Everglades National Park/Flamingo




Panoramic view of Everglades National Park



Snake Bite Trail - view of Florida Bay

I have wanted to take our RV to Everglades National Park for a long time…have been past the entrance numerous times while in Florida. So this time we found a two day window and drove our RV down there.

Be prepared for a LONG ride into Flamingo from the main road…from 9336 and 997 it is about 45 miles on a two lane…very uneventful. Route 41/Tamiami Trail is more eventful because at least you can see gator. I was surprised/shocked to see a visitors center/Pink at the end of the road just before the campgrounds AND a café. I expected after all that drive to have just a small parking lot for boat launching….no large parking lot AND café and small marina.



Panoramic view of Everglades coastal prairie



Mahogony Trail

The campground at flamingo is rather large with roughly 200 campsites in total. We had selected the relatively new area with electric (at $30 rather steep for no water at site). Our block of restrooms had no hot water in the showers (!!!!!) but for some reason they thought the tenting section needed hot water….so guess where we went. The facilities in Everglades National Park are “tired” and the bathrooms are no exception.



Anhinga/bird

For $80 (under 62 years old) you can get one year’s worth of free entrance to all national parks (and other fed places of interest); if you are over 62 you can have that same yearly entrance for a thrifty $10.

Do stop at “Robert is Here”, a produce stand” (no kidding that is the name) …it is on 9336 on the way into Flamingo (west of route 1). It is a happening place and you cannot miss it as the name is in huge letters on the roof. Make sure you get either a smoothie or a fruit milkshake; I can vouch that the strawberry milkshake and key lime milkshakes are fabulous!



Gators at rest/Anhinga Trail

We explored the nature trails closest to the campground via bicycle and found the following: Christian Bend Trail appeared to be little used and thus overgrown. We walked about a mile in on a single track trail and then it began to get narrower…too narrow and we turned around. Rowdy Bend Trail…we didn’t even walk in but judged by the entry.
Snake Bite Trail was our ticket 1.8 miles one way AND the great part was we could bike
All the way. I have a foot issue and biking is my solution. It was dappled light the whole way and a boardwalk at the end in the sun with views of the Florida Bay. Nice!



Yet to be named butterfly

We spent two nights in Everglades National Park. We headed out early the day we left
aiming to see the nature trails we could not reach by bike on the way. So we walked all the little .4 mile trails: West Lake, Mahogany Hammock, Pa-hay-okee, Pinelands, and Gumbo Limbo and .8 mile Anhinga Trail. You want to see gators up close? Walk the Anhinga trail.

All in all, we enjoyed our brief stay but probably won’t make that trip again. If I was an avid canoer or kayaker, I probably would….as long as the bugs were not bad. We were there during early March (a cold spell) so the bugs were not an issue for us…to my amazement (lucky us).