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In the Everglades National Park in Florida there is a trail with wildlife that is so bountiful that the trail resembles an outdoor zoo.  The Anhinga Trail is found right off the highway 9336.  The trail is a great place to adventure travel and only a few miles south of Miami.

A typical Florida Everglades scene on the Anhinga Trail

Anhinga Trail in the Everglades is a great spot to view wildlife

The trail is only about a mile long, but there is no need to hurry the adventure as the main draw is the wildlife which is omnipotent.  Planked walkways take hikers right over the swamp and give incredible perspectives of alligators and birds.

There are some places that almost guarantee wildlife.  The Cades Cove Loop in the Great Smoky Mountains almost assures visitors will see a deer or possibly even one hundred and it is a lock that people will see bison on the Custer Wildlife Loop and the Badlands Sage Basin drive in South Dakota.  The Anhinga Trail is one of these places as there are alligators everywhere.  The planked walkways over the swamp allows a safe and comfortable distance between visitor’s flesh and alligator mouth, but at the same time a close distance from the tourist’s camera lens.

Vultures and alligators happily living together on the Florida Anhinga Trail

When one adventure travels one of the highlights is always seeing wildlife.  Many times people go to incredible lengths to see wildlife.  They might hike, they might canoe, or they might ski into a wilderness yet still fail to see anything interesting.  This is what is great about the Anhinga Trail.  Since the trail is short and well maintained even people who are not physically able or inclined to get into a canoe or hike inland to see wildlife will have an opportunity to enrich their lives by the experience.

For those that come to the Everglades to hardcore adventure with a week long kayaking trip through the wilderness waterway do not eschew this stop over on the way to Flamingo.  Those that prefer the bush will often avoid places like this as they are packed with tourists.  This is one of those places that attracts crowds, but do not let this color your opinion.  This is one trail that is worth rubbing elbows with the masses.

Florida Anhinga Trail alligator

Florida Anhinga Trail alligator

The bird life is also off the charts.  The trail is named after the enigmatic anhinga bird also known as the snake bird.  They dive in the water to catch fish, but due to some strange loophole in evolution they have been left without the ability to dry their wings.  They must perch on a tree and unfold their wings and dry them before they can fly.

It is possible to see just about any other bird that Florida is famous for on this trail.  Great egrets, snowy egrets, white and glossy ibises, little blue herons, great blue herons, tri-colored herons, limpkins, roseatte spoonbills, and purple gallinules are all easily sighted along the marshes along the trail.

The beautiful roseatte spoonbill found along the Anhinga Trail

Adventure travel in the Everglades and hike the wonderful Anhinga Trail.

Adventure on!

The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then sign up for the email newsletter. Notifications are sent out once or twice a month with what is new with Traveling Ted’s adventures. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above).