Everglades National Park Drive/Hikes

Trip: Florida Keys – Day 3
Attractions: Florida Everglades – Anhinga Trail, Pa-ha-okee Overlook, Flamingo Marina
Date: February 16th, 2021

We had decided the day before that this was the day we were going to check out the Everglades. After checking out the dock at the condo for a bit, we started breakfast (eggs, sausage, and toast) and getting ready for the Everglades. We had an hour drive ahead of us and we weren’t sure what we would have access to at the park, so we packed some snacks, ample sunscreen, and plenty of water and headed towards “The Glades”

The visitor center was outside of the park entrance. We found a spot to park, masked up against Covid, and headed in to get the kids’ National Parks Passports stamps, use the restrooms, and plan our next moves. There were several hikes that we could explore, one of which the ranger said was kind of like walking through a jungle. Since two of the people in our group suffer from ophidiophobia, we decided to stay away from the jungle area. The first hike we decided to explore was the Anhinga Trail. It was cool to see a “panther crossing” sign as we approached the parking lot. As we were putting the finishing touches on our sunscreen, we noticed a gray-headed buzzard perched up in a tree. There was also a sign warning that vultures would try to eat the rubber on your vehicle, so to be aware. We weren’t sure what to do about that, so we just headed out with our fingers crossed that he would leave the rental vehicle alone.

The Anhinga Trail is a mixture of asphalt and board walk in a swamp like habitat. Right away we were able to see fish swimming in the clear water. It wasn’t too long before we ran into a couple that was admiring a softshell turtle. As we walked along the trail, there really wasn’t any time that we couldn’t see some kind of animal swimming or hopping around the waters below us. One of the birds we found hunting around the lily pads had beautiful purple feathers.

About 10 minutes into our hike it started to rain. Honestly, it felt good. It was hot and humid and the sprinkles landing on our head and shoulders was refreshing. But soon the sprinkles sped up to a downpour. We were lucky enough to be close to a shelter and were able to wait out the rain. The precipitation lasted about 15 minutes and we were able to continue our hike relatively dry and comfortable. When we turned a corner and returned to the asphalt trail, a family notified us there was an alligator close to the trail ahead of us. We cautiously, but excitedly walked in the direction they pointed and found the gator laying motionless in the water. It didn’t move a single muscle while we watched. Fish would swim fairly close to it, but it just sat, as still as a log.

When we got back to our vehicle, I unlocked the car doors as we were approaching our vehicle and to my surprise, a woman opened the back door and started putting her things in the back seat. I exclaimed, “Um, this is our vehicle, miss.” as politely as I could under the circumstances. I think she realized it as I was saying it and immediately apologized. Her husband arrived seconds later and opened their car door for her and we had a laugh about the situation.

The next place we decided to check out was the Pa-ha-okee Overlook. I was a bit confused as to what we were going to see. I had thought this was the Observation Tower that I had seen pictures of in the ranger’s station, but this was a smaller overlook. After we got back from the hike, we realized the large overlook was in Shark Valley, which had been closed due to flooding. The Pa-ha-okee Overlook was a very quick hike on a boardwalk. There was marsh-like habitat below us and we again saw an abundance of fish below.

Soon after getting back in the vehicle, we all realized we were pretty hungry. When we were at the ranger station, I saw a sign saying the restaurant at the Flamingo Visitors Center was closed but there is a food truck. We snacked a bit on the drive to that area, which was the end of the road that travels through the park. We parked our vehicle and walked up to the boat dock and immediately saw an enormous crocodile slowly swimming in the waters. There was a couple that also saw it and they were heading over to a cement dam to get a better look. We followed and got some great pictures of the massive beast. The same couple mentioned that earlier in the week, they had been walking past a water faucet that was turned on at the marina, and some manatees swam up to enjoy the fresh water. When we told him we hadn’t seen any manatees yet, but were anxious to see some, he went over and turned a spigot on. Sure enough, the manatees started flocking. About 6 or more came to taste the fresh water running from the spigot. The visibility of the water was pretty bad in this area, so we could only see what was out of the water, but it was still quite the sight.

We walked around the bay area for a bit and then sought out the food truck. It was closed. Luckily, there was a convenience store and we bought an ice cream treat to tide us over until we could find some food outside of the park. We ate it while checking out a boat dock that the cashier said he often sees gators and crocs sunning themselves. There was a small croc under the dock and we watched it while we finished our treats.

Since we were all still pretty hungry, we didn’t stop at any other hikes or attractions on the way back to the park entrance. In fact, we were desperately searching for cell phone service so we could plan our lunch, but weren’t able to get anything until we were pretty much done with the hour long drive back to our starting point. We began our trek back to the condo, with lunch on our minds. The place we decided to stop was the Blackwater Siren that came highly rated on Google.

We were very happy with our choice. The ambiance had an open air, pirate type of feel. There was a visible shipwreck in the distance that added to the charming décor. After we ordered our drinks and our meals, we headed out on the dock and I saw a dolphin swim up for a breath of air in the distance, but couldn’t get the rest of the group’s attention fast enough for them to see it. Our food arrived quickly and even though we could have probably eaten our shoes because we were so hungry, it tasted amazing. Jill had jalapeño encrusted hogfish with a chipotle sauce, I had the blackened seafood combo (sea scallops, mahi mahi, and shrimp) with a side of coconut onion rings, Mattix had another quesadilla, and Charlie another cheese burger.

With our bellies and hearts full, we left the Blackwater Siren and headed to the condo. I took a little nap while the kids and Jill went down to the pool. We returned to the dock for sunset, but soon after the sun went down it started to rain, so we head inside to call it a night.