Hi everyone, I will post a TR when I get back but wanted you all to know my 3 days in the Everglades were amazing. I stayed in Everglades City at the Ivey House and had a great time. the drive over Card Sound Road (construction now finished) gave me a preview of what was to come---mangroves, birds, lagoons.
Went kayaking (broken leg and all) on Christmas day, after a spooky almost X-filesy drive in the dark over to the Marco Island turnoff for midnight mass on the island. Saw mangroves and cypress swamps, alligtors (way up close, both babies and grownups), tons of birds and beautiful foliage. Also took a sunset boat trip out into the 10,000 islands yesterday, very enjoyable.
Am in the E.Naples library now, headed to Matlacha. Look forward to a few days of nothing but manatee spotting and a trip to Cabbage key!
Happy new year to all, hope your Christmas/whatever was relaxing.
Kitty takes the Glades!Sounds like you are having a great trip! I can%26#39;t wait to see your trip report. I am going down there in May.
Kitty takes the Glades!Sounds like you had a great trip, probably similar to what you were expecting. To the person who is coming in May, I%26#39;d recommend this coming from a local who%26#39;s done all the Everglades and Big Cypress has to offer.....
It depends on how many days you have and what you want to see, but the best stuff is off the beaten path and is not Anhinga Trail and Everglades City. Sure these places are nice if you just want to see alligators, but you can see literally 400 of those (I saw close to that many yesterday morning alone) along the side of Highway 41. Take a scenic drive on Loop Road in Big Cypress National Preserve...this is a dirt road and it takes about 2-3 hours with stops in certain places for photos. Visit the Kirby Storter Boardwalk Trail off 41 around sunset, and you%26#39;ll most likely see bobcats, deer, and if you%26#39;re very lucky Florida panthers. Stop by Corkscrew Swamp in Naples for good wildlife viewing (May is prime season for black bears so you may get lucky there). If you%26#39;re headed up the west coast take the tour with Babcock Wilderness Adventure in fort myers to see wildlife and several everglades ecosystems. In the Miami area, take the tram tour at Shark Valley to get a good view of the swamp and maybe one of the Miccousoukee Airboat tours (there%26#39;s hundreds of them on the side of the road). Anhinga Trail and the southern part of the national park is more open and full of tourists, but is much less picturesque and you are much less likely to see wildlife other than alligators (the everglades is full of other stuff, these are just the most famous since there are so many millions of them).
Have a great trip. I could give you advice for some more specific ideas if you tell me what kind of stuff you want to see and how long you have to do it.
Thanks NatureFreak! I will becamping at Hillsborough River park for 4 nights. Then I will travel down Tamiami Trail to the Everglades where I will camp for 4 nights. I am thinking of camping in Long Pine campground. Any opinions on the capmgrounds? After that we will go to Bahia Honda in the Keys to camp for 4 nights. I love reptiles, bugs, and pretty much any animals. I appreciate any tips and things you may have. I am so excited to finally get down to the Everglades! Sorry to hijack your thread Kitty, I am still watching for that trip report.
Not a problen, I have been recuperating sine I got back (my fracture is hurting in the cooler weather we%26#39;re having) but should have a TR up soon.
I did the Babcock Ranch tour last December and really liked it. If you are anywhere near Sanibel Island, a trip to Diong Darling is amust---at sunrise, to see everything along the nature drive, and a sunset kayak trip to the mangrove island rookeries. Amazing birdlife, plus manatees, dolphins, and the occasional gator.
It may seem hard to imagine but so much of FL is or was agriculture not that long ago. I was driving down Pine Island Road en route to Matlacha and passed a cattle pasture, with cows, and the foreman mending a fence, although his steed was a Ford pickup truck. A few miles later---saw a pasture full of beautiful horses as well.
Sorry to hear about you leg. I am glad you had a good time despite your injury. I am looking forward to seeing southern Florida. I fell in love a couple years ago, and have been coming to Florida twice a year since. However I was never able to get down to the glades. It is the top thing on my list of things to do.
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