Everglades National Park

Birding Snake Bight Trail

BirdersPhotographersWildlife Watchers
0 mi Distance
1-4 hours Estimated Time
Out & Back Trail Type

What to Expect

This is a birder's pilgrimage disguised as a casual walk. The trail cuts a straight, flat line through dense mangrove forest on an old roadbed — think of it as a green tunnel with a spectacular payoff at the end. The canopy keeps things shaded for most of the route, but the path itself is unpaved and can range from bone-dry to ankle-deep mud depending on recent rain and season. When you finally emerge at Florida Bay, the mudflats open up into one of the most productive shorebird stages in North America. Reddish Egrets doing their drunken-dance hunting routine, Roseate Spoonbills glowing pink against grey mud, and mixed flocks of herons and ibis shuffling through the shallows. It's not a trail for adrenaline seekers — it's for anyone who considers a life bird better than a summit.
BirdersPhotographersWildlife WatchersWinter VisitorsSolitude Seekers

Safety Advisory

Both American alligators and American crocodiles use the canal alongside portions of this trail. Stay on the path, keep a healthy distance, and never approach wildlife — this is one of the few places in the world where both species coexist.

Mosquitoes here are not a nuisance — they are a legitimate health and comfort hazard from roughly May through November. Visitors have turned back within minutes during peak mosquito season. If you visit outside winter, prepare accordingly or reconsider your timing.

Trail Details

Estimated Time 1-4 hours
Trail Type Out & Back
Pets Not allowed
Season Spring- Northward spring migration can bring many shorebirds, which are most easily identified in their breeding plumage at this time of year.<br /> <br /> Summer- Although mosquitoes are most abundant during the summer and fall, this is the best time of year to look for hard-to-find resident birds, including Mangrove Cuckoo and Black-whiskered Vireo, which both breed in the mangrove habitats.<br /> <br /> Fall- The overlap of fall migration season and peak tropical weather season can result in massive fallouts of shorebirds along Florida Bay.<br /> <br /> Winter- Large, mixed flocks of herons, egrets, ibis, Wood Storks and Roseate Spoonbills can be seen in the mangroves along the trail, and American White Pelicans can be seen soaring overhead. At the end of the trail, look for shorebirds, Reddish Egrets, Bald Eagles and Ospreys, especially at high tide.
Trailhead Birding Snake Bight Trail

Pro Tips

Trail Tip

Time your visit around high tide — when the water rises, it pushes shorebirds off the distant mudflats and concentrates them closer to the boardwalk overlook where you can actually see them without a spotting scope.

Trail Tip

Bring serious bug protection in any season other than deep winter. We're talking long sleeves, head net, and DEET or picaridin — the mosquitoes along this trail have a reputation that makes the Everglades' other trails seem mild by comparison.

Trail Tip

Pack a spotting scope or at minimum a pair of 10x binoculars. The birds at the bay's edge can be frustratingly far out on the flats during low tide, and that Reddish Egret you came for will look like a grey smudge through anything less than quality glass.

Photos

A gray and red bird looks for food at the water’s edge, with trees in the backgroundNPS Photo/ R DiPietro

Getting There

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Explore Everglades National Park

2 campgrounds, 30 trails, 742K annual visitors

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