Flamingo
This former fishing village, situated on Florida Bay,
was isolated from the rest of Florida (except by boat)
until the park road was constructed in the late 1940s.
Most park visitors base their vacations here, staying in
the lodge's motel units or in housekeeping cabins. The
Coastal Prairie Trail is a former road, now for hikers
only, which threads along the coast of the bay for 7.5
miles (one-way) to Clubhouse Beach, where there is a
remote campsite. A short nature trail is found north of
the Flamingo Campground.
After checking in at the Lodge, visit the boat tour
desk to confirm your advance reservations, or to make a
reservation. The concession operates a variety of tours
that cruise the bay, or through the Buttonwood Canal to
Whitewater Bay, plus an overland tram tour on the Snake
Bight Trail. You can also rent a skiff, canoe, houseboat,
or bicycle from the concessionaire. Gasoline, propane,
and a limited selection of groceries and camping supplies
are sold at the Marina Store. Fishing charters are
available at the marina. Three meals a day are served in
the Flamingo Restaurant, and the adjacent lounge offers
potables. For lodging reservations, call the Flamingo
Lodge, Outpost and Marina Resort, at 800-600-3813.
Exploring the Western Everglades
Located 40 miles southwest of Naples, on the Gulf
Coast, Everglades City is the entrance point to
the western section of the park. Here is a park ranger
station, concession operations, and places to stay in
this town just outside the park boundary. The most
popular activity here is taking a boat tour through the
mangrove estuary. The tours last 1.5 hours, taking
visitors through the Ten Thousand Islands. For
reservations, call 800-445-7724 (Florida only), or (941)
695-2591. You may wish to rent a canoe here to explore
the islands, or the Wilderness Waterway which has
its northwestern terminus at Everglades City.
Canoes are available on the lower level of the visitor
center, where you'll find a snack bar and gift shop. A
canoe shuttle service is also available for those making
the one-way trip to Flamingo. Overnight lodging, plus a
private campground and RV park, are found in Everglades
City.
Another private campground, overnight accommodations,
a boat ramp, and gas station are found on Chokoloskee
Island. The historic Rod and Gun Club, now only a
place to eat, was originally the estate of William S.
Allen, the original pioneer settler of Everglades City,
and then a grandiose resort operated by banker and
developer Barron Collier (the namesake of
Collier-Seminole State Park). Hurricane Donna (1960) and
a fire in 1973 destroyed much of the resort, including
the motel unit. All that is left is the artifact-filled
dining facility, in the original resort building.
Hiking & Walking Trails
At Royal Palm Hammock
Two short nature trails provide a fine look at
wildlife, in addition to a walk through a real tropical
jungle. The Anhinga Trail, only one-half mile
long, offers the park's best points from which to see
wildlife close-up. The year-round water supply in this
area keeps Taylor Slough flowing during the driest winter
months, and you'll see many water birds including herons,
egrets, and moorhens. The anhinga, or water turkey, is a
member of the darter family, and is shaped and acts much
like a cormorant, except that the anhinga's long neck has
a decided twist. The female has a buff-colored neck. It
soars high and dives into the water, often swimming while
submerged, looking for its catch of the day.
The second trail (Gumbo Limbo) is only
one-third mile long, but takes you through the grove of
royal palms, and into a jungle environment where you'll
see at least 150 species of plants, including orchids,
ferns, several types of air plants, wild coffee, and
gumbo-limbo.
At Long Pine Key
Located south of the main park road, this recreation
site includes a campground, as well as the 7-mile Long
Pine Key Trail. The hike begins at the Long Pine
entrance road, and runs west to the main park road, after
passing Pine Glades Lake. This is quite a dry walk, using
old roadways. Much of the trail leads through groves of
pine, with saw palmetto providing most of the
undergrowth. You'll also see a lot of marlberry, plus
acacia, coco plum, and dahoon.
