Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. I suppose the attraction to the Everglades for many northerners is the climate and warm temperatures during the winter months. Whatever the attraction is, your paddling vacation in the Everglades can be an incredibly wonderful and pain-free or it can be completely miserable. The difference is how well you plan your trip, as well as your tolerance level for certain inconveniences and annoyances).
Planning your trip begins here: research the Everglades National Park’s website (http://www.nps.gov/ever). Starting with ‘Directions’, you’ll find that the park has 4 visitor centers. While all four are worth a visit, only two of these provide you camping permits, Flamingo and Gulf Coast visitor centers. Now, click on 'view map' and find those visitor centers. Flamingo (on the southern end of the park) is your gateway to Florida Bay, Whitewater Bay and Hells Bay, and the beginning or end point of the wilderness waterway. On the northern end is the Gulf Coast visitor center in Everglades City, your entrance to the Ten Thousand Islands and the beginning or end point of the wilderness waterway.
Your planned paddling route, rental needs, and shuttle needs will dictate which of these two visitor centers will be your camping permit venue. If you are planning a one-way trip, it may be useful to know that Flamingo has a campground near its visitor center. While there are hotels in Everglades City, there is no tent camping. However, there are nearby campgrounds, Seminole-Collier State Park and Chokoloskee Island Park.
To get to Flamingo, you must pay to come into the park, $10 per car and $3 per boat. There is no entrance fee to the Gulf Coast visitor center in Everglades City. I believe it is $16 to camp at the Flamingo campground. Your backcountry permits will cost $10 plus $2 per person ($1 for seniors) per night (14 days maximum). Permitting only takes place from mid-November to the end of April.
From the website, you can download maps and brochures (http://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/maps.htm). Two of them are very important
- The Everglades National Park map is useful for planning the beginning and end of your trip and helping you decide on where you want to begin and end your trip.
- The Wilderness Trip Planner is also a useful brochure. The brochure contains a list of all the backcountry campsites and a map to orient you to the campsite locations and distances. DO NOT USE THIS MAP for navigating! You’ll need a marine map for that (more on that later). From this brochure, you can at least get an idea on distances so you can begin planning your route. But it isn’t until you study a marine chart that you will begin to get a full understanding of the trip you are about to take.
It would also be a good idea to begin learning more about the Everglades and the ecosystem that you will be visiting. Do some research on typical weather patterns (temperatures, wind velocities and directions) for the time of year you intend to visit. If you intend to fish, you will need to read up on fishing regulations and get your Florida saltwater fishing permit. The best money you can spend when planning your trip is Johnny Molloy’s book: A Paddler’s Guide to the Everglades National Park. He has a new edition includes areas north of the national park in the 10,000 Islands Wildlife Preserve. This book is essential to good planning and regardless, it’s a great read. He includes much information on the history of the area and invaluable insider information on campsites and paddling routes.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE: at this stage in your planning, you are perusing the ENP website, but there are some things you cannot glean from the website where a little local knowledge may be beneficial.
Depending on when you are planning to come here, acquiring a backcountry camping permit can be very difficult. The busiest times are around the holidays, weekends and in March (spring break). You must purchase your permit in person at either Flamingo or Gulf Coast visitor centers and it is first-come-first-serve. The earliest you can purchase your permit is 24 hrs prior to your trip. Several parties can be vying for backcountry permits at the same time. At the busiest times, you will find people camped out on the doorsteps of the visitor center waiting for the doors to open at 8 am. So here is an important tip, have a contingency plan in case you do not get the campsite you want. Arrive at the visitor center well before 8 am and get in line. Welcome to sunny Florida!
Next blog; Part 2: acquiring a marine map, the tides and planning your route.
For more information, go to my website: http://www.cmierphotoandfitness.net
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