THE EARNEST TRAVELER
The Everglades is one of the best-value national parks in the country. The only fixed cost is the $35 vehicle entry — good for seven days — and after that the trails, boardwalks, and wildlife are free. Do it right and a great Everglades trip costs very little.
The $35 Entry (or $70 for the Year)
Entry is $35 per vehicle, good for seven days. If you're visiting more than one national park in a year, the $80 America the Beautiful annual pass pays for itself fast, and the park's own $70 annual pass covers repeat Everglades visits. That single fee is the only thing you're required to pay.
Free Is the Whole Park
Nearly everything that makes the Everglades special is free once you're in: the Anhinga Trail, the boardwalks along the main road, the overlooks, and all the wildlife. You can fill two or three full days on free trails alone and never run out of new habitat to see.
Camp Cheap
The park's two drive-in campgrounds keep an overnight cheap: Long Pine Key near Homestead and Flamingo at the southern tip (which also has walk-up and electric sites). Rates are modest, and camping puts you inside the park at dawn and dusk when the wildlife is most active — the best free show of the trip.
Base in Homestead
If camping isn't your thing, the town of Homestead just outside the main entrance has the area's most affordable motels and chain hotels, plus cheap Cuban and Mexican food. It's the practical budget base for the main park and an easy drive to the Anhinga Trail.
The Everglades has two seasons, and they make or break a trip. The dry season (December through April) is prime time: mild weather, fewer mosquitoes, and wildlife packed around the shrinking water holes where it's easy to see. The wet season (May through November) is hot, buggy, and stormy, with animals spread out and harder to find. If you can choose, come in winter.
Services inside the park are thin — limited food and supplies at Flamingo, almost nothing along the main road. Pack your own water, snacks, sun cover, and bug spray from Homestead, and you'll spend next to nothing once you're through the gate.
A cheap kit for hot, buggy, sun-exposed days in the park.