Everglades has best bike trail in South Florida

A mother alligator surrounded by her babies. (Note the one on her back.)

Birds are abundant and let visitors get quite close; photographers love it.

Alligators along the path are a common sight.

MIAMI — Shark Valley, the entrance to Everglades National Park off the Tamiami Trail directly west of Miami, is such a reliably wonderful outing that it’s one of my favorite places to take visitors.

It offers what I contend is the best bike trail in South Florida: A smooth 15-mile paved loop trail through Everglades National Park with no traffic. (A tram travels the same road, but it  will pass you three or four times in an afternoon’s ride.)

A bicyclist gets perhaps a little too close to a gator.

On this trail, you WILL see alligators. In the winter, you may have to steer your bike around them and you will lose track of how many you spot. Wading birds are abundant. I’ve even seen two otters scampering along the waterway, just a dozen steps from the parking lot. The animals here seem accustomed to being watched and allow visitors to observe up close. There are no fences dividing you from them.

Because of its length, the bike trail offers vast open spaces and a chance to get away from people while its smooth surface  makes for carefree pedaling.

The same path makes a great walk, too. The advantage to walking is the slow pace allows you to notice the abundant wildlife.

On a visit during a busy winter holiday week, for example, we explored on foot. We were lucky enough to see  a mother alligator in the brush just off the path surrounded by more than a dozen babies. One sat on her head; others crawled on her back. We could hear their little squeaking “Mama!” noises and watch the whole scene, which took place not 15 feet away from us. After 30 years in South Florida and uncountable Everglades outings, this was a first for me.

I also recommend Shark Valley for families with small children and older adults, because the tram ride is an excellent way to experience the Everglades for those who can’t pedal or walk great distance. The staff and volunteers who narrate the tram tour are passionate about the place and first-time visitors, in particular, come away informed and impressed.

The observation tower

The 15-mile road was built by an oil company that hoped to drill here. (Happily, they’re gone and the road remains for recreational use only.) At the half-way point, an observation tower overlooks a gator hole, reliably filled with gators.

November through April are the best times to visit the Everglades, and Shark Valley is no exception. Dry conditions result in animals gathering around the remaining water, so wildlife viewing is better. Mosquitoes can be bad in the summer and there is little shade at Shark Valley.

Whenever I go here, I am impressed with how many international travelers are present. Sometimes I think those who come from afar are more appreciative of the Everglades than those who live nearby.

A few tips to help you plan your visit:

– Shark Valley is very popular on winter weekends, so the parking lot fills up. Overflow visitors park on the Tamiami Trail and walk in, but bikes may all be rented and trams may be sold out, so, it makes sense to get an early start here. Even on the busiest days (and on my last visit, it was jammed) you can still have a great time by walking on the path. There may be more people around, but the trail is long and few people walk far.

– If you bring a picnic, the only picnic tables are around the parking lot. Along the trail itself, there is little dry land beside the trail and no shade, so we’ve eaten our lunches near the observation tower sitting on a bench at the half-way point.

– Admission to Everglades National Park  is $10 per car and $5 per person on foot or bike. Admission is good for seven consecutive days.

More information about Everglades National Park:

• Information on tram tours at Shark Valley. The park is busiest from Dec. 26 through April 30, and reservations are recommended during this time period.  You may reserve for the 9, 10, 2, 3, and 4 p.m. trams.  Walk up visitation spikes in the middle of the day, so reservations cannot be made for the 11, noon  or 1 p.m. tours. Adults are $18.25; seniors (62+) $17.25 and children (3-12) $11.50
• Shark Valley Visitor Center information
• Lots of folks on Yelp love Shark Valley.
• Here’s a YouTube video that gives you a taste of what it’s like to bike this trail and  a video that shows how close one gets to alligators and birds.

Other things to do near Everglades National Park Shark Valley entrance on the Tamiami Trail:

• The section of the Tamiami Trail (pronounced “tammy-ammy” so it rhymes) that passes through Big Cypress National Preserve is designated a scenic byway. Here’s detailed information about this great roadtrip with a number of interesting stops.
• On the Tamiami Trail between Miami and Shark Valley, there are many places to take an airboat ride.
• Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery is 15 minutes west of the park.
• Big Cypress National Preserve has a visitor center and information about exploring the area.
• Nearby is the smallest (and cutest, I’d say) post office in America in Ochopee.