Anhinga Trail Guide: Everglades National Park

The Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park is an easy 0.8-mile hike.

My wife and I have hiked this trail quite a few times, and I can say with absolute certainty that it is one of the very best hikes in the Everglades.

The trailhead is located at the Royal Palm Visitor Center, about four miles from the main park entrance. The parking lot is small and fills up quickly. The Anhinga Trail is one of the most popular hikes in the park.

The last time we hiked was on a cool mid-January morning. We’d spent the previous night at the Long Pine Key Campground. We arrived at an empty parking lot just after dawn. After making some breakfast and coffee, we hit the trail.

Trail Name: Anhinga Trail
Trailhead Location: Royal Palm Visitor Center
Distance: 0.8 Miles Roundtrip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: Minimal
Type: Loop
Features: Wildlife, ADA Accessible, Kid Friendly
Dogs: No

Hiking the Anhinga Trail

The trailhead is located just behind the V.C. The lollipop trail is pavement and boardwalk that winds through and over sawgrass marsh and freshwater slough. This hike is a great choice for those traveling with small children or others with mobility issues. It is ADA-accessible.

On this particular day, we were in luck. The wildlife was abundant! The trail is short, but from previous experience, we knew we would be here a while taking too many wildlife pictures.

We were not 15 feet into the hike when my wife spotted a Great Blue Heron standing perfectly still a few feet off the trail. That day, it would take about 3 hours to hike the trail. Walking the loop several times.

We saw many alligators, including some babies. There were plenty of Anhinga’s sunning themselves. That morning, we would see great egrets, green herons, black-crowned night herons, tricolored herons, purple gallinules, white Ibis, and dozens of turtles and fish.

Cormorant struggling to eat fish along the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades.

One of the best things we saw was a double-crested cormorant battle with a fish. The bird literally bit off more than it could chew. It struggled for the better part of several minutes trying to eat this fish before finally succeeding.

Everglades National Park is one of my wife and I’s favorite parks. The wildlife viewing is nothing short of spectacular. One of the best places to spot wildlife is the Anhinga Trail!

Remember to get there early to avoid the crowds.