Birdwatching in Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands NWR
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge’s Marsh Trail is along the Tamiami Trail. The trailhead is about 3 miles east of Collier-Seminole State Park and about 17 Miles from Everglades City.
The trail is on the refuge’s northern edge, which is defined by a brackish marsh with interspersed ponds and small coastal hammocks of oak, palms, and tropical hardwoods. To the south, the land gradually gives way to saltwater and seagrass. But the marsh provides a fantastic habitat for a rich diversity of plants and animals, precisely what my wife and I found on our last visit to the area.
We were on a five-day road trip in South Florida in the winter, which has become a snowbird tradition for my wife and me. We always hit Everglades National Park and Big Cypress each time we visit, but we also try to hit new spots! And each time, we were pleasantly surprised. The Marsh Trail in Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge was no exception! It was incredible!
Visiting Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge
We pulled into the trailhead parking on a mid-to-late afternoon weekday. The small parking lot was nearly full, which surprised me. I had read that this area was very popular for wildlife viewing, but I figured it would be relatively quiet in late January. I was wrong. Mosquitos were thick getting out of the car, but at least the weather was nice. It was about 75 degrees sunny with big fluffy clouds dotting the sky—perfect weather for looking for wildlife!
Hiking the Marsh Trail
The trail is a level 2.2-mile round trip hike that follows the only access trail in the entire refuge. The first 0.25 mile of the trail is paved and leads to an observation tower. This is perfect for those traveling with small children or with mobility concerns. After that, the trail turns into a wide gravel road. The two-story observation tower is a great way to see wildlife you might otherwise miss simply walking down the trail.
After applying bug spray and drinking a lot of water, we headed down the trail. I knew immediately I was going to like this! There were birds everywhere and quite a few alligators.
We saw great blue herons hunting and posing perfectly for the camera. Anhinga’s as they sun themselves in trees, great egrets standing amongst alligators, a beautiful wood stork, brown pelicans, coots, cormorants, moorhen, and many others on this hike.
Observation Deck for Bird Watching
We stopped and chatted with a few professional photographers at the observation tower, who were nice enough to let us get a close-up look at some wildlife through their giant lenses.
It’s hard to explain how much wildlife we saw on this trail. It was a truly wonderful experience, further reinforcing our belief that wildlife viewing in South Florida is some of the very best in the country.
It took us about an hour and a half to hike this trail. That said, we took our time, took many photos, and spent a while at the observation platform. If you are in the area, I highly recommend at least walking back to the observation platform! You won’t regret it.
