Biking is a great way to get exercise, but it’s also a great way to get out and explore – biking in the Everglades is an experience to remember. The Everglades is a vast, beautiful ecosystem with so many different plants and wildlife for you to admire as you glide on past.

If you’re interested in biking in the Everglaes, check out the Shark Valley Bike Trail. The Shark Valley Bike Trail is a 15-mile trip good for all types of bicycles. It’s a flat terrain. People take about 3 hours to complete this trip, but they usually aren’t biking the whole time, because many people stop often to sightsee around!

While biking this trail, you will also share the road with trams from Shark Valley Tram Tours. The trail starts at the Shark Valley visitor center. Whenever a tram comes near you, you are asked to stop biking until the tram passes. The speed limit for everyone is 25 mph.

You can bring your own bike or rent one from Shark Valley Tram Tours. However, bikes are available to rent on a first-come, first-serve basis, so be aware there may be none left during a busy time of day or season. There are bikes for children available, as well as helmets and bike baskets. Bikes can be rented and used on this trail from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you are unable to bike the full 15 miles, you are advised to turn around to return to the beginning. There are restrooms and a water fountain at an observation tower on the trail.

The parking lot closes at 6 p.m. to access this trail.

If you want to ride with a group larger than 20 people, you need to obtain a special-use permit from a park ranger. If you want to bike before 8:30 a.m. or after 4 p.m., you will also have to obtain a permit.

The trail gives riders a closer look at the bayhead and hammock ecosystems in Bobcat Boardwalk and Otter Cave Hammock trail, which are unpaved walking trails people can explore.

Animal sightings are possible, but it is advised that you do not approach the animals. Keep your distance from all wildlife and never feed them.

Explore the Everglades in an Airboat

Biking the Everglades is great way to experience the park up-close-and-personal while getting exercise. If biking isn’t your thing or if you want to see the Everglades in a different way a trip on an airboat is a great way to do it. Airboats can bring visitors to places beyond where a walking or biking trail can reach. To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Private Everglades Airboat Tours page.

If you have a sense of adventure and a love of the outdoors, slough slogging is for you! Ever heard of it? Slough slogging is a wet hike in the Everglades, also known as off-trail hiking, with a park ranger.

Slough slogging is a great way to experience the Everglades – it’s an experience and viewpoint most people will never do or have. Park rangers take people through the Shark River Slough. You must bring water, sturdy close-toed lace-up shoes, long pants sunscreen, a long sleeve shirt, insect repellent, binoculars, and snacks.

Since you will be surrounded by water and plant life, be prepared for lots of insects.

These trips are for 15-people groups, so it’s essential that you make a reservation. To go out on a slough slogging trip, participants must be 12 years or older. These trips are free.

On a slough slogging trip, the group will move slowly through muck and uneven terrains into the cypress dome. Groups will get the chance to see lots of different plant life, fish, and birds during the trip.

Reservations are required for these slough slogs. The trips are also weather dependent; they run several times a week from December through April, but also occur throughout the rest of the year, just less frequently. For more information, click slough slogging in the Everglades or call 305-242-7700.

Explore the Everglades on a Private Airboat Tour

Slough slogging is fun, but it can also be tiring and messy! If you want to explore the Everglades in a more relaxing and less messy fashion, jump on an airboat! An airboat tour will bring you through the Everglades’ waterways and give you a glimpse of the Park you’ve never seen before. To book an airboat tour, call Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click our Everglades airboat tour page to schedule a tour today.

Photo courtesy: NPS.GOV

The Everglades is wet. In fact, it gets around 60 inches of rainfall each year. Whether a lake, pond, or river, you will always be surrounded by water in the Everglades. Since the Everglades is made up of water, why not travel through it that way? An airboat tour is one of the best ways to hit the Everglades by water, but another great option is canoeing. If you love being active in the outdoors, canoeing and kayaking are the perfect activities in the Everglades…and the views are breathtaking!

On a canoe or kayak, you can explore the Everglades’ freshwater marshes, mangrove forests and Florida Bay. You can take a vessel out on your own or go on a canoe or kayak trip – these trips vary in length and difficulty.

You can bring your own canoe or kayak and launch them from several locations around the park. If you need to rent a canoe or kayak, you can rent them from the Flamingo Marina or Gulf Coast Visitor Center in the park.

Ready to paddle through the park?  Here’s some info on a few canoe/kayak trails in the Park:

Flamingo Canoe Trails – These trails are for beginners and advanced levels. They are located 38 miles south of the Homestead park entrance. You can access these trails from the Flamingo Marine or the main park road. The trails are 1.6 to 7.7 miles in length. You will sail by grassy marsh, mangrove islands, narrow passageways, mangrove creeks, and more.

Nine Mile Pond Canoe Trail – This trail is a Park favorite. It’s off the main road before the Flamingo area of the park. On this trail, you can see alligators, wading birds, turtles, and fish. This trail is a 5-mile loop, and it takes 4 to 5 hours.

Hell’s Bay – Want to experience something magical? Go on the Hell’s Bay trail and sail right through mangroves. It’s popular but also difficult. Hell’s Bay is accessible from the man park road south of the Homestead entrance.

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

Book a Private Everglades Airboat Tour

Canoeing and kayaking can get exhausting. If being active isn’t your thing or if you want an additional way to explore the everglades on the water, jump on an airboat tour. On an airboat tour, you can sit back and zip through the water and see all sorts of plant and animal life. Contact Captain Mitch of Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours today to go on the ride of your life. To book a reservation, call 800-368-0065 or click our private airboat tour in the Everglades page.