Visiting the Everglades: Complete Guide (What to See, Prices, and How Long to Stay)

By David Sanchez · ~11 min read · Data: National Park Service

The Everglades are unlike any other American national park. There are no canyons or peaks here, just a 60-mile-wide freshwater plain slowly flowing toward the sea, covered in tall grass and tree islands. People come for the wildlife, especially the alligators, and for the rare chance to walk through a living wetland on dry ground. Plan on a full day to cover the essentials from Miami, or two to three days if you want to reach all three park entrances. This guide gives you the big picture: where the park is, how to get there, what it costs, which areas to choose, and how much time to allow. Each question has its own detailed guide, so follow the links as you read.

The Everglades at a Glance: Where the Park Is and How to Get There

The park covers the southern tip of Florida, south of Miami and Naples. It's the third-largest national park in the United States outside Alaska, and it doesn't have a single entrance. Instead, it has three entrances that are far apart, with no road connecting them through the park.

• Main entrance (south), near Homestead: Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, at 40001 State Road 9336. From Miami, take Florida's Turnpike (Road 821) south to Florida City, then follow the signs. It takes about an hour to drive from downtown Miami. This entrance leads to the 37-mile Main Park Road, which runs to Flamingo on the coast.
• Northern entrance, Shark Valley: on US 41 (Tamiami Trail), about 40 minutes west of Miami.
• Western entrance, Gulf Coast: in Everglades City, on the Gulf of Mexico, for exploring the mangroves of the Ten Thousand Islands.

Choosing your entrance means choosing your day. You won't visit all three back-to-back. For help planning your drives, travel times, and rental car, see how to get to the Everglades.

Entrance Fees, Passes, and Reservations

Admission is valid for 7 days and is charged per vehicle, not per person.

• Private vehicle: $35
• Motorcycle: $30
• Pedestrian, cyclist, or bus passenger: $20 per person
• Park annual pass: $70

If you're visiting several national parks during your trip, including the Everglades and the major parks of the West on a longer road trip, the America the Beautiful pass, valid for one year across the federal recreation system, quickly becomes a better deal than paying individual entrance fees. Our National Park Fees and Passes page explains entrance fees and annual passes.

You don't need a reservation to enter the park. It's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The entrance stations and visitor centers, however, are staffed only from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Guided excursions, including the Shark Valley tram and boat tours at Flamingo and Gulf Coast, require separate reservations, especially during the busy season. National park stamp collectors can get their passport stamped at the visitor centers; see our Passport and Stamps page.

Reservations, Permits, and Rules to Follow

Entrance reservation: You don't need a reservation to enter the park. It's open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The entrance station is staffed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Backcountry camping permit: If you plan to camp in wilderness areas accessible by kayak or canoe, you need a permit. Get one at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center or online through the NPS website. Plan on about $15 per night per site, plus $2 per person.

Fishing permit: A Florida state fishing license is required in the park, including for freshwater fishing. Rules vary by area, so check with the rangers before heading out.

Basic rules to follow:

• Never feed wildlife, including alligators. It's a federal offense punishable by a fine, and any animal that becomes accustomed to human food poses a danger to other visitors.
• Stay on marked trails. Off-trail, the marshy ground can give way without warning, and the wetlands shelter fragile species.
• Drones are strictly prohibited throughout the national park.
• Campfires are allowed only in designated camping areas. During the dry season, the fire danger is high.
• Dogs are allowed on paved roads and in campgrounds, but not on trails or in wilderness areas.
• Airboats are prohibited inside the national park. Airboat tours offered in Homestead or Everglades City take place on private land or in Big Cypress National Preserve, outside the park's strict boundaries.

Getting Around the Everglades

Your car is still the main way to get around. The park has no internal shuttle connecting its areas, and because the three entrances are geographically separate, you drive between them on public roads rather than through the park.

In the southern area, one road enters the park from Homestead and runs all the way to Flamingo. Along the way, it serves the main trails and overlooks, which you reach via short access roads. In the northern area, at Shark Valley, cars can't go beyond the visitor center. From there, you cover the 15-mile loop by narrated tram, bicycle (rentals are available on-site), or on foot. At Gulf Coast, you leave your car behind and take a boat, the only way to venture into the mangrove maze.

Good to know: speed limits are low and strictly enforced on these roads, especially at night, because alligators, turtles, and birds cross the pavement. For details on internal routes and transportation options by area, see our Getting Around page.

How Long Do You Need to Visit the Everglades?

