Tamiami Trail to Gulf

This six-mile out-and-back takes you from the Tamiami Trail corridor south through some of the Everglades' most varied landscapes — sawgrass prairie, coastal prairie, and finally the tidal mud flats where freshwater meets the Gulf of Mexico. The trail is flat as a pancake (this is South Florida, after all), but don't mistake flat for easy. The path alternates between hard-packed limestone and sections that can turn into ankle-deep muck after rain, and you're fully exposed to the sun for nearly the entire route. The payoff is genuine solitude and wildlife encounters that the boardwalk crowds at Anhinga Trail will never see — wading birds, alligators basking trailside, and possibly a rosette spoonbill if your timing is right. This one rewards patient walkers and birders who don't mind getting their boots dirty.