Another trail (3.6 miles) leads from a trailhead
reached from one of the entrances to the campground (Gate
3). Walk east 0.7 mile from the gate to reach the
beginning of the trail, then walk through the pine forest
and then turn right at Research Center Road, past a Boy
Scout camp property. Then turn right again at Gate 2B,
and in a half-mile you return to the campground.
As with all of the other trails in this flat park,
there are no arduous ups and downs, making the experience
enjoyable for children and seniors who find most
wilderness trails hard to manage because of elevation
changes.
Pinelands Trail
The trailhead is located two miles down the main park
road from the junction with the Long Pine Key access
road. Less than a half-mile long, this trail is a good
place to see the famed coontie, or Florida arrowroot,
growing on the limestone. Coontie was treasured by the
Colusa natives. The walk leads through another part of
the pine forest that covers this section of the park.
At Pa-hay-okee Overlook
Another short trail leads to an observation deck, for
a view of the wide expanse of sawgrass, and several other
basic plants of the glades. This is an interpretive trail
with signs pointing out the significant elements of this
typical Everglades environment.
At Mahogany Hammock
The primary vegetation changes from pine to mahogany.
A boardwalk trail reaches the hammock and runs through
the grove of large mahogany trees, festooned with seed
capsules.
At Noble Hammock
This is primarily a place to put in your canoe for the
short canoe route, but there is a short trail with water
views.
At West Lake
Another canoe route starting point and boat ramp are
at this site, located farther south along the main park
road. A short boardwalk trail is located here. This trail
takes you near different types of mangroves.
Snake Bight Trail
Near West Lake, this trail leads south from the park
road for 1.6 miles through a hammock. A canal left over
from earlier days runs beside the trail, providing a
habitat for many birds. Vegetation along the route
includes cacti of the climbing type, and air plants,
along with hardwood trees. The trail runs to mudflats
along Florida Bay and a fine view from the boardwalk.
This is more of a roadway than a rough trail, connecting
with the Rowdy Bend Trail. It is also used by cyclists
and tour buses.
Rowdy Bend Trail
This 2.6-mile trail leads through a thick, dank
buttonwood forest. You'll have to duck to miss hitting
tree branches. Those who avoid mosquitoes at all costs
should not even think about walking this trail.
Christian Point Trail
Just over a mile in length, this trail leads from the
park road (walk south) across a sliver of coastal prairie
to meet Florida Bay. Here, you can view the islands in
the bay as from the end of Snake Bight Trail, but from a
different angle.
Bear Lake Trail
To reach the trailhead for this 1.2-mile walking
trail, drive off the park road along a gravel access road
that parallels the Buttonwood Canal. This is also a
portage route between the canal and Bear Lake. The trail
leads beside the canal, through hardwoods and black
mangroves, to its end at the point where the canal meets
Bear Lake. The entrance road to this trail is very close
to Flamingo.
Eco Pond Trail
At Flamingo, this half-mile trail is found to the
north of the park campground. The small pond attracts
hundreds of birds, particularly during the sunset hours.
Look for egrets and ibis.
Coastal Prairie Trail
This trail was carved when Flamingo was a fishing
village. Originally a road, it extends 7.5 miles
(one-way) to the Clubhouse Beach campsite. The trail is
also used by cyclists. During the wetter months, it pays
to inquire at the ranger station as to the state of this
trail. After rains, it is often muddy and critters become
more of a problem than at dryer times. It leads through
buttonwoods, with figs, poisonwood, a variety of grasses,
and sedges.
At Shark Valley
Two short trails are available at the Shark Valley
information center, just off the Tamiami Trail (Highway
41), at the northern edge of the national park. The
Bobcat Boardwalk Trail leads one-third mile across small
islands covered with wax myrtle and willows, plus the
magnificent leather fern, North America's largest fern.
The even shorter Otter Trail offers an interpretive route
to several limestone depressions.
