South Florida National Parks

You can visit up to four South Florida National Parks on your next visit to the Florida Keys. Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, and Dry Tortugas National Park are just a hop, skip, and a boat ride away!

Cypress National Preserve

Located in south Florida, between Naples and Miami, you will find Big Cypress National Preserve. It lies approximately 45 west of the city of Miami.

The preserve is 720,000 acres of wetlands, hammocks, and cypress trees. It's inhabitants include a wide variety of birds and animals including egrets, herons, storks, alligators, the Florida panther, and many others.

Big Cypress, along with Big Thicket National Preserve located in Texas, became the first two national preserves in the National Park System when they were established on October 11, 1974.

Visit Cypress National Preserve at nps.gov.

Biscayne National Park

Located at the southern end of Florida's mainland, lies Biscayne National Park. Just east of the city of Homestead, this 207 square mile park is ninety five percent water.

Biscayne Bay is very popular among water enthusiasts and is one of the top scuba diving destinations in the United States.

The parks largest island is Elliott Key. It is mainly made up up fossilized coral reef and Key Largo limestone. It is considered to be the first of the true Florida Keys. It offers diverse ecosystems and is truly an underwater treasure worth visiting.

Visit Biscayne National Park at nps.gov.

Everglades National Park

Another of the south Florida National Parks, Everglades National Park is located at the very southern tip of Florida's mainland. It lies west of Maimi and Florida city and goes all the way to Florida's West Coast.

The park covers 1,509,000 acres. It is home to over 350 species of birds, 40 species of animals, 300 species of fresh and saltwater fish, and 50 species of reptiles.

Everglades National Park is the largest breeding ground for tropical wading birds in North America. The park also contains the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere. Be sure to bring your camera!

Visit Everglades National Park at nps.gov.

Dry Tortugas National Park

The Dry Tortugas National Park acts to protect and preserve the historic Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortuga islands of the Florida Keys.

The park lies sixty eight miles west of Key West, Fl., in the Gulf of Mexico. The Dry Tortugas National Park covers 101 sq. miles, and is comprised of mostly water.

The park is famous for it's history of shipwrecks and sunken treasures. It is home to an amazing variety of sea life. You can visit the park by boat or seaplane. A day at the park could consist of snorkeling, picnicking, fishing, birdwatching, exploring, photography, or scuba diving!

Visit Dry Tortugas National Park at nps.gov.

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