Everglades National Park
Ernest Coe Visitor Center, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, 305/242-7700, Nps.gov/ever
Mosquitoes, thunderstorms and humidity render Everglades National Park inhospitable to campers for most of the year. But from December to April, when the air cools and the skeeter attacks die down, pitching a tent in the largest designated wilderness area east of the Rockies can be downright sublime. While the park features only two frontcountry campgrounds, both of which accommodate RV and tent camping, it also boasts a whopping 47 backcountry sites for adventurers who prefer a more-primitive experience. These sites are broken down into three categories: beach sites, which are located along the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway that stretches from Flamingo to Everglades City and is literally a kayaker's wet dream; ground sites, found in dry, elevated areas of the park; and chickees, 10-by-12-foot wooden platforms that have been raised above the bay waters. Wildlife encounters throughout the park are a given, as the Everglades is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Alligators, manatees, egrets, deer, rabbits, sharks and snakes are common in the park's waters and along its trails. The most breathtaking sight of all, however, will be up in the sky, where stars and constellations invisible throughout much of South Florida because of light pollution shine down upon the park like winking gods.
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