Shark Valley Visitor Center

"I highly recommend stopping in at the Shark Valley Visitor Center when visiting the Everglades National Park from the North. The rangers there are very helpful and can offer valuable information for your visit. There is a nice gift shop and concession area, as well as clean restroom facilities and picnic area. The building and grounds are well cared for. I suggest getting there early especially if you want a tram tour as it can get quite busy. Be sure to get your National Parks Passport stamped here."

"If you made it here, do the team tour. If you get lucky you'll have Kelly who is very knowledgeable about the fauna and quite entertaining. If you don't do the tram, you may be a little underwhelmed, but there is plenty of opportunity to see alligators, birds, and such along the tram trail or the short trail through a mangrove thicket. If you are pressed for time and cannot do the tram, this is one to skip. You are likely to wait to enter as well."

"This is a unique experience in Everglades National Park. The visitor center is just inside the entrance. There is a 15 mile paved loop trail to an overlook. No vehicles are allowed on the trail other than the park tram. Pedestrians and bicycles only. We took our bikes with us, but you can rent bikes there. We encountered a number of pedestrians for the first two and last two miles, but after that it was only bicycles. The alligators did not disappoint. We saw one or two per mile the entire trail. I expected the overlook to be the highlight of the trail, but it was disappointing. The view of the expansive park was ok, but I saw only one gator from the tower. Be aware the parking lot fills up early in the day especially on weekends and they implement a one out \ one in rule, which can cause a long wait. Since we had our own bikes, we joined many others in parking along the highway outside the park and then riding our bikes to the pedestrian entrance, bypassing the line of cars. If you have the chance, I recommend this experience."

"Shark Valley is a perfect introduction to the Everglades! There is a 15 mile paved route that you can travel via tram, bike or on foot. It takes you out to an observation tower that gives you a great view out over the wetlands. The tram ride is excellent as you can see a lot and don’t need to worry about close encounters with the wildlife. The rangers guiding the tour are excellent and you can learn a ton in an enjoyable way. It’s also great for walking or biking. They have bikes for rent or you can bring your own. In the cooler months there’s a good chance you’ll see gators out sunning along the path. Well worth a visit!"

"12/31/2023: We were fortunate to have been able to get two tickets to the 2pm 2-hour tram tour at this Everglades National Park site. We were waitlisted and were able to get on! The tour itself was great! Our tour narrator, Ricky, was very knowledgeable and personable! Our driver, Greg, kept us safe. We saw over 50 alligators… right alongside the tram road. We also saw crocodiles, a turtle, a snake, many birds, and some pretty flowers. It was an awesome experience! FYI: The movie at the Visitor Center was not working."