Everglades National Park
Everglades in Florida are wetlands created by the river and flows into the Florida Bay. The river is said to have originated from Lake Okeechobee in Florida.
Everglades National Park is a popular tourist attraction in South Florida. The park was established in 1934 in Florida. It is the largest and well-maintained subtropical park in the nation. The Everglades Park protects at least 25 per cent of the Everglades in the country. It is also the nation’s third largest protected park after Death Valley and Yellowstone. At least a million visitors tour this national park every year. It features in the list of World Heritage Site and is a Wetland of National Importance. The national park protects and controls a range of marshland and forest ecosystems.
Everglades National Park features
- Everglades National Park Florida hosts around 36 species of endangered and threatened species. This includes the Florida panthers, crocodiles, and the West Indian manatee.
- The park protects the largest stretch of natural grassland and ecosystem east of the Mississippi River. It is also accessible to the public.
- It allows visitors to indulge in many adventurous activities like hiking, camping, trail walking, and photo-shoots.
- It is an important breeding and conservation center for tropical birds, species of fish, around 40 mammal species, and 50 reptiles.
- Everglades also boasts of having western hemisphere’s largest mangrove ecosystem.
Everglades National Park history
The Everglades began to be considered for conservation and maintenance at the end of the 20th century. The water flow from the Lake Okeechobee was diverted for canal building projects in the urban and metropolitan areas. This was done to avoid the fast disappearing of Everglades’s ecosystems. The ecosystem, needed for human survival was marked as protected sites in the state of Florida. Ecosystems in Everglades National Park
The park presently features nine unique and independent ecosystems. Below given are the six prominent ecosystems present in the Everglades National Park.
- Freshwater sloughs and marl prairies
- Tropical hardwood hammocks
- Pineland
- Cypress and mangrove
- Coastal lowlands
- Marine and estuarine
Activities in Everglades National Park
The park stretches across 1.5 million acres and there are many adventurous things to do. It is a perfect place for photography. You can go for hiking, birds watching, and see some of the rare Florida panthers. The peak season is from December to March. There are four visitor centers in the park. This also includes the Tamiami Trail in the west and the tram tours. The Ernest F Coe Visitor Center takes you around winding roads, prairies, and mangroves. Hiking tours often lead you to the Flamingo Visitor Center in the park. The Gulf Coast Visitor center gives access to a canoe tour through the waterways.
Camping is an important and popular activity in the Everglades National Park. There are various camping packages for adventure lovers. Visitors are allowed to camp in prohibited areas in the park with special permits. There are alone 234 camping sites near the Flamingo Visitor Center.
Admission to Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park Annual Pass - $25.00 Commercial Tour
The entrance fees to the park are charged based on the seating capacity of the vehicles.
- Motorcoach (26 or more passengers) - $200
- Minibus (16-25 passengers) - $100
- Van (7-15 passengers) - $75
- Sedan (1-6 passengers) - $25
Camping Fees at park campgrounds - $16.00 per night
Backcountry camping permits can only be issued 24 hrs in advance.
