F6 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, MARCH 6 , 2022
natu ralist in Montana. We’d
booked the first tour out, at 7:30
a.m., hoping to see more wildlife
and fewer people.
Chamberlain took us and our
fellow paddlers, a couple visiting
from California, to a roadside
launch at Turner River. This pop-
ular paddling destination in-
cludes open ponds, mangrovetu nnels and saw grass fields.
Although this was only Cham-
berlain’s first full season in the
Everglades, she’d already become
a crack gator spotter. Not long
after we’d launched, she pointed
out a smallish alligator with its
snout just sticking out of the
water, which I would have missed.
We marveled at the birds, cy-press trees, orchids and bromeli-
ads. Chamberlain said visitors are
usually surprised to find such
variety in a swamp. The highlight
was paddling through a man-
grove tunnel, where branches are
so thick and low that it’s e asier to
push yourself off them than to use
a paddle. Over the course of the
three-hour tour, the gator countcame in at just under a dozen,
with some in the water and others
on land.
Chamberlain later told me
she’d been a little nervous when
starting the job, but figured if she
could coexist with grizzly bears,
she could handle alligators.
“As you learn more about their
behavior, you feel more comfort-able,” she said. “Still, it’s impor-
tant to keep a healthy level of
fear.”
The Californians, both experi-
enced kayakers, had made a few
half-joking comments about get-
ting eaten by gators along the
way. I f ound out after the tour that
they’d been more than a little
nervous.
“Before the paddle, we had se-
rious trepidation,” said Andrew
Smothers. “It’s probably not a
good idea to Google ‘alligator kay-
ak attacks’ the night before your
first paddle with them.”
The tour quelled their fears.
“We realized they are mostly
calm sunbathers and not aggres-
sive,” he said. “After the tour, I was
on a high the rest of the day. I’d
totally do it again.”
Heading home, we stopped at
the Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk
at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve
State Park to see virgin cypress
trees and mellow out before the
drive north. When we got back to
the parking area, a group from
New York was huddled near a
canal.
“Look, there’s an alligator!” one
young man called out to me.
I stopped myself from saying,
“Been there, done that.”
Instead, I directed him to
Shark Valley to see more. Many,
many more.Daniel is a writer based in the
Netherlands and Florida. Her website
is bydianedaniel.com.PHOTOS BY SELINA KOK
FROM TOP: A biker shares the road with an alligator along the 1 5-mile scenic loop at Shark Valley Visitor Center in Everglades
National Park; an alligator’s head is just visible in a canal along the Shark Valley loop; kayak guide Meg Chamberlain, a.k.a. Ranger
Meg, points out bromeliads t o visitors on the Turner River. Unprovoked alligator attacks on humans are rare, as the likelihood of
being seriously injured in Florida is roughly 1 i n 3.1 million, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conse rvation Commission.gator attacks on humans are at-
tributed to illegal feeding, which
makes the animals bolder and
more likely to attack rather than
flee, according to the National
Park Service.
Over the past 10 years, the
entire state of Florida, thought to
have about 1.3 million alligators,
has averaged eight unprovoked
bites per year — bites serious
enough to require medical treat-
ment — according to the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission. Between 1948 and
2021, only 26 unprovoked biting
incidents have been deadly.
The likelihood of being serious-
ly injured during an unprovoked
alligator incident in Florida is
roughly 1 in 3.1 million, according
to the wildlife commission. In
other words, the odds are greatly
in your favor.
Shark Valley and the much
shorter (0.8-mile) Anhinga Trail
at Royal Palm’s Ernest F. Coe
Visitor Center in Homestead are
considered the prime gator-view-
ing trails in Everglades National
Park.
If you’re comfortable riding 15
miles on a bicycle, that’s the best
way to see the sights at Shark
Valley, because you’re able to com-
plete the loop and stop where and
when you want. You can bring
your own bike or rent coaster-
style bikes from the park conces-
sionaire. On the other hand, the
benefit of the tram tour is the
ongoing narration by a park natu-
ralist.
The loop goes in both direc-
tions. We were lucky to start coun-
terclockwise, with a canal on our
right side, meaning it was easier
to scan the waterways while rid-
ing. Of course, a guaranteed way
to spot gators is to stop where
other visitors are congregating
with their cameras clicking.
My wife, an obsessive photog-
rapher, started off shooting every
gator we encountered. Some were
in the water, some lazing near it
and others resting closer to the
trail. By the time the count
reached 20 or so, she was only
stopping for the big guys or the
cute little babies, which pile onto
each other like puppies. We gave
up on counting at about 50.