Cycling in the Park
Shark Valley
The Shark Valley Tram Tour Road is open to cycling,
and bicycles may be rented from the tour operator. The
visitor center is at the junction of Highway 41 (Tamiami
Trail) and the tram road. The tram makes a 14-mile loop
from the visitor center. At the halfway point, riders get
off the open-sided busses to visit an observation tower.
The platform at the top of the tower provides a
spectacular panorama of the sawgrass river as it slowly
flows through Shark Valley Slough. Birds and alligators
are also in view. Cyclists may choose to do the route on
their own or rented bikes.
Snake Bight Trail
This old roadway provides an excellent bike route,
leading from the main park road just above Flamingo, to
the mudflats on Florida Bay. At the end is a boardwalk
observation point. The trail extends 1.6 miles.
Coastal Prairie Trail
Another old road from the days when egret hunters
lived in Flamingo village and almost decimated the
species, the trail leads 7.5 miles to an overnight
camping spot on Clubhouse Beach.
At Long Pine Key
This site, near the western park entrance, provides
several opportunities for biking, including the Long Pine
Key Trail (7 miles, one-way), along old rough roads. This
trail offers a loop ride, with the return trip on the
main park road and the Long Pine Key entrance road. A
short trail from the campground leads to Research Center
Road, a paved route that leads west to the Daniel Beard
Center and the South Florida Research Center.
Canoe Routes
Canoeing is the only way to fully explore the wonders
of the Everglades, and the park is a canoeists paradise.
One could spend more than a month paddling through the
glades, including the 100-mile Wilderness Waterway, which
stretches in a winding route from Flamingo to Everglades
City, along the western reaches of the park. Shorter
canoe routes, including several loops, are also
available. Remote campsites and open-sided wooden
chickees provide places to stay during your canoeing
adventures. We begin this list of the canoe routes,
starting with the put-in points along the main park road.
Nine Mile Pond Canoe Trail
Two-thirds of the way along the park road is the
starting point for this loop route, which begins and ends
in the sawgrass waterway between Taylor Slough and Shark
River Slough. This is a mucky environment, with mangrove
islands along the way. The trail can be paddled in a long
day.
Noble Hammock Canoe Loop
This circular route starts and ends along the main
park road, two miles past the Nine Mile Pond access
point. This route is only two miles long, perfect for
novice canoeists or those who have to worry about time.
The route is taken over creeks and ponds ringed with
mangroves.
Hells Bay Canoe Trail
This route, found just beyond Noble Hammock, can be
done as a day trip or as the start of as many days'
canoeing as you wish to do. The actual Hells Bay route
leads 5.5 miles (one-way) through mangrove swamps, creeks
and ponds. A third of the way along the route is the Lard
Can chickee, and the Hells Bay Chickee is at the end of
the formal route. The Pearl Bay Chickee is just north of
the main route, from the halfway point. You may wish to
continue west from Hells Bay into Whitewater Bay and
paddle south to Flamingo, but nautical charts should be
consulted before proceeding farther. In fact, charts
should be obtained before attempting any of the longer
canoe trails, including this one.
West Lake Canoe Trail
This 7.7-mile route leads in a southeast direction to
a primitive campsite at Garfield Bight, on Florida Bay.
From the put-in point, off the main park road above
Flamingo, the early part of the route leads east beside
the south shore of West Lake, and then through a channel
into Long Lake. The route continues through smaller lakes
before curving south through creeks lined with mangroves,
and then makes a long curve west to reach Garfield Bight.
Evening views of Florida Bay and its keys are simply
magnificent.
Mud Lake Canoe Trail
Flamingo is a prime venturing point for canoeists and
this route provides one of the most popular day trips in
the Flamingo area. This is a long day's paddle, 8.4
miles, starting at the Flamingo dock, into the Buttonwood
Canal. After two miles you approach the Homestead Canal.
