THE EARNEST TRAVELER THE EARNEST TRAVELER
The Everglades isn't a swamp — it's a river 60 miles wide and inches deep, a slow sheet of water sliding across a sea of sawgrass to the sea. At 1.5 million acres it's the largest tropical wilderness in the United States, and the only place on the planet where American alligators and American crocodiles share the same water.
It's so ecologically important it holds a rare triple honor — a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Importance. For a traveler that means alligators feet from a boardwalk, 360-plus bird species, manatees, and a landscape found nowhere else.
1The Anhinga Trail, the boardwalks, and all the wildlife cost nothing more.
2The $35 entry, free trails, and cheap campgrounds inside the park.
3The Shark Valley tram, an airboat ride, and a guided mangrove kayak.
4The reopened Flamingo Lodge and private naturalist tours.
Working your way up the Southeast coast? Chain the Everglades with Georgia's wildest barrier island and the Smoky Mountains for a wild-Florida-to-the-mountains American road trip.
Budget calculators, packing checklists, and a heads-up when each new guide drops — all free. Grab it and plan your trip the easy way.
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