Things to Do in Denali National Park

To get an up close and personal view of wildlife in the Everglades, particularly the bird life, the Anhinga Trail is one of the premier wetland trail in the National Park Service. A self-guided walk of about .8 miles (1200 meters) round trip, the trail is easily completed in about 45 minutes. The paved boardwalk curves through Taylor Slough, one of the few waterways that retain water year-round, making it particularly attractive to a variety of wildlife.

The saw-grass marsh is teeming with an abundance of Everglades residents, including alligators, turtles, anhingas (a type of water bird found in the Everglades; the name means snake bird or devil bird), herons, cormorants, egrets and many other birds. Because the boardwalk allows visitors to wander among the wildlife, it consequently makes the animals and birds less afraid of humans, allowing closer viewing of alligators, anhingas and other native species.

Exploring the Anhinga Trail also allows guests to view the flora of the Everglades, from the saw-grass prairies towards the end of the trail to the pond apples, a native tree that has apples that appeal to wildlife, but not humans. If you have a limited amount of time, walking the Anhinga Trail is a must-do for wildlife viewing and for a taste of all that the Everglades has to offer.

On the southern tip of Point Loma, at the top of hill, you'll find Cabrillo National Monument. The spot is San Diego’s finest locale for history and fine views across the bay to San Diego's downtown. It's also the best place in San Diego to see the gray whale migration (January to March) from land. After a few minutes here, you may forget you’re in a major metropolitan area.

The visitors center at Cabrillo National Monument has an excellent presentation on Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s 1542 voyage up the California coast, plus good exhibits on the native inhabitants and the area’s natural history. Also here is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, which is appointed with late-19th century pieces, including lamps and picture frames hand-covered with hundreds of shells. On the ocean side, you can drive or walk down to the tide pools (at low tide) to look for anemones, starfish, crabs, and limpets.

Big Cypress National Preserve, a 720,000-acre (2,900 sq. km) area, was one of the first national preserves in the United States when it was established in 1974. Not technically part of the Everglades, but bordering it to the south, Big Cypress preserve is the most biologically diverse region of the terrestrial Everglades. Composed primarily of a wet cypress forest, it is home to a wide array of flora and fauna including mangroves, orchids, alligators, venomous snakes, a variety of birds, the Florida panther and the Florida Black Bear. The preserve is also home to several endangered species such as the West Indian Manatee, the eastern indigo snake and the Florida Sandhill Crane.

With twelve campgrounds, some of the area’s best hikes and a long-established hunting scene (white-tailed deer, hogs and turkeys are abundant), Big Cypress provides plenty of opportunities to explore the outdoors. The southern terminus of the Florida National Scenic Trail is located in Big Cypress, which is ideal for hiking in the winter months.

For the more intrepid hiker, trekking through Big Cypress is pleasant year-round; cypress country is a bit more welcoming to hikers than the dense sawgrass prairies that you’ll find in the Everglades. Rangers often lead hikes in the dry winter months, as well as canoe trips and bicycle tours. Other tours include swamp buggy tours, pole boat tours and backcountry fishing.