How to do Everglades National Park?
 

Please advise how best to see Everglades NP? I started reading up on it, and it's still confusing -- 3 different entrances? Which one to use and any difference among them? Where to stay overnight? We start from Miami but can stay elsewhere if it's more convenient to see Everglades.

We want to get into the heart of the place to see flora and fauna of the place-- alligators and other wildlife--and of course to do it safe. Recommend any ranger-led hiking or kayaking activities? Or something that we can DIY?

Also, by Thanksgiving, would there still be a lot of bugs in the Everglades?

Thanks!

On the east side the Anhinga Trail is a great spot for wildlife watching and convenient to Miami. It's not really a 'trail' but rather a few hundred yards of an old paved road, then a wooden boardwalk over the marsh. Especially early in the day there are many birds and gators very close. There are more birds in the spring when they are nesting up close to the boardwalk though.

Further down this road is the Flamingo area, with a couple of good ponds with birds, but the AT is usually the best place to see everything close up. You can rent kayaks at Flamingo.

The 'middle' entrance is for Shark Valley. You can walk in here before the park opens and have the wildlife to yourself at sunrise. This is usually a very good place to see nesting birds and many gators close to the road. Once it opens you can ride the tram around the drive, getting off at the spiral walkway for nice views. At Shark Valley you can also rent a bike and pedal the road, I think it's 15 miles. This is a good way to get some exercise and it's easy pedaling since it's flat.

The west side is less developed. Haven't spent much time there.

Few bugs at Thanksgiving!

Basically the Anhinga Trail - Flamingo side has most of the attractions, Shark Valley has the 15 mile loop, and the west side has fewer facilities. If I were to visit only one spot it would be the Anhinga Trail, if two spots then add Shark Valley, maybe Flamingo third (though it's easy to access Flamingo on the day you visit AT). Here are some links:

http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/anhinga-trail.htm
http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisi...directions.htm
http://www.sharkvalleytramtours.com/biking.html

The west side is neat. The park service takes you in a boat through the islands in the gulf of mexico. We went several years ago and stopped at an undeveloped island. It is very different from the other are we went to which was Shark River. There the park service ran an open cart through the paths in the swamp. Go to the nps sites Bill gave for the nps.

I too wanted to see the "heart of the 'Glades", and was disappointed with both Shark Valley and the actual park. I think that what you should look into is "Fakahatchee Strand" preserve, known as “the Amazon of North America” (and it is adjacent to Big Cypress preserve, of similar awe). Fakahatchee is located in the southwestern corner of the Everglades (accommodations of Marco, Sanibel/Captiva nearby, but Everglades City might be your best bet, depends on if you want to stay in the glades or on the ritzy Gulf Coa$t.

In retrospect, I should have noted that this is a Florida State park, not the National Park, but local feedback is that Fakahatchee Strand is what is left of "the real Everglades". Also, should have provided a link > http://www.floridastateparks.org/fakahatcheestrand/
Another suggestion, get onto Google Maps and "cruise" the roads via "street view" in the National Park and then the roads out by Fakahatchee and you can see how much more uncommercialzied and primitive the Strand is...

Thanks, all, for the great info! Has anyone taken a canoe or kayak guided tour from the park ranger? What is it like and where to do it?

Thanks!