Camping Trips 2000: Everglades National Park
(Photos in this article were taken by Pat Holleran, Shannon Image Technologies. Visit Park Visions to see more of his work on National Parks.)There is a prairie like land in Southern Florida that is uniquely special in its plant and animal population. Here you will find palms, mangrove, hardwood hammock, pine and cypress, beautiful orchids, water lilies, swamp and giant ferns. Kingfish, heron, pelican and ducks add feathers and wing to this subtropical landscape, while black bear, otter, deer and panther reside in dense tropical forests. Alligators and crocodiles inhabit this diverse wilderness, as do manatees, dolphins and sharks. Everglades National Park covers 2,000 square miles (over 1.5 million acres) and runs from Everglades City, Florida, on the Gulf Coast, to Cape Sable—the southernmost point of the United States mainland. It is the third largest National Park in America, and there is no other park like it. The park has both fresh and saltwater areas, and an ecosystem teeming with vibrant beauty and the like.About the ParkEverglades National Park has three major entrances and four separate regions. From the Gulf Coast of Western Florida, travel east on US 41 and then south on US 29 to Everglades City. Enter the park here at the Ten Thousand Island Gateway. On the northern park boundary, the Shark Valley Visitors Center and entrance is located off US 41 (the Tamiami Trail), about 35 miles west of Miami. Ten miles southwest of Florida City and Homestead, Florida, via route 9336 from US 1, is the Everglades Main Visitors Center and Royal Palm Visitors Center. To reach the Flamingo region, follow the Main Park Road for about 38 miles. There are no highways that transverse this wetland wilderness—except the Wilderness Waterway. This “River of Grass” runs for 99 miles, from Ten Thousand Islands, at the Gulf Coast entrance, to trail’s end at the Flamingo Visitors Center. It is a shallow, slowly running river buried beneath high sawgrass and reeds. It is a 5-7 day journey by canoe! Open year-round, Everglades National Park’s busiest time of the year is between December and April. The hot humid summer, with its swarms of mosquitoes and other insects, make camping pretty unbearable this time of year. No place in the park is over eight feet above sea level, as this is a land of sloughs, marsh and jungle. The park may appear prairie like, but under the vast saw grass lays the brackish waters of the Everglades. The awesome beauty of the park centers on its magnificent diverse flora and fauna. Their abundance and variety stagger the imagination! It is the only national park that has been designated both a International Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site.
The copyright of the article Camping Trips 2000: Everglades National Park in Camping is owned by Thomas Stephens Sr.. Permission to republish Camping Trips 2000: Everglades National Park in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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