After a portage of 300 feet, paddle west. The Mud Lake
Canoe Trail turns right (north) through a narrow channel,
crosses Mud Lake, then passes through another narrow
channel leading to Coot Bay. The route turns east after
reaching the bay. If you keep close to the southern end
of the bay and continue in a clockwise direction, you'll
arrive at the northern end of the Buttonwood Canal for
your return to Flamingo. Coot Bay is well-named. You'll
see coots as well as ibis along the shore, and on Mud
Lake. Frogs are heard croaking along the route.
Bear Lake Canoe Trail
As with the Mud Lake route, this one starts at the
Flamingo dock, goes up the Buttonwood Canal, with the
same 300-foot portage to the Homestead Canal. Instead of
turning right after reaching Bear Lake, continue west on
the Homestead Canal around the north shore of Bear Lake.
The canal joins Florida Bay at the East Cape campsite,
after a total distance of 15.4 miles. The canoe trail is
marked with numbered markers. Gator Lake campsite is
located between markers 10 and 11. Another campsite, at
Raulerson's Marsh, is at marker 17. The route then turns
into East Cape Canal (at marker 18) for the final
southward portion of the trip to Florida Bay. The
campsite is 1.1 miles west of the end of the canal.
Wildlife is plentiful along this route during the winter
months: herons, snowy egrets, white ibis, coots, wigeons,
and many other water birds. You may also see one or more
Florida water snakes on the canals in the Flamingo area,
particularly in the eastern end of the Homestead Canal.
Turner River Canoe Trail
This canoe route is in the northwestern corner of the
park, near Everglades City. Put-in points are at
Chokoloskee Island (at the south end of State Route 29,
south of the town), and on the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41).
This northern entrance is found just east of, and across
the highway from, the junction with Road 839 in the Big
Cypress National Preserve. The best way to do this easy
day-trip is to put-in at the Tamiami Trail and paddle
down the river to its mouth in the national park. From
there, it's a short distance to the park's western
headquarters.
Wilderness
Waterway
The 99 miles of paddling or cruising between
Everglades City and Flamingo are among the nation's
finest water journeys, and the best route for exploration
of the remote areas of the park. Canoeing parties should
plan to spend up to ten days (a minimum of seven) on the
waterway, while those with motorboats can do the trip in
one long day or two easy days, but this doesn't allow
much time for relaxed wildlife viewing. Obviously, with
so much territory to cover, planning is essential.
Navigation charts should be purchased in advance (a few
days before your trip, if possible) at one of the visitor
centers (at the eastern park entrance, Flamingo, or
Everglades City).
Then, there is food to think about, as well as the
right clothing to take along, and where to make your
overnight stays along the route. Campsites are located on
land, on old Indian mounds, along beaches, in forested
areas, and on single or double chickees built over the
water. Permits are required. They are free, and available
at the ranger stations in Everglades City and Flamingo.
You may wish to explore the channels off the main
waterway route, and to stay at one of more than a dozen
remote campsites and chickees in the park interior.
During the heavily-traveled season (December through
March), canoeists may wish to escape the main waterway to
find the serene silence of the park at one of these more
remote locations. A useful guide to these campsites and
chickees is the colorful chart listing all of the canoe
routes and land trails in the southern part of the park,
including the areas around Whitewater Bay.
Park rangers and visitors who have traveled the
waterway suggest that the trip is most enjoyable if
canoes travel in pairs. This not only provides company
during the long paddle, but offers a measure of security
that is not available if you are one canoe, alone. An
option is to rent a motorized canoe, preferably an
18-footer with the square stern made to take an outboard
motor (preferably six-horsepower). This takes a lot of
the physical stress out of reaching the more remote
campsites and chickees. This method of travel also cuts
down the days necessary to navigate the entire route. The
park concessionaire at Everglades City has a canoe
shuttle service to return the canoe from the end of the
route at Flamingo.
