How to Have an Amazing Adventure in Everglades National Park

Everglades Itineraries

There are so many ways to visit Everglades National Park, you really can’t go wrong. If you have the time, it’s wonderful to explore the park at a more leisurely pace and visit the same spots at different times of the day. However, you can see plenty and enjoy many wonderful things to do in Everglades National Park in just one day too. I stayed in the area of the Everglades for three days and went in and out for a few days after (had to try and get those beautiful photos!), but I’ve taken the highlights and created different Everglades itineraries for different needs. While the one and two day plans aren’t what I followed, the times and lay outs are based on experience.

You might also like:
A Huge Guide to Everglades National Park
Trails in Everglades National Park: Ranked
(These have more photos too!)

If I had to choose from the Everglades options in…

One Day Everglades Itinerary

The highlights of the Royal Palm/Pine Island and Flamingo areas of the park can be visited in one day, even if you leave some time to linger. This Everglades itinerary maximizes time so you can see the most and make the most out of your one day in the Everglades.

Anhinga Trail (30-40 minutes)

9:00 am: This trail named after the unique bird, the anhinga. It’s one of the best places to see the anhinga, but you can also expect to see alligators, turtles, fish, herons, egrets, and maybe even otters. It’s a beautiful 0.8 mile boardwalk over lily pads and sawgrass marsh. Even if you don’t see any wildlife (unlikely), it’s a beautiful trail. I visited twice and saw everything except otters (on the second trip I didn’t see alligators, but there are plenty of other opportunities).

There is another trail (Gumbo Limbo – not my favorite as you can see in my Everglades trails ranked) and nature center (Royal Palm) in this area where you can stop if you’d like, so add another 30 minutes for those stops.

Pa-hay-okee Overlook Trail (30 minutes)

10:00 am: The overlook is a super short 0.16 mile trail, but it has a nice view of the sweeping river of grass – one of the most famous things the Everglades is known for. I didn’t spend long here (maybe 10 minutes), but if it is crowded or if you really enjoy the view, 30 minutes is plenty of time.

Z-Tree (15 minutes)

The Z-Tree can be a little difficult to find, but it’s only 5-6 minutes from Pa-hay-okee Overlook Trail. Once you find it (directions in my Everglades National Park guide), it’s a short 5 minute stop. The Z-Tree is one of three really cool trees that has a bend in the middle – creating a “z.” I tried visiting in the morning and the lighting wasn’t great, but it’s still a cool experience.

Mahogany Hammock Trail (30 minutes)

11:00 am: It’s ten minutes down the road to get to Mahogany Hammock, which feels like a completely different world than the rest of the park. It’s a short 0.5 mile boardwalk that houses the United States’ largest living mahogany tree, air plants, and gumbo limbo trees (see why you don’t need to stop at Gumbo Limbo Trail?).

If you are lucky, you’ll see owls, insects, other birds, and small wildlife – I saw two beautiful spider webs (with the spiders), cool trees (living and dead), and other random plants that were really enchanting.

Paurotis Pond (10 minutes)

11:45 am: Paurotis Pond is a special stop for people who enjoy bird watching (in certain seasons). It’s often closed to kayaks or canoes when birds are nesting because there is a huge rook right across the pond, so you’ll need to make sure to bring binoculars (or a long lens). I ended up staying at Paurotis Pond for nearly an hour because there were jumping fish, and I wanted to capture one (unfortunately I didn’t). I also stopped here again in the evening and was graced with turkey and black vultures and an osprey! However, most people don’t spend nearly as much time here as I did, hence the shorter allotted time.

West Lake Trail (30 minutes)

12:15 pm: This trail was closed due to hurricane damage repair, but it will hopefully be repaired soon (by 2022). I’ve heard it has an incredible view from it’s 0.5-mile boardwalk over the lake, so even though I had to skip it, I think it should be included.

Flamingo Visitor Center and Marina (30-60 minutes)

1:00 pm: You can have lunch, explore the marina, go in the visitor center, and walk around a few trails in this area. You can spend as long as a couple of hours here if you do all of the above (including Guy Bradley Trail). However, I didn’t really find Guy Bradley Trail that riveting (I turned around before reaching the end), so I would skip it in favor of other activities like kayaking. If you want to be sure to get a stamp for your passport and won’t pass the entrance area Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center (you won’t if you spend all day in the park as outlined here), then Flamingo is the best option.

You can also add Eco Pond Lake Trail, which is only 0.5 mile loop (max 30 minutes). The trail didn’t have too much wildlife except in the early morning, but it’s still a visually striking area, and one that does regularly have more wildlife.

