Walk/bike-a-thon supports Everglades

On March 2, 2008, Friends of the Everglades will hold it's 2nd Annual Glades Walk. The event, a walk-a-thon/bike-a-thon, is being held to raise funds for Friends' Everglades education and advocacy programs and give members and the public a chance to come together to see what we are fighting to preserve. Participants will have the option of participating on foot or by bicycle at the Shark Valley entrance to Everglades National Park.

The event is an informal, at your own pace, family friendly tour of of the hammock and Glades in Everglades National Park (walk/ride anywhere from 2-15 miles). All you have to do is download a registration form, collect sponsors and send it all in to Friends of the Everglades. Top sponsor/donation collectors will be honored at Friends of the Everglades Annual Meeting in April 2008.

The event starts at 8:00 A.M. and will last until noon. Shark Valley is fully accessible with paved trails and complete facilities. The Shark Valley entrance to Everglades National Park is on US 41 (Tamiami Trail) 18 miles west of Highway 997 (Krome Ave) and the Miccosukee Resort - about 35 miles west of the downtown Miami.

From Naples take Tamiami Trail about a mile east of the Miccosukee Indian Village.

PARKING: Space in the Park's lot is very limited - if you see cars parked on the South side of Tamiami Trail - the lot is full! It is just a short walk into the Park and to the starting point.

Bring your own bicycles if you want to ride - You can rent a bicycle at the concession area but the supply is limited! The concession office opens at 8:30 A.M.

There are two roadways which run from the parking lot, at the north end, to the observation tower, at the south end -- a distance of about seven miles. You cannot drive on these roadways. You can walk, bicycle, or ride the little tour bus.

Pick your distance! The entire loop is a distance of nearly 15 miles. Most people will walk the short loop from the Visitor Center up the East entrance, across the Boardwalk, up to otter cave trail and back. If you do not want to bicycle all the way around, you can bicycle a shorter distance. You will probably see more wildlife on the west roadway than on the east roadway. You could just walk a short distance and back, too.

The little open-air tour bus, for a fee, takes you around the loop clockwise. A guide points out wildlife along the way. There is a short (I think twenty minutes) stop at the south end.