Except in one or two hard-to-spot locations, all
entrances to channels are easy to spot, thanks to a
series of signs placed along the route, by the park
(along the northern part of the route), and by the Coast
Guard (from Oyster Bay to Flamingo). Consult the ranger
station before you leave from your starting point on
possible difficult channels. One location to ask about is
the so-called "Nightmare" section north of Oyster Bay,
where gauging the tide is important. Low tides sometimes
make this section impossible to navigate and an alternate
route may be advisable. Otherwise, the trip should cause
no such difficulties.
The route leads down rivers, across wide bays, through
narrow creeks and channels, and through huge mangrove
swamps. Along the way you'll have access to beaches and
hammocks. At about the halfway point, the trail leads
along the Gulf Coast. North of Flamingo, the waterway
leads down the middle of Whitewater Bay.
The preferred direction seems to be from Everglades
City to Flamingo. This means that you'll encounter park
waterway markers reading from No. 130 (at Everglades
City), to No. 1 (at Oyster Bay), and the Coast Guard
markers from No. 48 to No. 1. All the marker signs are
clearly shown on the navigation charts. I have been told
that those who hate to count backwards can take the trip
from Flamingo to avoid "Numerical Stress Syndrome."
Everglades City to Chatham River
The start of the trip is at the park ranger station in
Chokoloskee Bay. The waterway cuts around the edge of
Chokoloskee Island. At marker 1230, you have the choice
of two routes around the island. One takes the western
shore of the island, the other a more sheltered route,
passing under the island causeway. The mouth of the
Turner River is at marker 129. The route then passes
across open water, sheltered by the Ten Thousand Islands
to the west. In just under six miles, the trail reaches
the Lopez River. A campsite is located at the nine-mile
mark. Continuing up the river, lined with mangroves, the
route turns southwest and through a series of bays
(Sunday, Oyster, Huston, and Last Huston) before reaching
the Chatham River (marker 99), 18.5 miles from the start
of the trip. The Sunday Bay Chickee is located on the
east side of the bay. Watson Place campsite is located
1.5 miles down the Chatham River, off the main waterway
which continues southwest. The Sweetwater chickees are
located east of marker 97 (before reaching the Chatham
River), two miles off the route.
Chatham River to Rogers River Bay
The main route continues from marker 99, leading
through Chevalier Bay (keeping to the left shore),
arriving at Darwin's Place campsite. This was the
homestead of Arthur Leslie Darwin, a hermit who was said
to be a distant relation to the more famous Charles.
Darwin stayed here from the late 1930s until 1971. Past
the campsite, mangroves are seen in Cannon Bay, with
marker 81 at the entrance to Tarpon Bay. This small body
of water is joined to Alligator Bay by one of the
hard-to-find channels, Alligator Creek (markers No. 77 to
No. 75). This shallow, curving creek is flanked by
mangroves. The route runs across the eastern side of
Alligator Bay, crosses the smaller Dad's Bay, and then
runs along Plate Creek to Plate Creek Bay. The Plate
Creek Chickee is a particularly scenic place for an
overnight stay. One mile past marker No. 63 is the
Lostmans Five Bay campsite. The trail cuts through a
channel to Two Island Bay, passing Onion Kee at marker
No. 58. There was a community on the island, destroyed by
a 1926 hurricane. You travel on Lostmans River, reaching
Big Lostmans Bay at marker 42. Marker 38 provides an
opportunity to veer off the main route, into Lostmans
Creek and a two-mile side trip to Rock Creek Bay, where
you'll find the Willy Willy campsite. The Rogers River
Bay chickee is found by traveling one mile west from
marker 32.
Rogers River Bay to Harney River
From marker 32, the route leads three miles to Broad
River Bay (marker 26), with the possibility of another
meandering side-trip to Camp Lonesome, a campsite on the
Broad River (three miles). The main waterway route
continues to the Broad River route to the Gulf of Mexico
(turn west, into the river, at marker 26). The Broad
River campsite is 6.5 miles downriver, and the gulf is
another 8.5 miles. This is the trickiest part of the
whole canoe route, the narrow channel known as The
Nightmare. It is basically a path through a thick
mangrove swamp, impassable at low tide, and infested by
mosquitoes and other critters. To avoid this bug trap,
take the detour that leads south via the Broad River.
