Author: Victor Block
Published: 2025/02/11
Publication Type: Informative
Topic: Disability Travel America – Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis – Introduction – Main
Synopsis: This article explores Everglades National Park’s ancient roots, rare wildlife, accessible trails, cultural sites, and inclusive adventures amid climate threats.
Why it matters: This travel article by Victor Block provides an informative overview of Everglades National Park, blending its rich ecological and cultural history with practical insights for modern visitors. It traces the region’s evolution from an arid landscape inhabited by ancient Native Americans and Ice Age megafauna to its current status as the largest tropical wilderness in the U.S., shaped by climate shifts and human influence. The piece highlights the park’s accessibility, noting features like wheelchair-friendly facilities, captioned films, tactile exhibits, and adaptive programs that make its diverse ecosystems – from sawgrass prairies to mangrove forests – enjoyable for visitors of all abilities, including seniors and those with disabilities. It emphasizes opportunities for wildlife encounters, including alligators, manatees, and endangered Florida panthers, alongside recreational activities like airboat tours, kayaking, and cultural visits to the Miccosukee Indian Village. While addressing environmental threats like rising sea levels and pollution, the article underscores the park’s enduring appeal as a refuge for rare species, a hub for outdoor adventure, and a living archive of human history – Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
Some 15,000 years ago, tribes of Native Americans made their home in a wilderness area of what today is southern Florida. At that time, they lived in an arid landscape which also was inhabited by giant sloths, saber-toothed cats and South American Bears.
Later, climate change created a wetter environment which did not support those animals but did attract Spanish explorers and colonizers. A large tract of this former waste land now is preserved as the Everglades National Park.
Main Item
This is the largest tropical wilderness in the United States. In addition to a portion which is covered by razor-sharp sawgrass, it also contains growths of mangrove trees and shrubs, tropical hardwood hammocks, pine and cypress forests and freshwater prairie.
It’s possible to take in many of the Everglades’ sites and attractions by driving through the park, without leaving your car. Stops along the way can provide close-up views.
The closest major airport to Everglades National Park is Miami International Airport, which is about 35 miles east of the Shark Valley Visitor Center. The Tamiami Trail follows the transition from suburbia to swampland. From the west, U.S. Route 41 leads to the Shark Valley Visitor Center.
In addition, the park offers a variety of accessible facilities, services and programs including back country camping, front country camping, boat tours, and assistive learning devices. Ramps and in some cases an elevator provide access to the visitor centers, where loaner wheelchairs are available. Films and videos include captioning, and assistive listening devices are available. Tactile opportunities provide hands-on experiences at some wildlife displays.
While many visitors enter the park to appreciate its natural beauty and recall its history, others come to enjoy a range of activities. These include guided sightseeing boat trips; exploring by canoe or kayak; hiking and biking; fishing, overnight camping and shelling.
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Seeking sightings of wildlife also is a popular pastime. Alligators are the most sought after prey for viewing, preferably at a distance. They’re often spotted in sloughs, which are channels connecting sawgrass prairies, that also are favored by turtles, snakes and fish.
The Everglades also offers a hospitable habitat for some rare and endangered species. These include the large, cow-like manatee; American crocodiles and the elusive Florida panther. Only about 200 of those animals, which actually are members of the cougar family, are believed to remain in the wild. A somewhat surprising and, to me, endearing trait is that they lack the ability to roar, and instead make distinct sounds that include whistles, chirps, hisses and purrs.
Much more prolific are the birds that make the Everglades their home, or stop by on their annual migration flights. The warm, shallow waters have attracted countless types of birds for thousands of years, and more than 360 species have been identified in the park. Generally, they may be placed in one of three groups: wading and land birds, and birds of prey. Among favorite targets of binoculars are American bald eagles, pink roseate spoonbills and dazzling painted buntings. A few flamingo’s also hang out in the park.
I experienced much that the Everglades has to offer during an excursion in an airboat. Those practical vessels are perfect for moving through marshy and shallow areas where a standard engine with a submerged propeller could not operate. The flat-bottomed airboats are driven by a large propeller mounted on the stern, pushing them over the top of the water usually at speeds approaching 35 miles an hour. The operator typically sits in an elevated position which provides a perfect perch for spotting wildlife and other attractions.
Alligators were the primary target of our outing and we were rewarded with several sightings. They were augmented by a virtual aviary of birds with intriguing names like snake bird and long-legged gallinule.
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Native Americans who first inhabited the area got around in flat-bottom dugout canoes. They were made by hollowing out the center of cypress trees and, because the water was so shallow, were propelled by push poles rather than paddles.
Evidence of human habitation also awaits discovery at some sites in Everglades National Park. Shell mounds serve as reminders that Native Americans who resided there long ago disposed of the outer casings of edible mollusks, and those that were used as tools, in heaps. Archaeologists theorize that these formations were used to identify sacred places and separate them from living quarters and other public areas.
A visit to the Miccosukee Indian Village on the edge of the Everglades provides an introduction to that tribe’s history and culture, along with touches of commercialism including alligator demonstrations, a resort, casino and golf club. Tribal members demonstrate beadwork, basket weaving and other traditional skills, and exhibits at a museum include artifacts, photographs and a documentary film.
Like many of Mother Nature’s magnificent handiworks, the Everglades National Park faces a number of challenges. Climate change is causing the sea level to rise which results in intrusion by salt water and increased evaporation. Pollution, in part from phosphorous-based fertilizers, is a growing concern. The influx of people moving to Florida is adding to the need to find land for housing developments.
These factors, while a cause of worry about the future of the Everglades, have little impact upon the experience of those who visit this treasure-trove of nature, animal life and untrammeled beauty today. People who do so find a unique enclave which relates chapters of the country’s past, offers a superb natural setting and provides opportunities for getting close up and personal with a widely diverse collection of animals.
Author Credentials: Victor Block has been a travel journalist for many years, and has written for major newspapers, magazines and travel websites and served as an editor of Fodor’s Travel Guides. He is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Travel Journalists Association. Victor is a regular contributor of reviews to the Disabled World travel section. Visit Victors’s biography for further insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.
Citing Information and Page References
Disabled World (DW) is a comprehensive online resource providing information and news related to disabilities, assistive technologies, and accessibility. Founded in 2004 our website covers a wide range of topics, including disability rights, healthcare, education, employment, and independent living, with the goal of supporting the disability community and their families.
Cite This Page (APA): Block, V. (2025, February 11). Informative Overview of Everglades National Park. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved February 12, 2025 from www.disabled-world.com/travel/usa/everglades.php
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