Plan on at least one full day for a first look. A round trip from Miami through the southern entrance gives you time to walk the Anhinga Trail, continue to Flamingo, and see alligators up close. It's the most common one-day itinerary, and it's already very rewarding.

For a deeper visit:

• Half a day is enough for one focused area, such as Shark Valley from Miami.
• Two days let you combine the southern area (Royal Palm and Flamingo) on one day with Shark Valley or Gulf Coast the next.
• Three days or more open the door to kayaking through the mangroves, a boat trip to the Ten Thousand Islands, and an overnight stay so you can enjoy sunrise, when wildlife is most active.

Our advice: don't pack in too much. The distances between areas are real, and the heat slows you down. It's better to see two areas well than race against the clock. To build an hour-by-hour plan, follow our day-by-day Everglades itineraries.

What to See and Do in the Everglades

The heart of the visit unfolds area by area. Here are the four main areas to know, from the most accessible to the wildest. Each has its own character; you'll find details about activities and trails on our Things to Do and Hiking pages.

The Best Hikes in the Everglades

Here, "hiking" means short, flat trails more than long climbs. The terrain is completely level, and the point is what you see, not the elevation gain. The Anhinga Trail and Gumbo Limbo Trail at Royal Palm, Pa-hay-okee Overlook and Mahogany Hammock along Main Park Road, and the Shark Valley loop for strong walkers each reveal a different ecosystem: marsh, hammock, pine rockland, or mangrove forest. We cover the routes, distances, and best times of day in our Hiking page.

Wildlife and Plants to Look For

This is the real reason to come. The Everglades are home to a concentration of wildlife that's rarely so easy to see elsewhere:

• Alligators: everywhere, especially along the canals during the dry season.
• American crocodiles and manatees: around Flamingo, in the brackish water.
• Birds: anhingas, herons, egrets, roseate spoonbills, and the rare great white heron. The park is a premier bird-watching destination.
• Burmese python: an invasive, elusive species that you'll almost never encounter.

The plants tell the story of each habitat: sawgrass stretching to the horizon, tropical hardwood hammocks, pine rocklands, and mangrove forests. One safety rule comes before all others: never feed an alligator and keep your distance. An animal accustomed to people becomes dangerous. Watch children closely and keep dogs away from the banks. To learn where and when to maximize your wildlife sightings, see our Wildlife page.

When to Visit the Everglades

The park has two seasons, and the choice makes a big difference. The dry season, from December through mid-May, is the best time to visit: fewer mosquitoes, pleasant weather, and, most importantly, wildlife concentrated around water sources and therefore much easier to see. The wet season, from mid-May through November, brings heavy heat, daily rain, and clouds of mosquitoes. Many services operate on a reduced schedule. Average annual temperatures in southern Florida range from 73 to 77°F, but summer humidity makes the air feel much heavier than those numbers suggest.

In short, aim for winter or early spring. For month-by-month details and help choosing the ideal time, see our When to Visit page. For temperature, rainfall, and mosquito data, see our Weather page.

Where to Stay near the Everglades

The park itself offers little lodging: a lodge and campground at Flamingo, plus a second campground near the southern entrance. Book both well in advance during the dry season. Most visitors stay just outside the park, in Homestead or Florida City for the southern area, in Everglades City or Naples for the west, or in Miami and make a day trip.

Around the Everglades: Things to Do Nearby

The Everglades fit naturally into a larger Florida trip. To the east, there's Miami and its beaches. To the south, the Florida Keys and the Florida Keys Overseas Highway lead to Key West. To the northwest, there's Naples and the Gulf Coast. Just north of the park, Big Cypress National Preserve and its Loop Road offer a free alternative for wildlife viewing, and are easy to combine with Shark Valley. To build a coherent multi-day itinerary, combine the Everglades with other stops in Florida and a broader road trip through the American Southeast.

Our Take: Are the Everglades Worth Visiting?

Yes, as long as you know what you're looking for. Don't come for dramatic landscapes like those in the American West, or you may be disappointed. Come for an immersion in a unique ecosystem, to see wild alligators just a few yards away, and to experience a wetland teeming with life. In the dry season, early in the morning, the experience is striking. One well-planned day from Miami is enough to see why. Two or three days turn the visit into a true exploration. Our recommendation: make the southern area your first stop, add Shark Valley if time allows, and save Gulf Coast for a longer visit. For a ready-made plan, see our Itinerary and Length of Stay page. The rules you need to know on-site are gathered earlier in this guide.

Frequently Asked Questions