MIAAirport Guide

Reaching the Everglades from Miami airport

MIA to Everglades National Park: which of the three entrances to use, their hours, the $35 car pass, the $100 fee for non-US residents, and the winter trolley.

The Anhinga Trail boardwalk over water lilies in Everglades National Park
Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park

Plan on a car or a tour. Everglades National Park has three entrances, and they don’t connect inside the park. Shark Valley, on the Tamiami Trail west of Miami, is the closest for a short visit. The Homestead entrance leads to Royal Palm and Flamingo. Gulf Coast, at Everglades City, is on the far side. If you don’t live in the US, budget for the park’s extra fee before you go.

Pick the entrance that fits your time

Entrance Where Hours Good for
Shark Valley Tamiami Trail (US-41), about 40 miles west of downtown Miami Daily, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for vehicles A half day, with tram tours and bike rentals, each with its own fee
Main entrance, Homestead About 50 miles south of downtown Miami Open 24 hours Royal Palm and the drive to Flamingo, with the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
Gulf Coast Everglades City, on the west side Open 24 hours Mangrove waterways, with boat tours and canoe and kayak rentals that charge their own fees

The hours are the National Park Service’s. Visitor centers keep their own, set by season on the park’s hours page. The Greater Miami tourism board puts Shark Valley about an hour’s drive west of downtown.

On busy winter weekends, the park warns that the Homestead and Shark Valley gates can back up and visitor center parking can fill. It suggests a weekday, arriving before 10 a.m., and buying a digital pass ahead.

The entrance fee is higher for non-US residents

A private vehicle pass is $35 and covers everyone in the car for seven consecutive days at all entrances. A motorcycle is $30, and anyone 16 or over arriving on foot or by bike pays $20. Each non-US resident aged 16 and over pays an extra $100, unless they’re admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful pass. Tours and rentals run by park concessioners charge separately.

You’ll need a car or a tour from MIA

  • By car. Pick up at the Rental Car Center, one free MIA Mover ride from the terminal’s Level 3, between the Dolphin and Flamingo garages. The park’s directions use the Florida Turnpike for both: exit at US-41 and head west for Shark Valley, or follow it south to its end for Homestead.
  • By trolley in winter. From about December through April, the City of Homestead runs a seasonal trolley to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and Royal Palm. The park calls it the only public transport into the park, and the city’s website has the schedule and reservations.
  • By tour or ride app. If you book a tour, ask whether the price includes the park entrance fee. A ride-app or taxi driver needs a pickup arranged in advance, the tourism board says, because the park is remote and some areas have no cell signal.
  • Heading on to the Gulf coast? Gulf Coast is on the way to Naples. Our guide to MIA to Naples and Marco Island covers that drive.

Ask at the rental counter how tolls are billed. Our guide to tolls and SunPass in a rental car explains the options.

Sources