# Everglades National Park



## thekamperman

I took a short trip to the Everglades this weekend, it was hot but windy so we had a great time. Just wanted to share some photos. :thumbup1:

In case you want to go this is the Flamingo campground









and here the primitive campsites at Long Pine Key (no electricity). 


















http://oncamping.net/thekamperman_blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/glades-bird-300x225.jpg

I published more photos plus some info about the area in one of my blogs (too many to paste them here). 

Hope everybody had a great weekend!


----------



## artmart

Nice wildlife.... That's what I remember about the Everglades, is all those alligators and we only drove through it on the way to the Florida Keys without stopping. The wife never allowed me to stop. She preferred to enjoy the views of the alligators from our fast moving truck. And we saw LOTS of them. Other friends and relatives that have done that road didn't see many, so we were lucky to see plenty right from the road.


----------



## thekamperman

: )
There are too many gators today because hunting was limited by the state (now, after some dose of controversy, I think they softened the restrictions.)

Through the US1 to the Florida Keys hardly you can see one gator nowadays, probably because too much road construction there, but through the old Tamiami Trail (From Naples to Miami) early in the mornings they are taking the sun in the bordering channel, specially around the Big Cypress National Forest. 

Shark Valley is another good place to see wildlife (haven't been there in almost 10 years). This is also in the Tamiami trail, near the Miccossuki Indian Tribe, and have a road that takes you to a viewing tower deep into the glades. They have trams that take you to the tower or you can go biking. 

There is a restaurant outside this park that was operated by the indians where you could eat alligator meat. 

If you want to get pretty close to wildlife there is the old Loop Road just after passing the indian tribe east to west; gators used to cross over the road, some people have filmed the elusive panthers, and some talk about black bears, but I learned that the western half of the road (the most interesting and wild) is closed because its bad shape. 

There was a town in this road named Pinecrest that was abandoned, today can be seen the old gas station (with gas prices from the 1920s in the pumps) and some remains of a hotel operated by a relative of Al Capone, but you can't walk to them and just take photos from the road because they are in private property.

I'm posting all this in case some people plan to travel around south florida this year, but for camping or rving into the Everglades is best to come after the rainy season and the harsh summer.


----------



## artmart

I always wondered that we saw so many was because we drove through there a few years ago, after a major hurricane had just happened and we were dodging another one while we were there. Maybe the hurricanes stirred them up.

We were on Hwy 41 which actually skirts Everglades NP and much of the road had an estuary running along side and it was full over them every other mile of so. We got on that road and didn't stop until we got to Key Largo. Thank God we had a 38 gallon fuel tank and we had just had a rest stop and refuel before driving through there.


----------



## thekamperman

You got the right road to see alligators. : ) 

That's the one I referred as Tamiami Trail (This is the other name given to the 41, which means Tampa-Miami). It borders the north boundaries of the national park and goes through the Big Cypress preserve. 

This is secluded area, almost no business and not gas station until you reach the Indian reservation. 

Two campgrounds without many luxuries along the way: Monument Lake and Midway. For tents there are some primitives but the swamps are harsh for campers. :smack-head:

Because the road crosses the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve (which some call "the amazon of north america") you may see some signs alerting the crossing of panthers but you can stop and see the gators safely so far you don't get too close. 

Some people have fed some of them an that's a careless and dangerous behavior.


----------



## ctfortner

Great pictures. Looks like a fun trip other than gators and tent camping


----------

