[By Jeff Soderberg · Photographs courtesy Wilderness Graphics, Inc., South Florida Water Management District ]

Explore the Everglades Trail

Created by nature and time, a wide river of grass flows slowly through approximately one third of Florida. Centuries of plant growth and wildlife development led to the formation of the Everglades, an area of breathtaking beauty and diversity unlike any other on the planet. The Everglades is home to the widest river on earth. This freshwater river varying from just inches to several feet in depth and 50 or more miles wide, creeps slowly through the Everglades on a riverbed that slopes ever so gradually. Along its course of hundreds of miles, the river drops just 15 feet, finally emptying into Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Along the coast where fresh and salt waters mix, mangrove forests dominate the landscape. Known for its lush plant life, wading birds, crocodiles and world famous alligators, the Everglades offers something for everyone to enjoy.

This subtropical region is a remarkable ecosystem, with more than 4 million acres of public lands vital for the needs of nature and South Florida's water supply. The challenge has always been in finding ways to access, appreciate and enjoy its many subtle wonders. And so was born the Everglades Trail.

U.S. Senator Bob Graham, dedicated to preserving this national treasure for generations to come, introduced the Everglades Trail; a reflection of his efforts to secure $8 billion for Everglades Restoration - the largest restoration project in the nation. The Everglades Trail project was initiated by Wilderness Graphics, the Florida Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and the Friends of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and was created with the support of the Office of Greenways and Trails, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the assistance of VISIT FLORIDA and the participation of many state and federal agencies.

Reaching from the Kissimmee River to Florida Bay, the Everglades Trail includes 20 visitor sites. The Trail lays out a 300-mile auto tour route that offers opportunities to explore the nature and history of the greater Everglades ecosystem, connecting visitors with the natural wonders of their public lands. Among the many points of interest along the trail is the Nature Conservancy's Disney Wilderness Preserve. This 12,000-acre site located at the historic headwaters of the Everglades is one of the last undeveloped lakes in Central Florida. The Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is another popular stop, offering a visitor center, observation tower, fishing platform, and canoe and nature trails. Everglades National Park offers three different sites as points of entry. At Biscayne National Park, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving are popular ways to enjoy the protected marine environment within beautiful Biscayne Bay. In the Big Cypress National Preserve, visitors can enjoy the scenic drives, bird watching, a swamp walk, canoeing and biking on their own or on a ranger-led trip. The Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park offers a boardwalk and day hikes, and contains the largest concentration and variety of orchids in North America. Several natural history and cultural heritage trails and sites intersect the Everglades Trail, including the Big Water Heritage Trail, Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway, Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST), the Great Florida Birding Trail, the Florida Trail, and the Seminole Tribe's Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum.