 Issue #010 - Into the Everglades, Florida The Shark Valley Trail is located thirty miles west of Miami on the northern boundary of the Everglades National Park. The loop trail, a narrow paved road, follows a canal that flows south from Highway 41 (the Tamiami Trail). The Shark Valley Trail is fifteen miles long. Half-way around the loop is a sixty-five foot observation tower. On the top of the tower, you will be standing in the heart of the Everglades. The panoramic views of the sawgrass prairie from the tower are worth the trip. The exciting photography involves the wildlife! All along the trail are alligators. I counted over sixty, including several new-born ’gators only ten inches long. Large turtles are swimming with huge alligators in the pond beneath the observation tower. All the birds you expect to see can be found (and easily photographed) in the trees around the waterhole. You can take a narrated tram ride. The tram stops for twenty minutes at the observation tower, and you will not have enough time for any serious photography. You are allowed to walk the whole trail but fifteen miles is too far to walk with a camera and tripod, even though the trail is absolutely level. If you have a half-day free before catching an afternoon or evening flight home from Miami International, consider renting a bicycle at the Shark Valley Visitor Center. With a bicycle with a large basket, you can travel at your own pace and stop anywhere along the trail. Alligators holes can be found all along the trail.
You can find more information on The Everglades in Issue #10 Page 11 of Photograph America Newsletter. Comments are closed.
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