Everglades Park Main Entrance: Ernest C. Coe and Royal Palms Visitor Centers

Everglades National Park Headquarters Exhibits

The Everglades Welcome You Back!!!

As marinas, parks and green spaces reopen in our city, the Everglades are a fantastic place to come and get some fresh air while practicing safe social distancing guidelines.

Here's what's happening at the park:

All areas of Everglades National Park are now OPEN. Park waters remain open for access from outside the park.
You are encouraged to pre-pay for your Entrance fee online, you can get a digital pass here.
Visitor Centers at Ernest C. Coe and Shark Valley have reopened.
Campsites are open. Self-registration permits are available outside of the Flamingo and Gulf Coast Visitor Centers.
Several tours and concession services have resumed with enhanced health and safety measures:
- Shark Valley's Tram Tours are running on a limited capacity and Bike rentals can be booked online.
- Flamingo's Back Country Tours are running and kayak and canoe rentals and bicycles can be booked online. Check Groupon Discounts here.
- The Gulf Coast 10,000 Island Tours are running and kayak and canoe rentals can be booked online.
- The following outside concessions are conducting Airboat and Eco Tours now:
  - Gator Park: Everglades National Park Airboat Tour and Wildlife Show
  - Everglades Safari Park: $23.60 Discount tickets at Klook.com, from Miami incl. transport: Half-Day Everglades Airboat Ride & Wildlife Show
  - Sawgrass Recreation Park: Everglades Airboat Tour with Exhibit Entrance, Private Tour for your group only, Night Tour (Wednesdays and Saturdays only)
  - Everglades Area Tours: Mangrove Tunnel Kayak Eco-Tour meet at Everglades Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center Hwy 41/Hwy 29 Everglades City

For more info check out Everglades National Park: Alerts and Conditions

The Main Park Entrance is about one hour South-West from Miami, in Florida City near Homestead. This is also where the Park Headquarters are located.

Your starting point will be the Ernest C. Coe Visitor Center. This Visitor Center is open year-round and is where you get maps of the area and helpful advice from the rangers. They can tell you about recent wildlife sightings and recommend programs or things to do based on your interests and the amount of time you have available.

There are great educational exhibits here as well, a short film about the Everglades and informational pamphlets that tell you about the area and conservation efforts.

Once armed with all the information and maps you can cross the Main Entrance Gate where you pay the $30 per vehicle Park Fee and start exploring.

Map of the Everglades: Main park Entrance

A few miles on the main road will lead you to the Royal Palm Visitor Center. This isn't more than a small shop with souvenirs and a few books, definitely not in the scale of the Ernest C. Coe Visitor Center. However, Royal Palm is the gateway to two of the most popular trails in the park: the Anhinga Trail and the Gumbo Limbo Trail.

The Anhinga Trail is without a doubt the better of the two, full of wildlife and covering a diversity of landscapes in a vast array of boardwalks and paved stretches that get you up close with nature. Here's just a sample of what we encounter on one of our recent visits:

Anhingas

Alligators

Turtles

Egrets

Here's more on the Anhinga Trail.

The Gumbo Limbo Trail, in contrast, is a shorter trail, about 0.4 miles on a paved path that cuts through a subtropical hardwood hammock. This trail is shaded and can be done in a half-hour. It is very different from the openness of the Anhinga Trail. Watch out for mosquitoes!

Ernest C. Coe Main Entrance at a Glance

Where?: The Ernest C. Coe Visitor Center is located at 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, FL 33034. It is about an hour drive from Miami. Directions: Take the Florida Turnpike South until it ends at US 1 at Florida City. Turn right at the first traffic light onto Palm Drive (State Road 9336/SW 344th St.) and follow the signs to the park.

See the Florida Everglades Map here.

Park Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Park Entrance Fee: $30 per Vehicle, $25 motorcycle, $15 pedestrians (16+) or bicycles. The Park Fee is good for entrance into the Park at any of its other locations within 7 days. Annual pass is $55.

Parking: Yes

Other Ammenities: Restrooms

You can continue driving on the main road to Flamingo, the gateway to Florida Bay, just 30 miles away, it will take you about an hour. Best way to see the park here is from the water and it's a totally different environment and landscape.