Everglades National Park: Gulf Coast Visitor Center

Note: Numerous Aids to Navigation throughout Everglades National Park remain missing or damaged. Mariners should use extreme caution when transiting park waters. Repairs to ATONS and removal of submerged debris/uncharted wrecks will not be completed until Fall of 2019.

Although most birders know of the many possibilities in Everglades National Park, not many are aware of this remote access that will take you into the aquatic parts of the park and the adjoining “Ten Thousand Islands” area. Narrated boat tours explore the mangrove estuary ecosystem where waders are plentiful and Magnificent Frigatebirds join the gulls and terns overhead. Winter brings loons and American White Pelicans, and the possibility of Short-tailed Hawks as well. Adventurous birders can either rent a kayak on-site or bring their own and explore the backwaters of Chokoloskee Bay and Turner River without a guide. With backcountry permits, you can start your odyssey down the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway that will take you all the way to Flamingo.