The number of things to do in
Florida just astonishes me. You can
drive two hours and feel like you’re in a completely different country. That was exactly the case when we set off for
Flamingo, FL.
This is looking south from Flamingo into the Florida Bay |
There’s only one road into
Flamingo and one road out – it’s the road the leads you into Everglades
National Park. While there are plenty of
things to do inside the park (like visit Anhinga Trail),
if you drive about 35 miles down the main park road, past the “panther
crossing” signs, and winding amongst the swamplands, you’ll find the little
town of Flamingo.
There’s not much in Flamingo. People used to live here in the early 1900s,
before it became part of Everglades National Park. Park rangers used to live here too, until
2005 when storm surge from Hurricane Wilma destroyed much of the area. Today, it’s a
great place to take a hike or three. Here are some of the ones I traversed on my
time there, without paying a dime.
Eco Pond Loop
Distance: ½ mile
This trail was one of my favorites,
namely because it was only half a mile and we got to investigate lots of nooks
and crannies off the main trail.
Although this isn’t really the
spot to see alligators, we did see two vultures getting into a fight.
Guy Bradley Trail
Distance: 1 mile one way
We took this trail to the Flamingo
Visitor Center and back to the campground amphitheater, making for a two-mile
hike. The trail is named after the
Audubon warden, Guy Bradley, who died while trying to protect birds from plume
hunters back in 1905.
I used to secretly wish I had a hat with bird feathers. I don't know what I was thinking, I don't even eat meat! Courtesy of United States Library of Congress under the digitial ID cph.3b0211 |
Much of the trail is along the
Florida Bay.
The scenery is not too shabby! |
This trail was heavily biked and
walked, and here, we saw a bird munching on a fish about 50 feet in the air.
I like my dinner table a little closer to the ground |
The campground amphitheater is
pretty cool itself, right on the water, and at night, a ranger gives talks
about the National Park system.
Coastal Prairie Trail
7.5 miles one way
We also started this trail, but
stopped when we realized it was 7.5 miles one way.
Frank would totally have dragged me along for 7.5 miles, but it was getting ready to storm |
If you’re hiking, you might as
well walk your way to Flamingo’s one and only restaurant/bar – The Buttonwood Café.
There’s not much on the menu at
the Buttonwood, but beers are only $3, which is about as economical as it gets!
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