Everglades City in Florida is not a long way from the stylish shops covering the roads of downtown Naples, the sun-kissed sands of Marco Island and the main subtropical wilderness in the United States – the Everglades.
Lots of visitors fail to realize that the Everglades contains both temperate and tropical plant communities, including sawgrass prairies, cypress and mangrove swamps, hardwood hammocks and pinelands along with marine and estuarine habitats. The area is well-known for its diverse avian ecosystems, particularly large wading birds such as the wood stork, roseate spoonbill, great blue heron and a variety of hawks.
There are numerous drives perfect for sightseeing through the western Everglades for spotting winged creatures and untamed wildlife that are ideal for tourists who want to maximize their time, but for those ready to dig the more profound, there are a few more brilliant approaches to really appreciate the beauty of the Everglades. Hikers who wouldn’t worry getting their feet wet ought to attempt a bog walk and boat and kayak paddlers will discover unlimited open doors for backwoods and wild adventures.
All year round, a few nature guide services working in the region will organize tours for singles or groups as a part of an Everglades adventure. Officers and nature researchers at both the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park and Big Cypress National Preserve lead free guided bog walk tours all the time amid the winter season, when water levels are at their most minimal. Furthermore, every year amid the Labor Day weekend, internationally celebrated Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher leads individuals and members of the public in general on his yearly talk about in the cypress strand directly behind his Big Cypress Gallery.
The Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park’s Gulf Coast entrance in Everglades City are amazing hot spots for canoe and kayak paddlers in search of a true adventure deep in the wilderness.
Many paddlers begin their journey at the Turner River alongside the Tamiami Trail in the Big Cypress and they make their way to Chokoloskee Bay in Everglades City. This lovely excursion takes about eight hours of paddling that begins in the cypress, navigates through magnificent archways of mangrove roots and then out into the open sea. If you don’t want to spend 8 hours on paddling, you don’t have to finish the course, you can simply turn around halfway and it will still be a satisfying ride.
The Everglades National Park Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City offers are a number of paddling trails that provide trips ranging from a short two hours to a staggering nine days. This is the launching point to begin what many people consider the most extreme paddling trip of their lives along the Wilderness Waterway, a 99-mile route through the Everglades backcountry from Everglades City to Flamingo. You have to carry all your necessary provisions with you, because you won’t see civilization the entire time you’re out there. What you will get to see, however, are spectacular sunsets and have playtime with bottlenose dolphins, manatees, birds and fish Florida’s most prized game fish – snook, tarpon and redfish.
