Learn More About the Everglades with a Ranger

September 27, 2016 by

rangerAirboats are an amazing way to zip through the Everglades, and a ride on one of them is certainly something you’ll want to experience at least once in your lifetime; however, there are many ways to explore this national park. If you’re looking for a learning experience while on your exploration of this majestic wetland, then you should book a tour with a ranger.

The Everglades National Park offers several ranger-led programs that can truly enrich your trip to the area. With so much to see and so much living within the Everglades, why not know what you’re looking at? These programs have been created by the park rangers, who interpret the park’s natural and cultural resources to visitors.

Although programs run throughout the entire year, the Park increases its programs during the high visitor season, which is December through March. During this time, there are additional rangers on hand for more activities. There are three park entrances and each entrance offers visitors different programs focused on the unique landscape of the particular landscape surrounding each entrance. The entrances are near: Homestead, Miami, and Everglades City. The different regions within the park (Flamingo, Gulf Coast, Royal Palm and Shark Valley) have different program offerings.

Here is a brief over view of what each location offers with rangers:

Flamingo: bird walks, manatee talks, croc talks, discover walks, car caravans, python talks, tropical trees walk, canoe trips, and more.

Gulf Coast: Canoe tour, boat tour, nature walks, triathlon, bird walks, and more.

Royal Palm: Bike hikes, slough slogs, starlight walks, evening programs, and more.

Shark Valley: Tram rides, talks, bike rides, bird walks, nature walks, and more.

Explore the Everglades

Rangers are a great resource for learning all about the ins and outs of the Everglades… but so is Captain Mitch of Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours. Captain Mitch has been navigating the water of the Everglades for more than 30 years and knows plenty of rich information to share with visitors about the area as well. So for a different perspective of the Everglades, book an airboat tour with Captain Mitch today. To make a reservation, click here or call 800-368-0065.

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Experience Geocaching in the Everglades

September 20, 2016 by

geocachingEver heard of geocaching? Well if you haven’t it’s really fun! It’s a real-world outdoor treasure hunt.  What’s even more exciting is that you can do this in the Everglades. In short, geocaching is a game where players have to locate hidden containers (called geocaches) using a GPS-enabled device while sharing their experience online.

When geocaching, the players must navigate through a certain set of GPS coordinates in order to find the geocache hidden at that particular location. To play in the Everglades, you can register at geocaching.com to seek caches and log entries, but it is not required.

In the game, if you take something from the geocache, you must leave something of equal or greater value. Then, you write about your find in a cache logbook and you can log your experience at geocaching.com.

Geocaches can be found all over the world. They vary in size and appearance from large plastic containers to film canisters. Since its already such an interesting place to explore, the Everglades provides the perfect setting to go on a treasure hunt.

The Park Employee for a Day geocache trail is comprised of five caches that follow the main park road. In this game, people will be looking for caches that contain a particular case study that requires their attention. After reading the information presented, people are asked to think how they would deal with the issue at hand. Then, people are asked to share their thoughts online and log what they find. This game allows visitors to step in the role of different park employees to help resolve issues.

Geocache game titles include: The Rising Tide, A Heated Dilemma, A Pepper Problem, and In Harm’s Way.

If Everglades’ issues or playing games interests you, this is worth signing up for! If you’re looking to explore even more areas of the Everglades, try an airboat tour after the geocaching game. To make a reservation, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click here.

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Go Fishing in the Everglades!

September 14, 2016 by

fishingDid you know you can go fishing in the Everglades? You can! Since one-third of the Everglades is water covered, it makes sense that there are plenty of places where fishing would be ideal! In the Park, anglers have the opportunity to catch a variety of fish, including: snapper, redfish, bass, sea trout, and bluegill. Being a national park and in the state of Florida, people must be aware and abide by local fishing information.

