Solo Adventures in Everglades National Park: A Protected Habitat
Everglades National Park was the 10th National Park I visited and the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. Its mission is to provide habitat to rare and endangered species like the manatee, American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther. It is also known as a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty.
When I was researching this park, I discovered three main entry points:
1. Gulf Coast Visitor Center
Closest to Naples and south of Everglades city
2. Shark Valley Area
Can be accessed by US 41 (also known as the Tamiami Trail)
3. Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
The park's main headquarters (which is the entrance I went to)
This blog post will only talk about Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center.
But I also debated whether I wanted to drive up to Shark Valley. It was about an hour or so from Homestead, Fl. Shark Valley has a 15-mile loop where you can bike or go on a tram ride to the Observation Tower. The tower is the halfway point on this loop, where you can get out and climb up the 45-foot observation deck and experience panoramic views of the Everglades.
This sounded cool, but in the interest of time, I decided to go to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, the park's headquarters. Once I arrived, I went straight to the visitors center to speak to my ranger friends (if you are new here, one thing I love is talking to the rangers!).
Wildlife on Anhinga Trail
From there, I headed to the popular Anhinga Trail. This "trail" is a less-than-a-mile-boardwalk that loops around a sawgrass marsh where you can see alligators, turtles, egrets, and other wildlife. It is very popular because of the abundance of wildlife.
While walking the loop, I saw some wildlife, like fish, birds, and turtles, but no alligators.
Naturally, anytime I want to see a particular animal in this protected habitat, I don't see it until the last second. As I walked back towards the parking lot, there was an alligator on my right-hand side, just chilling on this cloudy day.
I beamed for joy!
I was on the other side of the path, a safe distance from them (15 feet). People were coming towards me, and I warned them about the alligator making sure the animal wasn't spooked, especially when one group brought their dog along on the path. I had a slight panic attack when I saw the dog.
We enjoyed the memorable encounter with the alligator and parted ways.
I got back to my car and headed to Flamingo. I was told by a park ranger in the parking lot that there was a gas station, and I needed to get gas! In Flamingo, besides a gas station, you can take boat tours, rent canoes, kayaks, or bikes, can camp, and there is lodging and food! The drive from Anhinga Trail to Flamingo was 44 mins, and it was a paved road. On the drive, you could see the different parts of the Everglades, and there were points where you could turn off and walk some of the boardwalks to take in the views.
Flamingo!
I made it to the gas station! I was anxious that I wouldn't make it before running out of gas since I forgot to get it before leaving. I went to the marina store to get some snacks and ask where I could possibly see a crocodile and other wildlife. They told me to head to the boat ramp to check out the manatees! I decided to do that, then head over to the other side of the marina—because that's where the crocodiles hang out!
I headed over to the boat ramp, and to my pleasant surprise, there was a family of manatees! They kept floating up one by one, then two by two. I even saw a baby! It was an incredible experience.
I wandered over to the other side, where the other boat ramp was, and there were two crocodiles! One female, one male. I only know this because someone told me as I was approaching. They were huge, breathtaking, and a bit scary! When you look over, you see two pairs of eyes staring you down from the water. Not going to lie: I was a bit taken aback by these creatures.
I just stood there and enjoyed my time with them from a VERY safe distance. One even started to swim away. I guess they decided they didn't want to be friends.
Recap
Overall, my trip to the Everglades National Park was cool. I know that many people do airboat tours, and it was highly recommended that I do one. But I decided I had seen enough and didn't want to do it, which is usually not me. If I get another chance to go back, I will do that to check it off my list of things I have done.