If you’ve ever wanted to explore Everglades National Park, you’re in luck. The park will offer free admission on five days in 2023.
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![EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK – A wall of cypress trees inside of a cypress dome filled with airplants growing on the trees. [Photo by G. Gardner/National Park Service]](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/scfl/original/20230104-095747-everglades%20nps%20photo%20by%20G%20Gardner.jpg)
![EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK – Everglades National Park is home to a variety of wildlife. Park officials warn visitors to give alligators plenty of space. [Photo by Ranger Chris/National Park Service]](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/scfl/original/20230104-095651-everglades%20national%20park%20alligator.jpg)
![EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK – Everglades National Park is home to a wide variety of birds. Just like flamingos, the Roseate Spoonbill owes its brightly colored feathers to its diet. Scientists believe they get their pink coloration from their diet of carotenoid-rich organisms including shrimp. [Photo by Federico Acevedo]](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/scfl/original/20230104-095646-everglades%20national%20park%20roseate%20spoonbill%20by.jpg)
![EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK – Everglades National Park is home to Florida panthers, but sightings are rare, even for park employees. In 1995, eight female Texas pumas were brought to the Everglades to help increase the genetic diversity of the panther population. Two were released in Everglades National Park at Long Pine Key, two in southern Big Cypress National Preserve, two in northern Big Cypress National Preserve, and two in Florida Panther Refuge. This conservation effort drastically changed the trajectory for panther survival/recover. Kitten survival increased dramatically, physical and reproductive health improved, and abundance and distribution subsequently increased. However, while low genetic diversity and disease outbreaks continue to be of concern for Florida panthers, the greatest threat to ongoing species recovery remains continued rapid development within occupied, and suitable unoccupied habitat. [Photo courtesy National Park Service]](https://eta.creativecirclecdn.com/scfl/original/20230104-095642-everglades%20national%20park%20panther.jpg)
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK – If you’ve ever wanted to explore Everglades National Park, you’re in luck. The park will offer free admission on five days in 2023.
The 2023 entrance fee-free days are:
• Monday, Jan. 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
• Saturday, April 15 – First Day of National Park Week,
• Friday, Aug. 4 – Great American Outdoors Act anniversary,
• Saturday, Sept. 23 – National Public Lands Day, and
• Saturday, Nov. 11 – Veterans Day.
The park encompasses 1.5 million acres of tropical and subtropical habitat with one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. For this very reason, Congress established the Everglades as a National Park in 1934. The park has since been designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance and a World Heritage Site.
Everglades National Park covers 1.5 million acres of South Florida and spans Monroe, Miami-Dade and Collier counties.
The main entrance is located on State Road 9336 in Homestead, which connects visitors to the Royal Palm area and the Flamingo area of Everglades National Park. The main entrance is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Entrance fees vary depending on your mode of transportation, military service status and age. The standard entrance fee is $30 per vehicle, which is good for seven days starting from the day of purchase.
The park has two campground facilities: the Long Pine Key campground located near the Homestead entrance of the park and the Flamingo campground located in Flamingo, 38 miles south of the Homestead entrance. The park also offers numerous backcountry sites for wilderness camping. Camping reservations for the Flamingo Campground can be made online at flamingoeverglades.com, The Long Pine Key campground operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. Reservations are only required for the group site, which is open seasonally from Nov. 15 - April 15. For any questions on the Long Pine Key campground, including to make a reservation for the group camp site, call Everglades Guest Services at 305-501-2852.
Permits are required for all wilderness camping. For more information, go online to recreation.gov.
Airboat rides are a popular way to see the park. There are three authorized airboat businesses inside Everglades National Park.
There are tram tours, canoe and kayak tours, eco tours, biking tours and photography tours. There are even slogs through the “River of Grass” led by park rangers.
For more information, go online to https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm or download the National Park Service mobile app on your phone through the App Store or Google Play.
Visitors are advised to bring their own food and beverages for their stay in the park.
