United States
Florida (FL)
Everglades National Park
Things to Do in Everglades National Park
Anhinga Trail

Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park: Address, Phone Number, Anhinga Trail Reviews: 4.5/5

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Anhinga Trail

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Anhinga Trail
4.5
1,428
#2 of 24 things to do in Everglades National Park
Hiking Trails
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A half-mile boardwalk along a man-made canal with striking views.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
1,428 reviews
Excellent
1,058
Very good
269
Average
71
Poor
20
Terrible
10
The Hiking Harpist
Boston, MA54 contributions
The Quintessential Everglades Trail
Jan 2020
This is the most popular trail at the Everglades, and for good reason. It's easily accessible, and the wooden boardwalks let you walk above the water. You can look down and see wildlife including birds, turtles, and alligators. I was there early morning and brought my harp, and an alligator stopped to listen before swimming away. A once-in-a-lifetime experience! Take your time and walk to every nook and cranny of the trail. Then afterwards, stop by the Gumbo Limbo trail to see the tree canopies.
Written February 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Ashley B
6 contributions
January is a good time to visit
Jan 2022 • Couples
We loved our walk on the Anhinga trail. We were lucky that a park ranger was out about halfway, answering questions and helping point out wildlife. She also let folks use her binoculars, so if you have your own, I'd recommend bringing some; they definitely help. Yes, beware of vultures. There are some tarps at the visitor center right by the trail you can borrow to cover your car, but they are limited.
Written January 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Darrel B
New Cumberland, PA159 contributions
Very informative
Feb 2020 • Couples
We took the 60 minute ranger led Anhinga Amble. We saw a number of aligators, including one sunning himself on the trail, and frogs and many birds. The park ranger pointed out plants and animals, and not only told us about them, but also about the ecosystem and their relation to it. We came away with a much better understanding of the Everglades ecosystem and the plant and animal life in it. I greatly recommend the free 60 minute ranger led Anhinga Amble at 10:30 a.m. daily.
Written February 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Jamie J
4 contributions
Park is great! But beware of car theft!
Nov 2020 • Friends
The park is beautiful, and the trail is beautiful. This was our second visit. The first visit was full of wild life in the spring. This last visit a week ago had only a couple gators, which could be due to recent hurricanes.

⚠️ However this review isn’t about the trail itself. While we were walking the trail, someone broke into our car with a crow bar or something similar, and stole a laptop, credit & debit cards, cash, & AirPods. They do say never leave valuables in your car, but we also were on a road trip and didn’t plan on walking with a laptop bag, etc. So when you do visit, take everything with you! We had the car locked and they made it very unnoticeable. They also spent about $2500 on the cards at stores in the Miami area.
Written November 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Gary L
4 contributions
BRING BINOCULARS.
Dec 2021
I've read dozens of reviews that said this was THE trail to walk—that there were so many animals, it was almost Disneylike.

When we went, we saw exactly one turtle, a handful of cormorants, one Anhinga from a distance, a couple of fishes, and the speck of some gallinules. I know you can't predict the animals but man was this overhyped. Maybe we just came at the wrong time of day? (10 AM.) Also, I cannot recommend this enough... bring binoculars or your most expensive telescopic lens lol.

Nice scenery full of lily pads though. Straight out of a Monet painting.
Written December 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Tonya M
2 contributions
Beautiful, but over 80% less wildlife than I saw in the past. **IMPORTANT UPDATE**
Jan 2021
***IMPORTANT UPDATE***
I went on this trail about 20 years ago in January, the dry season. To say the wildlife was abundant is an understatement. Birds and alligators were everywhere; I felt like I was in the middle of a nature documentary. It was truly spectacular.

I went back this week (Jan 2021) and I have to admit, I was disappointed. There were relatively few birds and alligators compared to what I saw 20 years ago, probably 80% less. The scenery is still breathtaking, but the wildlife was not. After talking with some locals I found out the culprit. Apparently, due to water restoration projects (as well as a strong rainy season), the water in the everglades is much deeper in the dry season than it used to be. A local told me that there was a project that was completed six months ago that caused significant deepening. Due to many water restoration projects on the horizon, the water levels will only continue to rise in the coming years.

The reason the birds and alligators were so abundant near the manmade trails in the past was because the area next to the trails had been been dug deeper than the surrounding area, so water was present there when other areas had dried up in the dry season. This lifegiving water supported fish for eating as well as water for drinking and cooling off. Thus, many of the park's birds and animals congregated near the trails in the dry season.

It is still very much worth visiting the park to see the wildlife that is still visible as well as view the beauty of this area.

This is a very good thing for those of us who love the Everglades. Unfortunately, the viewing of wildlife is much less spectacular. I observed this at Shark Valley, too. There were very few birds. I'm guessing there will be less birds around the trails because now the birds have the luxury of avoiding humans.
Written January 23, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Chris Wolff
10 contributions
Don't miss this trail
Feb 2020
If you only have an afternoon in the Everglades don't miss this trail. There is permanent water here so you'll see wildlife like birds, turtles and alligators year round. The trail is on a board walk so you don't even have to get your shoes muddy.
Written February 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
runner24
Orlando, FL1,120 contributions
Nice easy boardwalk through the wetlands.
Jul 2021
Although a rainy day, we found our way to the Anhinga trail and managed to slowly make our way around the boardwalk before the rain hit. Today, the Lubber grasshoppers were everywhere including mating pairs, which was a hit with the school kids on a nature hike with their guide. We also notice many Pond Apples, which I've never seen before. They looked tasty but apparently are a bitter fruit so we passed them by. Great place for birdwatching.
Enjoy.
Written July 13, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
photoguywisconsin
Oshkosh, WI995 contributions
Skip Anhinga if looking for wildlife
Feb 2022
During our February visit we found that Anhinga had very few birds and wildlife. I really like this place, but if you are looking for birds and wildlife go elsewhere. My best suggestion would be Shark Valley and Big Cyprus. This part of Florida has gotten too much rain this year and most of the birds and wildlife like drier areas. The alligators and birds simply aren’t congregating around Ahinga this year.
Written February 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Lovtorun
Midwest568 contributions
Fabulous Trail!
Feb 2020
We arrived early on a Wednesday morning, about 8:30 before the visitor center was open. The gates are open 24 hours. We had a lovely hour or two meandering the trail and taking photos of alligators, herons, anhinga, ducks, egrets, gar and other fish, and lots more. There were other people there, but it was not crowded at all and great for taking pictures.
As we were leaving three buses pulled in with groups so we were glad we enjoyed the quiet trail!
There is a decent sized parking lot and restrooms.
Written February 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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