Everglades National Park is known for its expansive wetlands and rich biodiversity, making it one of the most unique ecosystems in the world.

When you think of US National Parks you may think of the otherworldly mountain landscapes like in Zion or Yosemite. The Florida Everglades are quite the opposite, yet so beautiful in its own way. 

The highest point in the park is just 8 feet above sea level! For what the park lacks in height, it sure makes up for in wildlife.

Everglades National Park is home to 350 bird species, 40 types of mammals, and a diverse range of reptiles and fish. Including the American Alligator and Crocodile.

Last year my partner and I took a week long trip around southern Florida beginning in Orlando and venturing all the way down to the Keys.

One of the most memorable days on our trip was definitely the day we spent at the Everglades.

One day may not seem like a lot of time, but honestly I would say that it’s really all you need. Most of the hikes are really short and other than that it’s mostly just driving around the park to look at things.

So if you’re also planning on spending only one day in the Everglades, I hope you get some inspiration from this article! 

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Homestead Entrance of Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park has a few different entrance points. This one day itinerary will begin and end in the Homestead Entrance which is the most popular and main entrance to the park.

This is where you’ll find all the main hikes and viewpoints. The Homestead Entrance is the most easily accessible for visitors.

Driving Through the Everglades

The main road through the park begins at the entrance gate and ends in a small town called Flamingo. It is about a 45 minute drive one way not including any stops.

Below I am outlining the itinerary we took through the park. The first 4 stops are all on the way to Flamingo, then we drove straight to the town for lunch. Because this drive is an out and back route, after Flamingo you will come back the way you came and hit any other attractions on your way out that you missed the first time around.

The drive through the park is incredibly scenic so I know you won’t mind driving through it twice. 

With that all being said, it really doesn’t matter what order you take all these stops in. You can hit them in any order you want.

The stops I’m including in this itinerary are just what I consider to be the best places in the park and spots that you shouldn’t miss on your trip to the Everglades. 

1. Hike the Anhinga Trail

Near the entrance of the National Park, you will find the Anhinga Trail. This hike is flat, paved, and only 0.8 miles. The trailhead begins at the Royal Palm Visitor Center.

Since this is the first trail after the entrance gate, it tends to be a little more crowded than other hikes in the park. However, it still became one of my favorite trails for more reasons than one.

As you make your way to the back of the Visitor Center to the trailhead, you will see a large pond full of bright green lily pads. There is nothing else like it in the Everglades so I really consider it a must-see.

The trail continues around small bodies of water full of lily pads and you’ll spot an abundance of wildlife. 

We saw turtles and fish in the water, all different kinds of birds in the trees, and we even saw two alligators. This was my first time seeing an alligator so it was a special experience for me. 

I’m honestly surprised we saw gators because of all the people that were on this trail when we were there. There’s no guarantee that you’ll also see one when you hike this trail, but it does seem like a pretty good place for them to hangout.

2. Hike the Pineland Trail

This National Park starts off strong because this is another one of my favorite trails in the Everglades and it’s located just a short drive from the Anhinga Trail at the beginning of the park. 

The Pineland Trail is a short and quick 0.4 mile walk that takes you through two distinct forests. 

You’ll begin walking through an abundant slash pine forest where the subtropical plant, saw palmetto, covers the ground below them. 

As you walk further on the trail, you’ll notice a different species of tree begin to take over the area around you. These are hardwood hammock trees and they are essentially “fighting” with the slash pines for space in the forest. This is completely natural and a unique phenomenon to witness.

You will end this loop hike back in the slash pine forest. I came to love these pine trees so much on our trip. There is just something just so beautiful about them.

3. Drive & Hike to the Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook

The Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook is located on a side road off the Main Park Rd. It will be on your right if you’re coming from the entrance. 

It doesn’t take much time to get to from the main road, but I suggest taking it slow because we saw so many birds in the swampy forests surrounding the road. We saw a Great Blue Heron, an American White Ibis, Great Egrets, a Green Heron, and we even spotted a few others. 

We ended up stopping a few times to get some pictures because my partner and I love bird watching! This is one of the best places in the park for that. 

