Your Everglades National Park CME conference.

Everglades after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. From the main entrance at Homestead, the Royal Palm area has two short walks. The Anhinga Trail is about 0.8 miles round trip, a paved path leading to a looping boardwalk over a marsh and slough, and the park service lists alligators, turtles, anhingas and many other birds along it. The Gumbo Limbo Trail is about 0.4 miles round trip through a shaded hardwood hammock of oaks and gumbo limbos, and it passes a pond.

The park service warns that the wet season is rainy and can produce a lot of mosquitoes, so the walks suit the dry months better. Travel, lodging and park entry are arranged separately from your conference. Your study session runs on your own phone or laptop, and the wetlands are simply the setting you chose.

Three entrances, not one park

The park service says the three entrances are not connected, and each is at least a one-hour drive from the others and from Flamingo. The main entrance is at Homestead, Shark Valley is on the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) in Miami, and the Gulf Coast entrance is at Everglades City. Choose one entrance for an outing rather than trying to link two in an afternoon.

Flamingo is an interior visitor center, about 38 miles south of the main entrance. The Guy Bradley Visitor Center there has ranger information, displays and a gift shop, and nearby are a campground, a public boat ramp, a marina store and trails. Bicycle and boat rentals are offered, and the park service says there is no public transportation to the site. Rideshare riders may not find a ride back, so arrange your return in advance.

Shark Valley by tram or bicycle

Shark Valley is about 30 miles west of Miami, according to the park service. Its loop road is 15 miles long, and a 70-foot observation tower stands halfway round with a view over the sawgrass marsh. Guided tram tours last about two hours, and bicycles can be rented from the tour operator.

The park service strongly advises booking ahead from November through April, when tours often fill far in advance, and suggests allowing extra time to enter the visitor area. Compare a two-hour tour with your 2:00 PM finish before choosing an afternoon.

Farms, orchids and the Redland

Homestead is an agricultural area about 30 miles south of Miami, in a region the tourism board calls Miami’s Countryside. The Historic Redland Tropical Trail links local sites, among them R.F. Orchids, Coral Castle and the Everglades Alligator Farm. The same board lists Monkey Jungle, Fruit & Spice Park, airboat tours and Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Homestead also gives access to Biscayne National Park, where the park service says 95 percent of the 72,000 protected acres are underwater, so being on or in the water is the way to experience it. Elliott Key, the largest island, offers camping, picnicking and a hiking trail, and the service recommends winter visits, when temperatures are mild and bugs are easier to manage. Check its current alerts before planning a trip.

Wildlife and what to expect

The park service reports more than 350 bird species and 40 mammal species, and lists the American alligator and the Florida panther among its 36 threatened or endangered species. On the Anhinga Trail, wildlife is most concentrated in winter, when lower dry-season water levels draw animals into the slough.

The park covers about 1.5 million acres, and the service suggests downloading the NPS app and its offline maps for remote areas where data is limited. If you rely on a connection for study sessions, test it near where you stay before you head into the park.

The park’s things-to-do page lists ranger-led walks and talks, kayaking and canoeing, fishing and five biking trails. It adds that navigable waters cover one third of the park, though boating can be challenging, and that a webcam watches the center of the Anhinga Trail if you want a preview.

When to visit Everglades

The park service calls the dry season, typically December through April, the busy season, with warm winters that draw many wading birds. At Royal Palm, average highs run from 78°F in January to 85°F in April, with lows from 54°F to 61°F, and cold fronts occasionally bring near-freezing temperatures.

The wet season brings highs in the low 90s°F and most of the year’s rainfall, roughly 60 inches a year. Many ranger-led programs are unavailable then, though guided tours still run. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and the park may close before, during or after severe weather, so check its status before you travel.

Getting to Everglades and your study setting

Miami International Airport (MIA) is the arrival point shown in this guide. It is operated by the Miami-Dade Aviation Department and sits on 3,230 acres near downtown Miami. Homestead, the gateway to the main entrance, is about 30 miles south of Miami according to the tourism board, and from the Florida Turnpike the park service directs drivers to Florida City and Palm Drive.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.