The Everglades National Park is a national park in the state Florida the United States. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
background
River of Grass (Grass river) Stoneman Douglas called the slowly flowing river in the 1940s. The terrain has a gradient of only 5 m over 100 km. The water therefore only flows at a speed of around 30 m per day and it takes 40 years to reach the Gulf of Mexico. The national park is threatened because the growing cities Miami and Fort Lauderdale need more and more land and water. Most of the 1.5 million tourists a year come from here. That was the reason the National Park was expanded eastwards in 1989. The eastern Shark River Slough, an important area of high biological abundance and diversity, was protected. Since then, in a project that will take 30 years to restore the originality of the ecosystem by dismantling canals and locks. The National Park was created in 1942. Today we have to restore or maintain the balance between people's need for water and nature.
The water comes from the rain that falls in the Kissimmee River Basin. The water flows south into the large but only 3-4 m deep Okeechobee Lake. From there it flows leisurely in the shallow "River of Grass" into the mangroves of the Gulf of Mexico. The river is only 30-90 cm deep and in some places 180 cm deep. It is only supplied with water from May to October. This is followed by a dry period to which the animals and plants in the park have adapted. Natural fires have long played a role in this unique ecosystem. The vegetation depends on the depth of the water and the height of the small islands in the river. Small differences in height require different vegetation. Pine trees grow only 90-200 cm above sea level.
getting there
By plane
- 1 Miami International Airport (IATA: MIA)
In the street
- To the Shark Valley Visitors Center You can get from Miami via the US-41 and from Miami Airport first via the Lejeune Road to the south and then via the US-41 to the west.
- From Fort Lauderdale you drive on the I-95 and in Miami on the US-41. The US-41 will later too Tamiami Trail called.
mobility
Tourist Attractions
- In Shark Valley you can park your car and explore the surrounding part of the national park on trails or with a tram bus. The alligators lie tired on the paths in the sun. Herons and other large and small birds sit in the bushes. Fish that are eaten by the alligators and turtles swim in the channel. You can also see ospreys (fish eagles). Although the alligators seem very sleepy, you shouldn't venture too close.
- A few hundred meters away from US-41, a street turns left. This is the Scenic Loop. At the beginning it is still paved but then turns into a good dirt road that leads back to the US-41 at Monroe Station. It is advisable to drive this road and stop more often and take a closer look at nature.
There are four visitor centers in the park
- 1 Ernest Coe Visitor Center, Homestead. Tel.: 1 305-242-7700. This year-round center features educational exhibits, orientation films, information brochures, and a number of hiking trails just a short drive away. A bookstore selling film, postcards, and insect repellent. Toilets are available.Open: Nov-Apr: 8: 00-17: 00; May-Oct: 9:00 am-5:00pm.
- 2 Flamingo Visitor Center, flamingo. Tel.: 1 239-695-2945. Educational displays, information brochures, backcountry permits, and toilets. Public boat ramps are also nearby. Several hiking and canoeing trails start nearby. There is a campsite that is open (call 1 305 501-2852 for information), but no more accommodation is available in 2018 due to damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005.Open: Usually 8: 30-17: 00 from mid-November to mid-April, times may vary in summer.
- 3 Shark Valley Visitor Center, Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail). Tel.: 1 305-221-8776. In the heart of the "river of grass", with educational exhibitions, information brochures and tram tours. Bicycles can be rented in the center. Books, postcards, films, insect repellants, and other items can be sold. Vending machines dispense snacks and soft drinks. Toilets are available.Open: daily 8: 45–17: 15 in winter, 9: 15–17: 15 in summer.
- 4 Gulf Coast Visitor Center, Everglades City. Tel.: 1 239-695-3311. The gateway to exploring the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands and waterways that stretches to the Flamingo and Florida Bay. Offers educational exhibits, orientation films, information brochures, boat tours and canoe rentals. Inland permits available. Restaurants, shops, accommodations and campsites are nearby. Toilets are available.Open: daily, 8: 00-16: 30 in winter; 9: 00-16: 30 in summer.
plants
Animals
Birds
Birds of prey, storks, waterfowl and others live on and in the open water of the Everglades.
Mammals
Red deer live in the park's forests and can occasionally be seen.
Reptiles
The alligators mostly hunt their prey in the water and then eat it on land. People only attack them when they feel threatened.
activities
- In Everglades City there are various operators who offer boat tours in the Everglades.
