Adventures to Biscayne & Everglades National Parks
During our month in Florida City (1/2023), we had two National Parks on either side of us, both short driving distances away. To the west is Everglades National Park, and to the east is Biscayne National Park.
Biscayne National Park is 95% water and includes islands and coral reefs, so we chose to take a boat trip out to the Jones Lagoon and do a paddleboarding half-day trip. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a ton of pictures from the paddleboard portion because we were worried our cell phones would fall into the water and get lost. We took a small boat from the nearby marina out to the lagoon, which takes about 30 minutes, and then you drop anchor and paddleboard around for a few hours before returning in the early evening. Our guide told lots of local history stories while taking us through the mangroves in the shallow lagoon, and we looked for baby sharks, turtles, and a rare pink bird called the Roseate Spoonbill. We actually saw all three! It was peaceful out there, and a decent workout!
On a different day, we went west from Florida City to the Everglades National Park, which covers most of South Florida. We had planned to spend a few days at the Midway Campground there on the way to Florida City, but due to Hurricane Ian our plans changed, and we skipped it completely. Instead, we made a 15-mile bike adventure in the Shark Valley area called a “river of grass” although it is primarily wetlands and good for wildlife viewing. While the trail was paved and mostly flat, there was some serious wind on the loop's return path, which was exhausting! As you can see from the pics below, we encountered a bunch of large migratory birds and alligators right on the trail just feet from us, and at the halfway point there is an observation post you can go up into and see for miles in every direction. There is a two-hour guided tram tour you can do instead if biking is not your thing.