Once you get to the end of the road, you will have to park and walk a short 0.4 mile boardwalk trail to get to the viewpoint. There are stairs required but other than that it is flat.

This overlook is really unique and allows you to witness a “river of grass”. You’ll see Cypress Trees growing out of the water and all kinds of birds here.

4. Hike the Mahogany Hammock Trail

Another beautiful boardwalk trail is the Mahogany Hammock Trail. This is a short 0.4 mile hike that takes you through a beautiful forest of Mahogany Trees, Air Plants, Gumbo-Limbo Trees, and many more. 

The drive to this trail is also located on a side road off the main road in the park. It’s about a 2 mile drive one way, but it’s very scenic. You’ll be surrounded by open forests of slash pine trees. It is beautiful.

Once you reach the trailhead you just walk right up to the boardwalk. There are benches to sit and take in the scenery on your way, but this is a super easy and quick walk.

5. Have Lunch at the Flamingo Restaurant in the Everglades

At this point it was a little bit past 1:00pm and we were starting to feel hungry for lunch. We decided to go from the Mahogany Hammock Trail all the way down to Flamingo since we knew there was a place to eat there.

Fittingly the restaurant’s name is “Flamingo Restaurant” and they have a large indoor/outdoor dining area or you can also purchase your food to go which is what we did.

If you want to check out their menu, you can find that here. (The Mahi Mahi is delicious!)

Unless you bring your own lunch, this is the only place you can get food in the park. There is another restaurant at the Homestead Entrance, but that wasn’t convenient for us at this point.

6. Look For Crocodiles & Manatees at the Marina

The American Crocodile and the American Alligator are both present in the Everglades National Park. Crocodiles are found in salt water while alligators will be found in freshwater. 

There aren’t many other places in the park where you’ll find saltwater other than in the Florida Bay where the Flamingo Marina is located. So when you’re in Flamingo, you’ll want to check out the marina.

The Flamingo Marina is easy to spot, it’s right next to the Guy Bradley Visitor Center. You’ll see hundreds of boats docked and there are walkways where you can walk right up to the bay. 

The Everglades is the only place in the US where you can find American Crocodiles so spotting one here is really special! 

Unfortunately we didn’t see any crocs, and we were sitting at the Marina for a good half an hour. However, we were fortunate to see two manatees! 

You will only see the snout of a manatee in the bay when it comes up for air because the rest of their body is underwater. The Florida Bay waters are pretty murky so they can be hard to spot.

At first we thought we saw crocodiles swimming in the water but soon realized it was just the snouts of two manatees. I managed to snap that picture right as one of them briefly came up for air. 

7. Bird Watching at Paurotis Pond

We then left Flamingo to check out Paurotis Pond which is located around the halfway point in the drive through the park. 

You do not need to hike at all to access it. There is a large parking lot and you can walk right up to the pond. 

Bird watching is exceptionally good here during the winter which is also the park’s dry season (December-April). 

During the dry season this pond actually closes to all watercraft and fishing to protect the nesting birds who come to this area.

However, even during the winter you can still sit at one of the picnic tables next to the pond and peer out to see all the birds in the trees. (Tip: bring binoculars!)

You can see everything from the Great Egret, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Anhinga, Little Blue Heron, and Great Blue Herons all nesting at this pond.

This makes for a great place to eat lunch or just hangout and take in the views for a little while. 

8. Hike to West Lake

The last hike we did on our trip to the Everglades was to West Lake. This is another short boardwalk trail coming in at only 0.4 miles. 

This walk begins through a forested area full of mangrove trees and saw palmetto. Once you reach the halfway point in the trail, it will open up into a great view of West Lake. 

The boardwalk is built out a little distance into the water so you get pretty decent views of the water and surrounding forests. Keep an eye out here for alligators! 

After finishing this trail, it was time for us to leave the park and get to our next destination on our trip.

I hope you enjoyed this one day itinerary through the Everglades National Park! 

I’ve been to Florida a handful of times, but this was my first time going down to the Everglades and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed our day in the park. 

The landscape and wildlife of the Everglades is so unique and I think anyone in the area needs to go experience it. It’s not the best place in the world for hiking, but the wildlife makes it totally worth a visit. 

Thank you so much for reading!