In the canals, we also loved
seeing rows of sunning turtles, as
well as majestic shorebirds, in-
cluding egrets, several types of
herons, a wood stork and anhin-
gas, their wings outstretched to
dry. Clusters of wildflowers
bloomed here and there, along
with cheerful, white “swamp lil-
ies.”
On the other side of the path
were fields of swaying saw grass
and hardwood hammocks —
dense stands of broad-leafed trees
that grow on a slight rise of only a
few inches.
At the 65-foot-tall Shark Valley
Observation Tower, we enjoyed
panoramic views over the Ever-
glades and of the cyclists moving
along the ribbon of trail below.
On the way back, we saw sev-
eral more alligators in the grass,
including one not far off the trail
that opened its jaws as we gaped
in its direction. We assumed it
was smacking its lips, but we later
learned that’s how they cool
down. We also saw gator dung,
which we recognized from an ex-
hibit at the visitor center.
Final estimated gator count?
Maybe 70. At any rate, too many to
keep track.
On the way to Everglades City,
farther west and where we’d stay
for the night, we stopped at Clyde
Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery in
Ochopee. Butcher, a landscape
photog rapher, is to the Ever-
glades what Ansel Adams was to
Yosemite. His large-format black-
and-white wilderness scenes
moodily capture the Everglades’
wonder and fragility. At the gal-
lery, open daily, visitors can pur-
chase prints and gifts, as well as
sign up for a swamp walking tour.
In Everglades City, which has a
population of about 425, we
checked in to our motel, then
raced down to even tinier Choko-
loskee to catch the sunset over the
bay.
Early the next morning, we met
Meg Chamberlain, a.k.a. Ranger
Meg, a k ayak guide with Ever-
glades Adventures. From spring
to fall, she’s a p ark ranger and
ALLIGATORS FROM F1
At Everglades National Park, gator glimpses galore
If You Go
WHERE TO ST AY
Everglades City Motel
309 Collier Ave., Everglades City
239-695-4224
evergladescitym otel.com
This old-fashioned motel,
renovated in 2018, is near
Everglades National Park. Rooms
include minifridges and
microwaves. Upgraded rooms
include kitchenette. Winter to
spring, rooms range from about
$159 to $209 per night.WHAT TO EAT
Camellia Street Grill
202 Camellia St. W, Everglades
City
239-695-2003
camelliastreetgrill.com
This lively, rustic waterfront
restaurant offers seafood, tacos
(including gator), salads and
homemade soup. You can arrive
by land or water. Open daily, 11
a.m. to 9 p.m. Entrees from about
$11.WHAT TO DO
Shark Valley Visitor Center
36000 SW Eighth St., Miami
305-221-8776
nps.gov/ever
Visitor complex with information,
exhibits, walking trails and a 15-
mile paved loop with observation
tower. Entrance gate open 8:30
a.m. to 6 p.m., visitor center open
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., tram tours and
bike rentals 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Reservations for bike and tram
recommended during high
visitation season, December
through April. The parking lot fills
up quickly, but nearby street
parking is allowed. Admission $30
per car, good for seven days. Tram
tour $28 adults, $22 seniors 62
and over and $15 children 3 to 12.
Bike rentals $22 per bike.
Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress
Gallery
52388 Tamiami Trail, Ochopee
239-695-2428
clydebutcher.com
A rustic building filled with this
famed photographer’s prints, as
well as gifts and souvenirs. Behind
the gallery is a short nature trail.
Visitors can sign up for swamp
walk and photography tours.
Private photography and swamp
tours $125 per person.
Everglades Adventures Kayak
& Eco Tours
605 Buckner Ave. N, Evergl ades
City
239-695-3299
evergladesadventures.com
Two- or three-hour paddling tours
led by trained naturalists that
feature Everglades habitat,
mangroves, birds and alligators.
Groups have two to 11 guests.
Children must be at least 6 to
participate; all children under 12
must ride in a t andem boat with
an adult. Three-hour paddle tours
$99 per p erson 13 and over and
$59 ages 6-12. Two-hour tours
$89 per pe rson, $59 ages 6-12.
Custom tours and boat rentals
also available.INFORMATION
visitfl orid a.com“They are mostly
calm sunbathers
and not aggressive.
After the tour, I was
on a high the rest of
the day. I’d totally
do it again.”
Andrew Smothers,
a visitor from California