Everglades National Park - Facilities

Ernest F. Coe

Open
Open All Year

Hours of Operation
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Hours subject to change

Phone
305-242-7700
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Location
Located at the main park entrance west of Homestead and Florida City

Exhibits
Educational displays, orientation films, brochures, and information are available.

Available Facilities
Books, film, postcards, and insect repellent may be purchased in the bookstore. Restrooms are available. No trails start from this visitor center. The Long Pine Key Campground and Picnic Area is six miles further west, and is surrounded by an abundance of hiking trails.

Flamingo

Open

9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (depending on staffing).
Lobby open 24 hrs. for self-registration for back country sites.
Hours subject to change.

Phone
239-695-2945

Location
Flamingo is 38 miles (61 km) southwest from the main entrance at the southern end of the park.

Closures
Open intermittently during the summer.

Exhibits
Natural history exhibits and information in the Florida Bay Museum.

Available Facilities
Due to the damage caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, the restaurant, gift shop, and lodge are closed. Boat rentals and gas are currently not available. The marina store is open. Boat tours are offered Thursday-Monday.

The Flamingo campground is open and is nearby. Several hiking and canoeing trails begin at Flamingo or nearby, including the south end of the Wilderness Waterway. Abundant wildlife may be found here year-round. Check at the visitor center for trail status. Click here for a complete list of open and closed facilities throughout the park.

Gulf Coast

Open
Open All Year

Hours of Operation
9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Hours subject to change

Phone
239-695-3311

Location
The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is located on the West Coast in Everglades City, in the northwest corner of the park. It is the gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands, a maze of mangrove islands and waterways that extends south to Flamingo and Florida Bay.

Exhibits
The visitor center has natural history exhibits, educational displays, and orientation films.

Available Facilities
The visitor center has park information, issues backcountry permits and park passes, and sells books and postcards. A gift shop is located downstairs. Restaurants, stores, lodging, and campgrounds are located nearby. Boat tours and canoe rentals are available at the marina, as well as nearby. Canoes may be rented to explore Chokoloskee Bay and the Turner River. For the more adventurous, the 99 mile (159 km) Wilderness Waterway, accessible by canoe, kayak, or small motorboat, winds through the mangrove islands all the way to Flamingo. Backcountry permits are required for camping.

Shark Valley

Open
9:15 am - 5:15 pm
Hours are subject to change.

Phone
305-221-8776

Location
Shark Valley is located along U.S.41 (Tamiami Trail) on the northern border of the park.

Exhibits
The small visitor center contains educational displays.

Available Facilities
Shark Valley lies in the heart of the "river of grass". Wildlife abounds here in a freshwater ecosystem of sawgrass marsh and tree islands. A 15-mile (24 km) tram road (not open to private motorized vehicles) extends into the marsh, offering one of the best opportuniites to view alligators. A two hour narrated tram ride provides an overview of the freshwater Everglades. Bicycles are available to rent. Those wishing to explore alone can walk the short trails and portions of the tram road, or bike. An observation tower located halfway around the tram road provides a spectacular view into the sawgrass marsh. Books, postcards, film, insect repellent, and other items are available for sale. And vending machines dispense snacks and soft drinks.