Nature & Wildlife

Diversity is the name of the game here: In two hours, Pyramid guests arrive at the Shark Valley Visitor’s Center, one of five official entry points in the 1.5 million acre park. Established in 1934, Everglades National Park is a tropical and subtropical habitat with one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. The park is also designated as an International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance and a World Heritage Site. The closest access for Pyramid guests is the Shark Valley Visitor’s Center on Highway 75.

This giant forest is one of Florida’s most important natural treasures. It’s the oldest of its kind east of the Mississippi River and the most southerly national forest in the continental US. It’s a massive ecological web with 219 miles of hiking trails, crystalline swimming springs, scenic car drives and hundreds places to swim, hike, bike, horseback ride and canoe to your heart’s content.

This is where the serious snorkelers and divers go. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is an underwater state park with nice beaches and nature trails. Indian Key Historic State Park is a quiet ghost town that was once a thriving city — 30 minutes by kayak to get there. Dry Tortugas National Park is America’s most remote national park only reached by boat or seaplane, offering amazing coral reef snorkeling. Bahia Honda State Park in Big Pine Key offers one of the best natural stretches of sand in the Keys.

Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park is the third largest Florida State Park located 40 minutes north of Fort Myers in Punta Gorda where visitors can hike, fish, paddle, and observe wildlife in the park’s diverse natural mangrove forests, marshes, scrub habitats and pine woods offering up close views of wading birds, manatees, dolphins and other wildlife. The park is best seen by kayak or canoe. Portions of two paddle trail systems wind through the park. Hikers and birdwatchers have access to three marked trails.