- Royal Palm and Anhinga Trail. The best area for viewing wildlife, especially in the dry season. The "Glades" are a huge, shallow, slow-flowing river of grass that stretches from Lake Okeechobee in the north to Florida Bay and east to west for almost the entire width of the state. During the dry season (winter to May, depending on the year) it dries out to the deeper parts. From the main trail, the anhinga are two very productive game areas as they stay wet all year round. If you are bringing children and child adults with you, please instruct them to "walk quietly and speak quietly" so that they do not frighten the shy animals. You will likely see alligators, great blue herons, anhingas, crested cormorants, garfish, perch, talapia (and other fish), various hard- and soft-shelled turtles, snow herons, three-colored herons, green herons - and you might see one or more of the following animals see: deer, stilts, white herons, bitterns, wimpy tails, purple gallines, avocets, pink spoonbills, ibis, wood storks, snail kites (Everglades kites), sand hill cranes (along the dry bed before you get to the Anhinga Trail) and many other species - and if you are very lucky, a Florida panther. Take your time, bring your binoculars and camera, and enjoy the wildlife and natural beauty. It's also fascinating to come at night when the alligators are feeding. Guided tours by the rangers are often offered and can be very interesting as they are usually very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna and can spot more wildlife than you do yourself.
- Manatees and alligators at the Flamingo Arena. At low tide, crocodiles can usually be seen basking from the boat docks on the muddy shores opposite the small harbor at low tide. One of the better places to look, especially if you don't have binoculars, is on either side of the dam behind the port warehouse. Here, too, rangers often give crocodile lectures. When the tide is higher, crocodiles can still be seen swimming around in the waters of the marina. Manatees can also be seen protruding their noses and backs out of the water (which is usually not clear enough to get a full view of their bodies). The best view is when they come to the edge between the docks to eat the floating grass that has accumulated there.
- Flamingo Lodge, Marina, and Outpost Resort. Tel.: 1 305 280-4812. Offers boat tours of the Florida Bay and Whitewater Bay areas of the park. Boat tours and canoe rentals are based on the "first come, first served" principle. Tickets for tours can be purchased at the Flamingo Marina Store, while kayak and canoe rentals are only available in the early morning of each day. Visitors are strongly advised to telephone to inquire about current timetables and prices. This is also one of the better places to see the American crocodiles, which can often be found on the canal bank across from the marina store.
shop
kitchen
There is a restaurant near Shark Valley on US-41.
Everglades City has a couple of great seafood restaurants that serve local dishes, including fried alligators.
accommodation
Hotels can be found in Miami or Fort Lauderdale but also in Homestead and Florida City
There are no overnight accommodations within the national park, unless you include the "eco tents" (permanent box-shaped accommodation) on the Flamingo campsite (see below).
Camps in the park
- Long Pine Key Campground. 6 miles from the Ernest Coe Visitor Center. A popular campsite in a pretty pine forest (although the trees are lean and offer little shade). Reservations for RV sites are accepted. Campsites are only available in the order in which they arrive. Facilities are in various stages of decay, but there are solar-powered hot showers (may not work as well at night), flush toilets, and potable water. This campsite is known for having far fewer stinging insects than the flamingo, but there are still some (even in the dry season).Price: $ 25.
- Flamingo Campground. Located near the Flamingo Visitor Center on the Florida Bay coast. Generally a more relaxed and less crowded campsite than Long Pine Key. Reservations are accepted. Solar hot showers are included (but may not work at night), as well as flush toilets and drinking water. About a 20-minute walk from the Flamingo Visitor Center, marina and grocery store (open until 7pm in high season). This campsite is known for having a lot of mosquitoes even in the dry season. If you are camping in a tent, choose a spot in the tent area on the shore of the bay, where the wind can sometimes keep mosquitos away.Price: $ 25.
Outside the park
security
- The american alligator can be a very dangerous predator, but it rarely attacks humans. Avoid contact with alligators during the mating season and nothing will happen to you. It is extremely common in the Everglades, and it is estimated that there are more than 1 million alligators in Florida alone - more than all other crocodile populations combined - so caution should always be exercised. Take these numbers and measure them by the number of people swimming in Florida's rivers each year and you will find that the likelihood of attack is very small. On the other hand, if people swam as much in the rivers of northern Australia as they did in the rivers of Florida, they would suffer hundreds or thousands of deaths from crocodiles each year. The alligator grows up to 4.50 m tall, although it is extremely rare for this species to see individuals over 4 m tall.
- American crocodiles exist in some parts of the Everglades and can grow significantly larger than their alligator relatives. However, they are very rare and only found in significant numbers in a few isolated areas along the south coast. There are no officially documented attacks on humans in Florida by this species, mainly due to its poor distribution (there are an estimated between 500 and 1000 crocodiles in Florida). They are known to grow up to 6 meters in length in Costa Rica, but crocodiles 4.50 meters in length are considered large in Florida. This kind can be how Crocodylus porosus, found at sea and occasionally swims between islands in the Caribbean and Florida.
- Mosquitoes: What mosquito species in the Everglades lack in size, they make up for in quantity. During the summer months, the mosquitoes are abundant, which includes descriptions that they are dense enough to suffocate cattle and light lanterns. If you are not prepared, they can make a visit to the flamingo unbearable. The use of insecticides is restricted. Information on mosquito levels is available during the summer by calling 1 305-242-7700 (8: 30-16: 00).