Snake Bight Trail (1.5 – 2 hours)

2:00 pm: Snake Bight Trail – named so because of the bay at the end, not snake bites! – is an unmaintained 3.2 mile out and back trail featuring owls, snakes, birds, turtles, dragonflies, and Cape Sable Thoroughwort, a protected purple flower. It was one of my favorite trails in the park despite severe and horrible bug attacks. Bug spray did not keep them at bay, nor did loose clothes, but I suspect they helped somewhat. And with the bug severity, even somewhat helping is better than full force bug attacks.

Kayak/Canoe in the Flamingo Area

You have the rest of the day to explore this section of the park by kayak or canoe via the marina or canoe trails! On the water is one of the best ways to see the Everglades, and your chances of seeing alligators, crocodiles, manatees, and elusive birds increases. You will have plenty of daylight during warmer months, but you might want to start earlier in the day during colder months when the sun sets earlier (around November to March).

If this doesn’t sound good to you, you can drive back out to Homestead and/or the Shark Valley area of the park for an airboat tour. You should even have time to take a tram tour along Shark Valley Loop or bike (my preference)! You can also choose from the myriad of other trails in this section of the park (review them either through my Everglades National Park guide or trails in the Everglades ranked), but many of them are similar to the featured trails in this itinerary.

Alternative One Day Everglades Itinerary

This itinerary can be much more laid back than the other Everglades itinerary; however, you can also make it just as busy with a few choose-your-own adventure tweaks!

Shark Valley

Shark Valley has three trails: Otter Cave Hammock, Bobcat Boardwalk, and the paved tram trail. If you don’t have time to make it to the main area of the park, then all three trails provide a nice, albeit brief, view of the Everglades. If you are able to go to the main area, you can safely skip Otter Cave Hammock and Bobcat Boardwalk.

Otter Cave Hammock is a 0.5 mile out and back tree-filled trail, while Bobcat Boardwalk is (you guessed it) a 1 mile out and back boardwalk over sawgrass slough and (a bit) of hardwood forest. Each one was similar to other trails in the Flamingo and Royal Palm/Pine Island areas, but they are worth a stop if you do not make it to those areas. They are short enough that they add 30-60 minutes to the loop trail (or the tram ride).

Along the Tram Road, you can expect alligators, herons, egrets, deer, turtles, snail kites, and sweeping views. The first half of the trail when biking (the second half on the tram tour) runs along water, while the other half is drier but still rewarding. Tram tickets and bike rentals can be made from Shark Valley Tram Tours (and should definitely be reserved in advance in the winter).

9am, 9:30am, or 10am: If you want to take the two hour tram tour, it starts at different times during the year (9 or 10am from January-April and 9:30am from May-December). You’ll not only get to ride around the 15-mile tram loop trail, you’ll learn from a park naturalist, crest an observation deck, and experience “hidden” aspects of the ecosystem.

If you would rather bike the loop (like me), you can start about 9am because the gates open at 8:30am. It took around 3 hours for 15 miles, but there was a heavy wind pushing against me the last 8 miles. I also stopped and walked up the observation tower (highly recommend) 7 miles down the path and stopped nearly a dozen times to take photos – if you just want to bike, it may take as little as a 1.5 hours.

Gulf Coast/Ten Thousand Islands

Regardless of which way you choose to explore Shark Valley, you should have plenty of time to make it to the 2pm Boat Tour of the Ten Thousand Islands from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. If you want extra time (perhaps to stop at the Miccosukee village area or Big Cypress National Preserve), there is a 4pm tour from September (ish) to April – check the Everglades Florida Adventure site to make sure the 4pm tour is running when you want to go.

The boat tour has some history and current information, but the main focus ended up being on wildlife viewing – dolphins, manatees, osprey, and other birds. If the 90 minute boat tour doesn’t interest you, you can also rent kayak or canoes to explore alone.

Two Days in the Everglades

Having two days in the Everglades will allow you to combine the two one day itineraries, essentially. You may even be able to add in a trail or two if you stay in Homestead and wake up early enough! I get up early for sunrise and stay out late for sunset, so it’s all about personal preference and how much interest you have. A perk of having more than one day is being able to go to the trails when they are at their best (for example, Mahogany Hammock at sunset).

Day 1- Eco Pond Lake Trail

8:30am: Eco Pond Lake Trail is the most beautiful in the early morning (in my opinion). Definitely start here – you will not only (hopefully) see some breathtaking wildlife, but you’ll experience some calm and nature “silence” far into the park. It’s a short 0.5 mile, so you’ll have plenty of time to stop and experience the area before moving on.