Then go south along the shore to Harney River (five
miles), and then take the Harney River for four miles to
marker 12 (Harney River chickee location). The marked
main route leads out of The Nightmare, along the coast,
and up Broad Creek to reach the Harney River at the
chickee.
Harney River Chickee to Oyster Bay
Paddle to marker 11 and then turn east (right) and go
via the Harney River to marker 9 (5.5 miles). The main
route turns (right) onto the Shark River, and the Shark
River chickee (marker 6) is 4.5 miles from the turn. You
could choose to take a sidetrip across Tarpon Bay to the
Canepatch campground, a distance of four miles. This is
an especially rewarding diversion from the main route,
paddling into fresh water areas with quite different
vegetation from the mangrove swamps.
You'll see many more mangroves along the sides of the
Shark River, as the main route continues toward Oyster
Bay. Passing the Shark River Chickee, the route offers a
real river trip, with numerous fish, including tarpon,
sea trout, snapper, and several species of small sharks.
The chickee is past marker 6, on the Little Shark River.
At marker 5, turn from the river into Shark Cutoff, the
channel that leads to Oyster Bay. Marker 2 denotes the
end of the park marker system. You'll see the first of
the Coast Guard markers (No. 48) just ahead. One set of
markers leads you directly to the Gulf, a distance of
about six miles. The main waterway route follows the
Coast Guard markers from No. 48 to No. 1, at Flamingo.
Oyster Bay to Flamingo
The final 25 miles to Flamingo and Florida Bay is
pretty well a straight route starting in Oyster Bay, and
then down the middle of Whitewater Bay, using the gap
(Midway Cut) between the two large islands in the middle
of the bay, on Tarpon Creek, then across Coot Bay, and
finally through the Buttonwood Canal to the bay, with the
Flamingo dock a few minutes to the west of the canal. The
Oyster Bay double chickee is a mile southwest of marker
48. From marker 50, the route covers 18 miles to its end.
Remote chickees are located on the east and west sides
of Whitewater Bay. Joe River chickee is on the west side,
4 miles from the Oyster Bay chickee. Another chickee
(South Joe) is located at the southwest corner of the
bay, a distance of 6 miles from the Joe River chickee.
Taking this route enables canoeists to follow the Joe
River, on a secluded riparian path. To veer eastward from
the main route to explore the other side of Whitewater
Bay, there are two chickees in the northeastern section
of the bay (Watson River and North River). More remote
chickees are located off the eastern shore of the bay,
reached through mangrove channels. These (from north to
south) are Roberts River chickee, Lane Bay chickee, and
Hells Bay chickee. Pearl Bay chickee and Lard Can chickee
can be reached by meandering routes from Whitewater Bay,
but can also be reached (more easily) by taking the Hells
Bay Canoe Trail, with the put-in point along the main
park road.
This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, full of
natural wonder, with abundant wildlife to be seen. There
are several superb (but easy) river jaunts, time spent in
thick mangrove swamps, opportunities to stop to climb the
mound of a hardwood hammock. Deep water is rarely seen;
the average depth of the route is less than seven feet.
This means that amphibians and other water-loving animals
are found all along the waterway's path: turtles,
alligators, lots of snails, frogs, and the sometimes-seen
mam
als, including raccoons and bottle-nosed dolphins. The
bird life of this region is spectacular. Anhingas plunge
into the water, pelicans, terns, and fish crows are
joined by the wading birds: egrets, herons, ibis.
Sandpipers are found along the shores, and ducks among
the mangroves. Because fresh water and salt water mix
throughout the journey, birds which frequent both
ecosystems converge in the western Everglades. Raptors
flying overhead include ospreys and red-shouldered hawks.
In addition to the fish already mentioned, anchovy are in
good supply, along with striped mullet, snook, and
killifish, plus the ten species of small sharks,
including hammerheads.
