Home Destinations USA Florida The Everglades Sights Main road to Flamingo

Main road to Flamingo Review

Read our Everglades sights reviews. Or post your own.

All Florida National Parks

Main road to Flamingo

Map It

Category: Scenic Drives
Location: Everglades National Park

Write a review

Fodor's Review:

Route 9336 travels 38 mi from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center southwest to the Florida Bay at Flamingo. It crosses a section of the park's eight distinct ecosystems: hardwood hammock, freshwater prairie, pinelands, freshwater slough, cypress, coastal prairie, mangrove, and marine-estuarine. Highlights of the trip include a dwarf cypress forest, the ecotone (transition zone) between saw-grass and mangrove forest, and a wealth of wading birds at Mrazek and Coot Bay ponds—stop here in the early morning or late afternoon to observe the hundreds of birds feeding. Boardwalks, looped trails, several short spurs, and observation platforms allow you to stay dry. You also may want to stop along the way to walk several short trails (each takes about 30 minutes): the popular Anhinga Trail, which goes through sawgrass marsh and allows you to see lots of wildlife (be on the lookout for alligators and the trail's namesake, water birds known as anhingas); and junglelike Gumbo-Limbo Trail; the Pinelands Trail, where you can see the limestone bedrock that underlies the park; the Pahayokee Overlook Trail, which ends at an observation tower; and the Mahogany Hammock Trail with its dense growth.

Before you walk on the trails, inquire about insect and weather conditions and plan accordingly, stocking up on insect repellent, sunscreen, and water as necessary. Also, even if it seems like a nice day, it's probably a bring along a rain jacket.

Find more sights in The Everglades »