Everglades National Park, Florida

Everglades National Park is located in southern Florida. I visited in February, which is during the dry season.
The park was established in 1947. It covers 1.5 million acres of wetland and more.
I was surprised to find that it isn't all wetland - there were forests and lots of trees too througout the park.
An even some land that looked like plains.
The further south we went the more brackish the water became as we got closer to the ocean.
Mangroves, a shrub or tree that lives in salty, brackish water, also became more common.
And in the southern most area there's the ocean.
The park is accessible via car - we drove through it, stopping at various stops along the way.
There's lots of wildlife and fauna - I'd definitely recommend going!

Everglades National Park, located in southern Florida, is a location that I’ve been to twice. I went there in February 2008, during the dry season, and then again during December 2025, also during the dry season. When I went, what struck me was how many different types of fauna you can go through. I had it in my head it was just wetlands, but there also were little forests, dry plains and, closer to the coast, marine settings. While it doesn’t have the striking beauty of one of the national parks in the Rockies or Alaska, it holds its own for its biodiversity. The park was founded in 1947, and parts of it are easily accessible by road – we entered through the Homestead entrance closest to Miami and visited the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. From there, we took the Main Park Road all the way to the ocean and back. The Anhinga Trail is a great place to see alligators in the winter.

Animal Sightings

Sighting #1

What: American Alligator

When: February 2008

Where: Everglades National Park.

How: Via car, driving along the Main Park Road from the Homestead entrance down to the ocean and back.

Of note: I saw alligators in multiple locations along the drive, almost anywhere there was a body of water, but to see several at once, check out the Anhinga Trail near the entrance.

Can you count how many alligators are in the photo above or in the one below?

Sighting #2

What:American Crocodile

When: December 2025

Where: Everglades National Park, Flamingo, Florida

Of note: This was the only crocodile I saw after two trips to Everglades National Park. They are frequently seen down in Flamingo near the southernmost part of the park. Look for a small bridge over the marina canal – that’s where I spotted this one, who was basking slighty downstream near the mangroves.