Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Near the entrance to the Everglades National Park is an alligator farm with over 2,000 of these premier predators.
1. Everglades National Park
“There are no other Everglades in the world,” wrote conservationist Marjory Stoneman
Douglasin1947.Shewasreferring, ofcourse,totheuniquenatural character ofthese wet-
lands: the several distinct environments that combine to form a highly complex ecosys-
tem; the web of life that is as fragile as it is fertile; and the “river of grass” whose original
50-milebreadthmadeitthewidestriverintheworld.Butperhapswhatmostimpressesvis-
itors to this lush, liquid realm is its incredible flatness. Indeed, the highest point in the park
stands only 10 feet above sea level. Looking more like an African savanna than a wetland,
this sea of saw grass, its tall stalks barely ruffled by the passing breeze, stretches from ho-
rizon to horizon, broken only by an occasional tree island, or hammock. Embracing some
4,000 square miles, the region is so vast that even 1.5-million-acre Everglades National
Park (the second-largest national park in the lower 48 states) occupies a mere one-fifth of
its total area.
Did you know…
Everglades National Park has been declared a World Heritage Site in recog-
nition of its unique ecosystem. It's the most significant breeding ground for
wading birds in North America and the largest mangrove forest in the Western
Hemisphere.
2. Main Visitor Center
The remarkably diverse habitats and wildlife of the Everglades make it one of America's
mostpreciousnaturalwonders.Mangroveforests,freshwatersloughs,cypressstands,pine-
lands, coastal prairies, freshwater marl prairies, hardwood hammocks, estuaries—all can
beseenhere.Theparkisalsohometoanastonishingarrayofanimals,includingmorethan
600 species of fish, some 300 types of birds, and at least 67 kinds of mosquitoes. Among
the threatened or endangered creatures that find sanctuary here are the Florida panther, the
American alligator, the southern bald eagle, and the Key Largo cotton mouse.
Thepark'sentranceislocated12milessouthwestofHomesteadonRte.9336.Through
a cluster of stately West Indian mahogany trees, you can glimpse the gabled roof of the
main visitor center. Built to replace the one shattered by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the
structure houses exhibits on the park's history, habitats, and the hurricane itself.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search