When most people think of Florida, they picture Miami’s neon strips, Orlando’s theme parks, or a beach towel on a packed coast. But if you look just a little further, you’ll find some of the most untamed wilderness in North America. Florida is home to three national parks, and unlike the mountain giants of the West, these places are defined entirely by water, rare wildlife, and stunning biodiversity.
As someone who has checked all three off my bucket list, I can tell you they require some planning, but the payoff is incredible. Here is my honest guide to exploring Florida’s wild side.
1. Everglades National Park
The Everglades is a massive, slow-moving river of grass, spanning 1.5 million acres. It’s also famously the only ecosystem on Earth where alligators and crocodiles live side-by-side in the wild.
