Most people will tell you the same thing, try one of the usual spots in the local parks. The information doesn’t vary much, but chances are, every time you go out you will have a different experience.
Why I like the Tamiami Trail -Alligator Alley Loop Drive
On my first visit to Florida, I had one free day and when I asked what I could do, the hotel clerk suggested the loop through the Everglades formed by the Tamiami Trail (highway 41) and the Alligator Alley (Interstate 75) that connects Miami on the East coast and Naples Florida on the West Coast. The drive is a pleasant way to see Florida wildlife.
The Shark Alley Stop and Return
The easiest to visit park is at Shark Valley where trams ($16.25 pp) will take visitors from a huge parking area out into the Everglades and many boardwalks allow visitors into many different areas for viewing the many alligators. I skipped the tram on my December visit and had fun photographing large spiders and seeing lots of grunting alligators.
Destinations Near Naples
The easiest place to get a boat tour of the Everglades National Park Boat Tours at Everglade City ($17.50 for an 1.5 hour tour), with the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park just north a good place to get out and stretch your legs on an hour long boardwalk trip. I liked the walk better than the boat ride since the motor scares most wildlife up into the air. The waters under the boardwalk dry out but the tall Cypress and strange strangler figs are cool.
Collier St. Park near Naples has boat rentals, picnicking and good hiking trails that lead to great bird watching opportunities. Choose this park on the loop drive and do Shark Valley on a second day if you have time. We spotted baby anhingas here in February and there were many opportunities to get close ups of wildlife.
Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Alternative
Plan to take I-75 both ways and maximize your time at Corkscrew Swamp which is worthy of at least four hours because of the rich variety of habitats. From I-75 take highway 29 toward Immokalee where you find highway 846 that leads you to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary headquarters. My favorite stops on the double loop hike include the shrubs near the headquarters where many warblers and migratory birds hang out. The pines trail is very peaceful. Carolina wren and woodpecker are the most common seen in the stands of cypress. Last time I went the grasslands were too overgrown to easily spot anything. The return loop past the ponds often find the wading birds, alligator and red-shouldered hawk. Surprises are always found.
The return trip along I-75 goes quickly but watch the ditches along the road for wildlife. This is a long day, start early. My best sighting was a water moccasin riding down the canal current.
Easy Hiking in the Pine Woods J W Corbett Wildlife Management area
Head North on I-95 to Jupiter Beach then turn east on Hwy 706 to the headquarters. A trail winds through slash pine forest, through various habitats and then along a canal. It’s an easy hike and we had fun listening to the baby Osprey cries along the canal. On the return to Miami drive along the east shore dike (limited visibility of lake) of Lake Okeechobee through the sugar cane fields for a leisurely country drive and change of pace.
Terrific Swimming at Bahia Honda State Park on a Florida Keys Drive
It is possible to drive out to Key West and back in a day but it is an extremely long day and during spring break can be very slow with speeds dropping to 35 mph or slower due to traffic. My favorite memory of swimming in Florida was at Bahia Honda State Park in September after everyone was back to school and having the entire swimming area to my nephew and me. The old highway bridge offers a good walk and there’s camping available. Bahia Honda State Park is a great destination to reach and go back making the trip shorter. In spring, the birds in migration can offer many surprises.
Naples is a great place to dine. Don’t expect to find any services along either corridor through the Everglades-start with a full tank of gas.
[1] Florida Atlas & Gazetteer
[2] Susan Cerulean and Ann Morrow, Florida Wildlife Viewing Guide
[3] National Geographic Guide to Birdwatching Sites Eastern US
[4]AAA Florida TourBook and AAA Map