Everglades National Park is one of the most distinctive and ecologically important landscapes in the United States. Spanning approximately 1.5 million acres across southern Florida, it protects the largest subtropical wilderness in the country. 

Often referred to as the “River of Grass,” the Everglades is not a traditional river but a slow-moving sheet of freshwater flowing from Lake Okeechobee south toward Florida Bay. This steady flow shapes the park’s diverse habitats, including sawgrass marshes, cypress domes, mangrove forests, hardwood hammocks, and coastal estuaries.

The park is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife. Alligators and American crocodiles coexist here, along with manatees, dolphins, wading birds, turtles, and the endangered Florida panther. Seasonal water levels dramatically influence where animals gather, making the dry season especially rewarding for wildlife viewing.

Unlike many national parks with a single central entrance, the Everglades is divided into multiple regions, including Shark Valley, the Homestead area, and the Gulf Coast. Visitors explore by car, bike, boat, or boardwalk trail. Whether biking the Shark Valley Loop, walking the Anhinga Trail, or watching sunset over Florida Bay in Flamingo, Everglades National Park offers a vast, wild landscape unlike anywhere else in North America.