Best Time to Visit Everglades National Park
MayBest month to visit
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Visit Everglades in May
May offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). For comparison, February is the most crowded month (~1.5× the average month) and September is the quietest.
Annual visits
778K
2025
Busiest month
Feb
1.5× avg
Quietest month
Sep
0.6× avg
10-yr trend
steady
+1.4%
More photos of Everglades
Photos courtesy of the National Park Service (public domain).
How crowded is Everglades by month?
Relative crowd level by month (1.0 = the park's average month), from NPS visitation records 1979–2025.
Month-by-month crowd, weather & daylight
| Month | Crowd level | Best-time score | Avg high / low | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Busy | 49 Fair | 76°F / 58°F | 10.6 h |
| February | Busy | 47 Fair | 78°F / 60°F | 11.1 h |
| March | Busy | 48 Fair | 81°F / 62°F | 11.8 h |
| April | Average | 61 Good | 84°F / 66°F | 12.6 h |
| May★ best | Quiet | 65 Good | 87°F / 70°F | 13.2 h |
| June | Average | 55 Fair | 89°F / 75°F | 13.6 h |
| July | Quiet | 58 Fair | 90°F / 76°F | 13.4 h |
| August | Quiet | 57 Fair | 91°F / 76°F | 12.9 h |
| September | Quiet | 67 Good | 89°F / 75°F | 12.1 h |
| October | Quiet | 71 Good | 87°F / 71°F | 11.4 h |
| November | Average | 67 Good | 82°F / 65°F | 10.7 h |
| December | Busy | 58 Fair | 78°F / 61°F | 10.4 h |
Climate normals (1991–2020) from the nearest NOAA station (USC00083020, ~16.1 mi away).
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About visiting Everglades
Everglades National Park is a National Park in FL and a moderately visited park, drawing about 778,000 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has held fairly steady over the past decade. Crowds concentrate sharply by season: February is the busiest month at about 1.5× the park's average month, while September is the calmest at roughly 0.6× — a 3-to-1 swing between high and low season. Roughly 21% of the year's visitors arrive in the three summer months of June, July and August alone, so timing a trip outside that window is the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels. Weather swings from an average high-season warmth near 83°F in July down to about 67°F in January, with the wettest stretch in September. About 8 months a year see comfortable average temperatures in the 50–80°F range, which is part of why crowd timing and weather timing don't always line up. The sweet spot is May: pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season). Visit then and you trade a little peak-season certainty for noticeably shorter lines and easier parking than the February rush. Daylight ranges from about 10.4 hours in midwinter to 13.6 hours near the summer solstice, which shapes how much ground you can cover in a day. A standard private-vehicle entrance pass runs about $35, valid for several days, so a shoulder-season trip stretches that fee across quieter, more comfortable days. These crowd figures are drawn from 1979–2025 of National Park Service visitor-use records, paired with 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals, and are updated as new monthly data is released.
Park overview
Established in 1947 as the first national park created for its biodiversity, Everglades National Park protects 1.5 million acres of wetland, forest, and marine habitats and the native plants and animals that call it home. With several international designations, the park provides a major source of drinking water for local residents of South Florida and recreational opportunities for all.
Weather & conditions
The climate in Florida is known to be mild and sunny.The average annual temperatures for South Florida and the Keys range from 74° to 77°F (23° to 25°C). There are two seasons at the Everglades National Park: the wet season and the dry season. The wet season runs from Mid-May to November and the dry season runs from December to mid-May.
Park overview text courtesy of the National Park Service — official park site.
Where to stay near Everglades
Hotels, cabins, lodges and vacation rentals near Everglades National Park — live availability and prices to plan your trip. May is our pick for the best balance of light crowds and good weather.
Top-rated places to stay near Everglades
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Getting there — nearest airports
Updated July 2026The closest airport to Everglades National Park is Miami International Airport (MIA), about 61 mi (1 hr 36 min drive) away.
| Airport | Distance | Drive time | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami International Airport (MIA)Best for flights | 61 mi | 1 hr 36 min | Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air Changan, Air France, Air Libya |
| Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) | 88 mi | 2 hr 6 min | Air Canada, Air Transat, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Bahamasair |
| Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) | 132 mi | 2 hr 55 min | American Airlines, Bahamasair, Copa Airlines, Delta, Fly Lili, Silk Avia |
| Key West International Airport (EYW) | 151 mi | 4 hr 2 min | American Airlines, Cape Air, Delta, Fly Lili, Silk Avia, United Airlines |
| Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) | 192 mi | 3 hr 59 min | Air Canada, American Airlines, Bonza, Cape Air, Copa Airlines, Delta |
Which airport should you choose?
- Shortest drive: Miami International Airport (MIA) — about 1 hr 36 min from the park.
Entrance fees
A standard private-vehicle entrance pass is about $35, typically valid for several days.
Frequently Asked Questions
May offers pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season) at Everglades National Park. The park is busiest in February (about 1.5× the average month) and quietest in September.
February is the busiest month at Everglades National Park, running roughly 1.5 times the park's average monthly visitation.
September is the quietest month at Everglades National Park, at about 0.6× the average month — a good choice if you want to avoid crowds.
Everglades National Park recorded about 778,198 recreation visits in 2025. Visitation has been steady over the past decade (+1.4%).
Based on 1991–2020 climate normals, the warmest month at Everglades National Park averages about 83°F (July). See the month-by-month table above for the full picture.
Miami International Airport (MIA) is the closest airport to Everglades National Park, about 61 mi (1 hr 36 min drive) away.
There is no airport inside Everglades National Park. Fly into Miami International Airport (MIA) and drive the rest of the way — about 1 hr 36 min.
Nearby parks to visit
Keep exploring
Water quality of lakes near Everglades
If you are planning to swim, paddle or fish on this trip, these graded lakes are within a 40-mile drive. Grades are A–F from EPA and state-agency sampling.
- Miami-Dade-Oakland Lake water qualityGrade B · 37 mi · FL
- Miami-Dade-E Lake water qualityGrade B · 38 mi · FL
- Miami-Dade-Saga Lake water qualityGrade B · 38 mi · FL
Beach water quality near Everglades
Beaches within a 40-mile drive, graded on multi-year bacteria sampling from EPA BEACON — worth checking before you plan a swim day.
- Founder's Park Beach water qualityGrade B · 34 mi · FL
- Harry Harris County Park water qualityGrade B · 34 mi · FL
- John Pennecamp State Park Far Beach water qualityGrade C · 34 mi · FL
- Anne's Beach water qualityGrade C · 37 mi · FL
Sources: National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics (1979–2025), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Crowd index = a month's visits ÷ the park's average month.