Everglade National Park

            In my previous blogs I wrote about National Parks I've been to and the information about each park.  My next few blogs will be about National Parks I haven’t been to… yet.  I will also share information about each park so you can get a better understanding of each park and what they have to offer.

            The first National Park I want to talk about is the Everglades National Park.  I’ve also always wanted to ride on an airboat.  Incase you don’t know, the Everglades are in southern Florida.  It is larger area of marshland, swamp and forest.  It’s home to a vast majority of wildlife including around 350 species of birds, 300 species of fish, 40 mammals, and 50 reptiles.    I always had a special interest in reptiles, which is one of the reasons I want to go to the Everglades so bad. I’ve always wanted to see alligators in the wild.

            The park was established in 1934 to protect the remaining 20 percent of the vastly vanishing swamp due to the growth of the south Florida metropolitan area.  The park to this day is placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.  The park is home to thirty-six federally protected animals, including the Florida panther, two species of birds, five species of sea turtles, West Indian manatee, American alligators and crocodiles.  There is to be believed about 50 Florida panthers that live in the wild, putting them as one of the most endangered species on Earth.

           The Everglades only have two seasons, a wet and a dry.  The dry season is form December to April. Temperatures between this time are around the 50s to the mid 70s, and the humidity is low.  The wet lasts from May to November, temperatures and humidity usually remain above 90.  Storms during this time can drop 10 to 12 inches for rainfall, giving the area half the year’s fresh water in about two months.  Around one million people visit the Everglades each year; most of them come during the dry season when the temperatures are cooler and fewer mosquitoes.  You can camp in the park, fish as long as you have a state license, and hike on the provided trails.  Swimming is prohibited in the park due to alligators, snapping turtles, barracudas, water moccasins, sharks, and dangerous coral.

            The Everglades have a long way before it will ever be stable.  I wouldn’t recommend the Everglade National Park for a family vacation due to all the dangers.  But for the explorer types such as myself, the Everglades National Park sounds like one adventure, I know I can’t wait to go.