Paddling the Everglades

To meet the Everglades on its own terms, get in a kayak. The park is as much water as land, and a paddle through a mangrove tunnel or across a still bay — silent, close to the wildlife, far from any road — is the most intimate way to see it.

Mangrove Tunnels at Flamingo

At the park's southern end, Flamingo is the paddling hub — launch from the marina into a network of trails like the Nine Mile Pond and Hells Bay canoe trails, where mangroves close overhead into green tunnels. It's quiet, shaded, and alive with wading birds, and you can rent kayaks and canoes right at the marina.

The Ten Thousand Islands

On the northwest coast, the Gulf Coast entrance at Everglades City opens onto the Ten Thousand Islands — a vast maze of mangrove islets along the Gulf where dolphins, manatees, and shorebirds thrive. Guided kayak trips and boat tours from Everglades City are the easy way in; the scale here is huge, so a guide or a boat shuttle helps.

Guided vs. On Your Own

New to the area? Take a guided trip — Everglades tides, mangrove mazes, and open bays are easy to underestimate, and a guide handles navigation and safety while you watch wildlife. Confident paddlers can rent and self-guide the marked trails; just check tides, carry a chart and GPS, and tell a ranger your plan.

The Wilderness Waterway

For serious paddlers, the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway runs between Flamingo and Everglades City through the backcountry, camping on chickees (raised platforms) along the way — a multi-day expedition and one of the great wilderness paddles in the country. It needs a permit, planning, and experience, but it's the ultimate Everglades trip.