Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park

ByChris Cagle

Everglades National Park is a vast wetland system located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, covering an area of approximately 1.5 million acres. It is a unique and complex ecosystem unlike anywhere else in the US. It is home to a diverse array of plant and animal species, including alligators, crocodiles, panthers, and various species of birds.

The Everglades is characterized by its slow-moving rivers, marshes, and wetlands, which are fed by a shallow and wide freshwater river known as the “River of Grass.” The ecosystem is crucial for the survival of many species, as well as for the economic and recreational benefits it provides to humans.

Unfortunately, the Everglade’s ecosystem has been significantly impacted by human activities over the last century. Drainage and development changes in surrounding areas have caused significant damage to the park’s ecosystem. Efforts are being made by the NPS to restore and protect the Everglades, including the implementation of various conservation and restoration projects.

VISIT Everglades National Park:

Park Details

Everglades National Park was established on May 30, 1934, and has a total area of 1,508,968 acres (2,358 square miles, or 6,109 square kilometers).

Address 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, FL, 33034
Phone305 242-7700
Hours365 days a year, 24 hours a day
Entrance Fee$30 per vehicle, valid for 7 days
Learn MoreOfficial Website

When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation

Everglades National Park is the 67th most visited park in the country.

We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Everglades National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Everglades National Park is.

Our data shows the best months to visit Everglades National Park are January, December, February & November.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Park Visits123,52893,81282,01694,69395,63297,09274,37057,17544,67350,17337,19261,542
Precipitation222322234988658389571916
Avg Temp788082868989909089878379
Max Temp858689929595969694928986
Avg Temp575860636973757574696359
Min Temp323541495968717169554737
Temperature values in °F; Precipitation in Inches

Everglades National Park Road Trips

Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Everglades National Park is visited.

Trip NameTrip MilesTrip Days
Biscayne, Everglades & Big Cypress via Miami747

Other Nearby National Park Sites

From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Everglades National Park.

NameDistance
Big Cypress National Preserve38 mi
Biscayne National Park58 mi
Dry Tortugas National Park130 mi
De Soto National Memorial186 mi
Canaveral National Seashore238 mi

Nearby Campsites & RV Parks

If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Everglades National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.

NameDetailsMiles Away
Flamingo - Everglades National ParkFL more 12 miles
Long Pine Key - Everglades National ParkFL more 19 miles
Long Key State ParkLayton, FL more 35 miles
John Pennekamp - Coral Reef State ParkKey Largo, FL more 35 miles
Larry and Penny Thompson ParkMiami, FL more 38 miles
Curry Hammock State ParkMarathon, FL more 40 miles
Monument Lake - Big Cypress National PreserveOchopee, FL more 40 miles
Marathon MilitaryMarathon, FL more 43 miles
Burns Lake - Big Cypress National PreserveOchopee, FL more 44 miles

Nearest Ski Resorts

For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Everglades National Park:

None Found.

Nearest Airports

When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Everglades National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.

Large Airports

A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Everglades National Park.

NameCodeCityDistance
Miami International AirportMIAMiami, FL52 mi
Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International AirportFLLFort Lauderdale, FL71 mi
Southwest Florida International AirportRSWFort Myers, FL98 mi
Palm Beach International AirportPBIWest Palm Beach, FL108 mi
Tampa International AirportTPATampa, FL208 mi
Orlando International AirportMCOOrlando, FL216 mi
Orlando Sanford International AirportSFBOrlando, FL240 mi
Medium Airports

A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Everglades National Park.

NameCodeCityDistance
Key West International AirportEYWKey West, FL74 mi
Charlotte County AirportPGDPunta Gorda, FL129 mi
Sarasota Bradenton International AirportSRQSarasota/Bradenton, FL175 mi
Melbourne Orlando International AirportMLBMelbourne, FL193 mi
St Petersburg Clearwater International AirportPIESt Petersburg-Clearwater, FL209 mi
Daytona Beach International AirportDABDaytona Beach, FL267 mi
Gainesville Regional AirportGNVGainesville, FL313 mi

Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.