South Florida

South Florida is home to so much natural beauty and wildlife. I did not camp here—it was far too muggy and buggy—but I would absolutely revisit the orchids, alligators, and mangroves of Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park. I have split up South Florida into two regions: the stops along U.S. Highway 41, and those out of Homestead, FL. My favorite stops are marked with an asterisk. Updated January 2026.

Reason to Visit:

Orchids, alligators, and cypress trees.

Things to Do:

Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk (Fakahatchee Strand Preserve S.P.) — Newly built short boardwalk to a level gravel lake-side path. Look for wild orchids and look out for alligators!
Nathaniel P. Reed Visitor Center (Big Cypress Natl. Preserve) — Small visitor center with info on local flora and fauna, and a short boardwalk.
H.P. Williams Wayside Park (Big Cypress)* — Boardwalk along a canal with lots of fish and alligators.
Kirby Storter Roadside Park (Big Cypress) — Boardwalk through dense cypress trees. Unfortunately the second half of the boardwalk was burned by a fire in late 2024, and was still unusable as of Spring 2025.
Oasis Visitor Center (Big Cypress) — Small visitor center and boardwalk overlooking pond packed with alligators and fish.
Shark Valley Visitor Center (Everglades Natl. Park)* — Larger visitor center with several accessible trails and an observation tower. The Bobcat Boardwalk trail is a brief walk through shady forest. It is about an 8-mile roll to the observation tower (which has a concrete ramp) via the tram road or the bike trail. There is a canal along the side of the tram road near the visitor center which is full of birds, fish, turtles and mangroves.

Reason to Visit:

Mangroves, coral reefs, and crocodiles.

Things to Do:

Flamingo (Everglades Natl. Park)* — Flamingo is situated right between the fresh water of the Everglades and the salt water of Florida Bay. Guy Bradley Visitor Center has a large display on the marine life and great views of the ocean. At the marina they have two boat tours: the Florida Bay tour and the Backcountry tour. I took the Backcountry boat tour (highly recommend) and learned lots about mangroves, manatees, and hurricanes. There is a short, steep ramp for getting on and off the boat.
Mahogany Hammock Trail (Everglades) — On the way to/from Flamingo, this boardwalk weaves through dense mangroves and palms.
Dante Fascell Visitor Center (Biscayne Natl. Park)* — Awesome visitor center with a boardwalk beside the reefs, aquariums, and a marina. I saw lots of tropical fish and even a barracuda!
Key West, FL* — The drive out to Key West is so unique as you drive practically on the Atlantic Ocean. In Key West, there are lots of museums, food, and marinas. If you’re interested in taking the ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park, you’ll leave from here.

Didn’t Visit, Would Like To:

Anhiga Trail (Everglades) — Another boardwalk trail among the trees of the Everglades, near the entrance on the way to Flamingo.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef S.P. — This state park has wheelchair-accessible snorkeling tours and a wheelchair-accessible glass-bottom boat tour. I did not visit, but hope to return to see how the accessibility is.