Bicycling

With so many opportunities to stop and a variety of trails to choose from, some visitors spend a day or more exploring the Everglades via bicycle. There are four popular destinations for biking: Shark Valley, the Old Ingraham Highway, the Pinelands trails, and the Flamingo trails. All are scenic loops or networks of trails with plenty of opportunity for wildlife viewing. A mixture of pavement and dirt makes for an interesting and varied bike journey through the park. The Pinelands has old logging roads that make up a 43-mile network of dirt and paved biking and hiking routes, all closed to vehicle traffic. When the Pinelands roads get muddy, the Old Ingraham Highway makes for a great alternative. The eroding roads of the old highway stretch 11 miles through cypress hammocks and open grasslands. The highway also includes two of Everglades backcountry campsites, the Ernest Coe campsite (at 3.5 miles) and the Old Ingraham campsite (at 11 miles). Shark Valley has one of the most popular locations in the park for biking. Ride the entire 15-mile loop while stopping to see some of the most beautiful areas for wildlife viewing. Flamingo also has many trail options for bikes, like the Snake Bight Trail, a short ride through a grove of tropical trees with opportunities for some pretty amazing bird watching. Bikes can be rented at the Shark Valley visitor center for $9/hour, or from the visitor center at Flamingo. Be sure to respect the heat in South Florida when biking: hydrate before you start and take plenty of water with you, as well. Wear a helmet or hat to keep the sun off your head.