People are asked to exercise caution while fishing in the Everglades, and to always check on weather and tide conditions and predictions, as well as prepare for lots of mosquitos. In short, visitors must be aware of all Florida state laws, rules, and regulations regarding fishing such as bag limits for individual species. When It comes to licensing information and regulations, people should visit marinefisheries.org to know what’s OK and what’s not OK before you head out.

In the Everglades, people have the opportunity to participate in saltwater fishing in Florida Bay, Ten Thousand Islands and in other areas along the park’s coast.  Both saltwater and freshwater fishing require separate Florida fishing licenses.

Shoreline fishing is available in the park, but it is limited. Places to do this include: Pine Glades Lake, Sisal Pond, Ficus Pond, Sweet Bay Pond, Nine Mile Pond, West Lake, and the Flamingo Camping Area.

When it comes to freshwater fishing, a license is required for those over 16. People are not allowed to use live or dead fish, amphibians, roe for bait. Digging for bait is also prohibited. With saltwater fishing, the same license requirements apply. Saltwater bait includes: shrimp, minnows, pilchards, pinfish, mullet, and a few others.

General Everglades Fishing Info:

  • Seines, nets, and lobster snares are prohibited.
  • Spears and firearms are prohibited.
  • Collecting plants and animals is prohibited.
  • Anglers are allowed to have 4 fillets per person for immediate consumption at designated campsites or on board vessels with cooking facilities; otherwise, all other fish must remain intact while in park waters.
  • Commercial fishing is prohibited.
  • Anglers are limited to 20 fish per person at a time, but cannot possess no more than 10 of any one species. If the species is non-native, there is no limit.

For a full list of Everglades fishing information that is up-to-date and more thorough, visit marinefisheries.org or myfwc.com. If you’re looking for a tour or if fishing isn’t your thing, think about riding in an airboat to experience the Everglades in a whole new way. To book a trip, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-3698-0065 or click here.

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Canoe in the Everglades

September 6, 2016 by

canoeThe Everglades is vast. This large wetland has so many “hidden” or hard-to-get-to places or controlled areas where airboats cannot reach. With that said, after you take an airboat tour, you may want to explore the Everglade further, or just in a different way. For those of you who enjoy being active and want that up-close-and-personal experience, try out canoeing and kayaking to take in all the beautiful sites that the Everglades has to offer.

By hopping into a canoe or kayak, you can explore the National Park in freshwater marsh, mangrove forests, and in the open waters of Florida Bay. There are a variety of trails and areas for you to explore and the canoe and kayak trips all vary in time in length and complexity depending on which trail you choose.

As a visitor, you can bring your own canoe or kayak and launch them from several locations around the park. If you don’t own a canoe or kayak, you have the option to rent one (or several) from the Flamingo Marina or Gulf Coast Visitor Center in the park.

Here’s a brief overview of the canoe/kayak trails you can head out on:

Flamingo Canoe Trails – These trails are about 38 miles south of the main park entrance in Homestead. These trails go from a beginner to advanced levels. People can access these trails from the Flamingo Marine or the main park road. Trails and loops range from 1.6 to 7.7 miles. In these trails, people will go around grassy marsh, mangrove islands, narrow passageways, mangrove creeks, and more.

Nine Mile Pond Canoe Trail – This particular trail is favorited by visitors. It is off the main park road before the Flamingo district of the park.  People get the chance to see alligators, wading birds, turtles, and fish on this 5-mile loop. This loop, on average, takes about 4 to 5 hours.

Hell’s Bay – If you want to really enjoy the mangroves, this trail takes you right through them. It’s a very popular trail, but also challenging. It’s accessible from the man park road south of the Homestead entrance.

Gulf Coast – These trails are accessible through Florida City. These trails can take anywhere from 4 to 9 hours to complete.  Trails include: Sandfly Island Loop, Turner River Canoe Trail, and Halfway Creek and Loop Trails.

If your arms are getting tired from paddling a canoe or kayak or if you want to see the Everglades with a guide, call Captain Mitch of Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours today. To book a reservation, call 800-368-0065 or click here.

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