Sunday, February 24, 2013

Flamingo Campground (Everglades National Park), Flamingo, FL


Date of Stay:  Tuesday February 12 - Sunday 24, 2013 (12 nights)

Rate:  $19/night (Access Pass discount)

Website:  Flamingo Campground Everglades National Park (FL)
   1 Flamingo Lodge Highway
   Flamingo, FL 33034
   239-695-0124

Description:  This is truly the end of the world as we know it.  The campground is 40 miles from the entry to the Everglades but there is a marina and visitor’s center at this end of the road.  No reception on Verizon so no phone or internet for us.  We stayed on site T27.  The T Loop has 50A electric but no water or sewer at the site.  There is a dump with water fill at the bathhouse.  The bathhouse does not have hot water although the other loops do have solar panels to heat the water in theirs.  Paved roads and pads on large sites without much shade.  Bugs are not bad this time of year during the day but evening can be annoying.  Forget about the summer.  Nice place to ride bikes, paddle, hike the nature trails and enjoy ranger-led activities and talks.  Lots of birds and mangroves.  Alligators and crocodiles co-exist here.

Activities:  Great place to unwind and disconnect from the world for a while.  Our satellite dish worked just fine for television although Verizon didn’t work at all (no phone or internet).  We were here with Dan, Tricia, Bill and Nancy and were lucky to get sites together.  Sherry and David were also here for a couple of days so it was good to see them again.  Ranger-led activities are great here and you really get to appreciate the impact of the Everglades on the Earth’s ecosystems.  We all rode together to the Anhinga Trail closer to the entry to the park on a cool windy day to enjoy some wildlife viewing.  We also all went to Shark Valley with our bikes and pedaled out to the Observation Tower there to get a grasp of the vastness of the Everglades.  Bill, Nancy, Tricia and myself went on a ranger-led canoe ride through the mangroves in very shallow water.  After our friends left, we realized that we missed civilization so we left a couple of days early.

Trash and Recycle:  Dumpster at the bathhouse.  Recycle bins at the entry to the loop.

Everglades National Park Flamingo CG site T27  Everglades National Park Flamingo CG site T27

Black-crowned Night Heron  Cormorant on the Anhinga Trail
Heron and Egrets  Black-crowned Night Heron and Gator
Cormorant and chicks on Anhinga Trail  Cormorant drying his wings on the Anhinga Trail
Lots of birds and alligators on the short Anhinga Trail

Alligators on the Anhinga Trail  Tricia, Dan, Bill and Gin at Shark Valley
Gators galore at Shark Valley

Shark Valley Observation Tower  Shark Valley Observation Tower
Shark Valley Everglades  Shark Valley horizon
Observation Tower at Shark Valley

Ranger-led canoe paddle with Tricia and others  Ranger-led canoe ride
Ranger-led canoe trip amongst the mangroves

Kestrel at Everglades Osprey on the nest Osprey at Everglades
Kestrels, Ospreys and other raptors were everywhere

Red-tailed Hawk on a motorcycle  Crocodile at the boat ramp
Wood Stork in the Everglades  White Pelicans and Coots on Eco Pond
Wood Stork eating in Eco Pond  White Pelican at Eco Pond
Everglades wildlife  Everglades wildlife
Abundant wildlife!!

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