Snake Bight Trail

9am: Right before sunrise anywhere in the park is good because so many animals are active at that time; however, since you have the time, start at Snake Bight Trail. There will be awful bugs, so come prepared. But you’ll (hopefully) see tons of wildlife like dragonflies, turtles, owls, other birds, and maybe even a flamingo. It’s an unmaintained 3.2 mile trail that also serves as the habitat for a purple flower called Cape Sable Thoroughwort.

Paurotis Pond

12pm: Lunch at Paurotis Pond is a great way to see the pond, fish, and birds while getting food. If you have time and aren’t too hungry, stop at West Lake Trail on your way there – it’s a 0.5 mile boardwalk path through different trees overlooking a gorgeous lake.

Mahogany Hammock

1pm: Mahogany Hammock (quick 0.5 mile) is usually amazing right before sunset, so I actually went back several times. The first time was in the middle for the day, and it is still absolutely worth the midday stop. I actually saw more wildlife in the middle of the day, whereas most people see most at dusk. Think owls, other birds, insects, the largest living mahogany tree, gumbo limbo trees, and air plants galore.

Z Tree

1:30pm: The z tree tends to be more striking in dramatic weather and lighting, but it’s worth seeing in person no matter the circumstances. When else will you see and tree shaped so dramatically? It’s on the right side of the road heading out of the park (which is how this itinerary starts in case you didn’t notice) in the Dwarf Cypress Forest. Once you see Sisal Pond, start looking – it’s just under 1 mile from the roadside there. It’s hard to see, so it may take a few passes – if you pass Pa-hay-okee Trail, turn around.

Pa-hay-okee Trail

2pm: Now, you probably won’t take half an hour to find, park, and see the z-tree, but I like to leave a little wiggle room just in case. Pa-hay-okee Overlook Trail is a very short 0.16-mile raised platform with views of the famous river of grass. I came back here around sunset to get a prettier color view, but most visitors will be happy just passing through – if you are extremely lucky, you might encounter a Florida panther here.

Anhinga Trail

2:45pm: There are plenty of other trails you can stop at before you hit Anhinga Trail, but I would save them for later in the day. Anhinga Trail is an 0.8-mile loop and is arguably the most popular trail in the park. I like Anhinga Trail in mid-afternoon despite the number of people, but you have to be lucky enough that the wildlife has settled there – in my experience, they often have.

My first afternoon I not only saw two anhingas drying, turtles, and fish galore, but also two alligators “fighting.” There was a fake-out attack, lots of growling, and plenty of movement in the water – and this was all in the wet season when there is less wildlife! When I visited the next morning, none of the wildlife had emerged yet!

You will have enough time to either head into Homestead for dinner (maybe stop at Robert is Here fruit stand for exotic fruit) or do some kayaking/canoeing after this trail. You can even add in some of the many other trails in the park that aren’t in this itinerary! There are also some ranger events that may interest visitors too.

Long Pine Key Trails

Around Sunset/Sunset: Whatever you choose to do the rest of the afternoon, make it back to Long Pine Key (the pond) right before sunset. It’s beautiful and has 22 miles of undeveloped trails surrounding the camp – not to mention the nature trail. My favorite is the one around the waterfront because of the breeze and tall grasses with dragonflies. Alternatively, you can make your way back to Mahogany Hammock right before sunset – more wildlife is typically active at this time. The third option is Paurotis Pond – not only were the colors beautiful, but there were more birds on the roadside/parking area (see the orange-y photo above).

Day 2 – Choose Your Own Adventure

You can either explore the main area of Everglades National Park for another day, or follow the alternative one day itinerary above. Whichever you choose, try to make it back to Pa-hay-okee or Flamingo for sunrise. The road and the trail at Pa-hay-okee will provide some lovely views of the cypress trees as you look to the east while the marina at Flamingo just might yield some amazing colors.

Three Day Everglade Itinerary

Three days in the Everglades will allow you to choose and pick from the trails and activities above, but you will also get the chance to add a few unique things. For the full scope of what’s available, visit this guide to Everglades National Park (it’s huge). No matter what, make sure you see some awesome things (like these tree roots).

Some of the additional activities are more hikes, kayaking/canoeing, ranger-led talks, a boat tour in the Flamingo area, slough slog (wading through the river of grass with a ranger), and visiting a Cold War Missile site. You might also want to sign up for the myriad of canoe tours or other outdoor activities different concessionaires offer. Seriously, if you have the time, you’ll want to stick around.

Many people sign up for airboat tours or visit an alligator farm as well. An airboat tour is a great way see the Everglades (most people say it’s best seen on the water), but a farm visit is unnecessary and (in my opinion) usually unethical. I preferred to stick to the sanctioned boat tours and kayaking.

How long would you visit the Everglades given the chance? Let me know if you have any more questions below! And visit the other Everglades posts for more photo/site inspiration!

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