Everglades National Park in south Florida is more than 1.5 million acres of the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States.  It boasts more than 700 plant and 300 bird species including the endangered crocodile, manatee and Florida panther.  The Everglades has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance.

The Everglades is a large watershed that begins near Lake Okeechobee and flows south in a slow-moving river 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long.  The Everglades is shaped by water and fire, with floods in the wet season and drought in the dry season.  (wiki)

We visited the Everglades over two days in February 2010.

Start the Everglades Photo Tour >>

The Shark Valley Trail is a 15.4-mile paved loop in the center of a vast sawgrass marsh prairie.  This prairie stretches over 100 miles through the Everglades from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico and contains a shallow, slow-moving river that forms the Everglades.

“Maybe he won’t notice me.”

(more…)

At the 7-mile mark on the Shark Valley Loop Trail stands the 65-foot tall Shark Valley Observation Tower, which is open to the public.

You can see the tower for at least 3 miles on a clear day.

(more…)

The eastern leg of the Shark Valley loop winds through a vast sawgrass prairie.

On our return, the clouds broke, the sun emerged, and the strong wind was at our back, making the trip an easy joy.  Most of the time we didn’t even need to pedal, as the wind pushed us home.

(more…)

The self-guiding 0.8-mile Anhinga Trail “winds through a sawgrass marsh, where you may see alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons, egrets, and many other birds, especially during the winter.  This is one the most popular trails in the park because of its abundance of wildlife.”  The trail starts from the Royal Palm Visitor Center, four miles from the main park entrance and Ernest Coe Visitor Center.

This impressive alligator looks fat and happy.

(more…)