person, because they charge a convenience fee when you buy online. Due to COVID, they limit the capacity to 20 people on the boat, so you have more space to yourself, which is nice because you will be standing a lot once you get going.

The tour lasts about 90 minutes, and takes you down the canal, where you will see a lot of American Crocodiles. This is what makes the tour so special, because crocodiles aren’t nearly as common as gators in Florida. You will only see crocs on this tour because the water in the canal contains salt, which crocs are ok with and gators are not. We took the 1pm tour, (they also offer 9AM, 11AM, and 3PM), but the boat is mostly covered from above, so the heat wasn’t an issue.

In addition to all the crocs sleeping on the banks of the canal, you will see osprey, heron, and anhingas. The guide we had on the boat was great about explaining facts about the animals and plants we saw. After the tour is over, don’t forget to tip your captain and your guide. This tour is not led by an Everglades park ranger, it is outsourced to a private company.

Eco-Pond Trail

Located only a half-mile from the main parking lot of the Flamingo Visitor Center, the Eco-Pond Trail is a small, half-mile loop around a pond. The downside of this trail is that there is zero shade, so if you go in the early afternoon like we did, you will feel the heat.

Since the trail loops around a pond, you will see a lot of wading birds in the water looking for fish. Herons, spoonbills, egrets, and more. The walk is easy and mostly unobstructed, so you will have nice views of the pond. Definitely a lot of opportunities for pictures, so get your camera ready.

Day Three: Shark Valley Entrance (off US-41/Tamiami Trail)

Shark Valley Tram Tour

https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/svdirections.htm

To fully explore the Shark Valley Entrance, you can do it 3 different ways: tram, bike, foot. It’s a 15-mile loop, with an observation tower at the halfway point. We split up and tried the tram and the bike. This section covers the tram and the next one covers the bike.

The tram costs $27 per person and takes 2 hours roundtrip. The typical capacity is about 40 people, but due to COVID this has been reduced by about half. The tram makes one stop at the half-way point of the loop at the observation tower. The tram goes pretty slowly so that you will have plenty of time to take pictures of wildlife. As for the wildlife, there is plenty of it. Alligators, heron, egrets, anhingas, turtles, there is a lot to see.

Shark Valley DIY Bike

In my view, the best way to explore the Shark Valley trail is by bike. You can rent bikes from the Park service, or bring your own. If you decide to rent, be warned that these are not professional mountain bikes! There isn’t even an option to switch gears or brake using the handlebar. You can only brake with the pedals, so they are very simple bikes. The seats are comfortable, however, which was nice to see.

The great thing about the bike ride is that you can be up close and personal with the wildlife, and stop anytime you want for a closer picture. We were just a couple of feet away from gators at several points during the ride, to give you an idea. The road is obviously paved, and it mostly goes straight and doesn’t involve many curves. We were quite lucky in that we had no sun during our morning ride, so it was very pleasant all around.

We went fairly fast during our ride, so it took us about 90 minutes in total. This is definitely highly recommended, if you enjoy biking and want to combine that with some close encounters with wildlife.

Shark Valley Observation Tower

The halfway point of the Shark Valley Trail is a large observation tower that is a near-mirror image of Clingman’s Dome in the Smoky Mountains. It features a twisting, uphill road that curves sharply and spits you out at the top of the tower. You will have a great view of the surrounding area, but the best part is listening to all the bird sounds all around you. It’s like a symphony of different bird sounds, and it was something amazing to hear.

Bobcat Boardwalk

In addition to the tram or bike options, you can also take another trail at the Visitor Center, Bobcat Boardwalk. It’s an easy, half-mile one-way boardwalk trail. You may see a gator or two, but the walk is mostly in the middle of a forest, so you will get a chance to see trees and plants up close and perhaps a bird or two.

Gulf Coast Visitor Center

Website: https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/gcdirections.htm

This is definitely the smallest of the Everglades visitor centers. It’s a small building (more like an outpost) on the edge of Chokoloskee Bay. There aren’t really any hiking trails nearby, only water-based activities like boat and kayak tours from private companies.

Smallwood Store

Not all the attractions around the Everglades are outdoor, and the Smallwood Store is one exception to that. It’s a historic general store that was built in the early 1900s, and still stands today even after surviving several hurricanes! The entrance fee is $5 per person, and you get to tour the main part of the store and learn about its long and fascinating history.

There is a gift shop inside that also includes additional pieces of history about the store as well as traditional crafts made by local Native Americans.

Roadside Everglades Attractions off US-41

Airboat Tours

Airboat Tours are one of the most popular activities in the Everglades. It’s probably the activity that most people think of when they think of the Everglades. It’s a very “Wild Florida” type of thing, bursting through the swamps and watching out for gators in their natural habitat. There are many companies that offer these types of tours, and they are all pretty similar.

Don’t get me wrong, though, airboats are a lot of fun. You go fast, the wind is in your face, and unlike a boat tour on calm water, you glide through swamps. It’s a great and fun experience.

Skunk Ape Headquarters

If you’ve ever heard of Bigfoot or Sasquatch, then we have a similar type of infamous creature in Florida. It is called Skunk Ape, and, yes, it is quite the unique name. It’s supposedly a hairy, very large ape-like creature that lives in the Everglades. There may be a small minority of people around these parts that believe in the Skunk Ape’s existence, but most people visit for the novelty of it.

It costs $15 per adult to visit, and they also offer various nature tours, including kayak and pole tours. If you have time to spare and want to see one of those “Florida oddities”, then this will make for an interesting visit.

Big Cypress Visitor Center & National Preserve

We have not yet visited Big Cypress the park, but we did visit the Visitor Center as the last stop on our way back home. It’s quite a large visitor center with a unique layout. Right next to the parking lot is an elevated walking platform that runs alongside a small creek. In this creek, there are probably between 20-30 gators, some of them huge ones. It’s quite a sight for a visitor center!

Inside, there is a desk with a park ranger who can tell you a little bit more about the preserve and the trails and activities that are available. There is also a giftshop with the usual assortment of tourist items.

Smallest USPS in the United States (Ochopee, FL)

This will probably be the shortest of all the roadside attractions, but it is definitely worth your time. Located literally on the side of the road, the USPS is just one tiny house that serves three counties! It is the smallest post office in the United States, which is why it’s such a popular stopping point.

When we stopped by, we decided to mail a few postcards to our house and also bought a few stamps. We didn’t want to just take a picture and leave, and it was nice to have a small chat with the postal worker, who is extremely nice.

Well, that is all for our view on how to spend three days in Everglades National Park. Let us know your thoughts on these and other Everglades adventures in the comments below!