NationalParkEntry

FL · Southeast

Everglades National Park entry requirements

No timed-entry or vehicle reservation is needed to enter Everglades in 2026. Entrance is $35 per vehicle. Check any visit date against the official 2026 rules.

The 2026 season at Everglades

This is what applies across the published season. Use the date checker below for a specific day.

No reservation is required to enter Everglades National Park in 2026. Some activities need their own permit.

An entrance fee or accepted pass is required on every visit, separately from anything below.

  1. Park entrance

    Required

    You must pay the park entrance fee or show an accepted pass.

    • Private vehicle: $35, valid for 7 days.
    • Motorcycle: $30.
    • Per person on foot or bicycle: $20.
    • An America the Beautiful pass covers this entrance fee. It does not cover any reservation or permit below.
    • One pass covers all three entrances - Homestead, Shark Valley (Miami) and Everglades City - for 7 consecutive days. Uniquely, the vehicle rate also covers a vessel: arriving by boat is charged the same $35 as arriving by car. Non-U.S. residents aged 16 and over pay an additional $100 per person on top of the standard entrance fee, unless admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful pass.

  2. Timed entry

    Not applicable

    Everglades National Park has no timed-entry system.

  3. Vehicle, road, or corridor

    Not required

    Nothing here is required in 2026.

    • East Everglades Day Use Area closed for construction. All other entrances and areas are open.
    • Gulf Coast Visitor Center at the Everglades City entrance closed for construction. The Ten Thousand Islands area of the park remains accessible by boat.
    • Several wilderness campsites and paddling routes closed or impassable. Pavilion Key's small campsite on the north end remains open by wilderness permit; the interior is closed. Hog Key is open for camping but the middle of the key is closed. Broad Creek and 'The Nightmare' are passable.

  4. Shuttle

    Not required

    Nothing here is required in 2026.

    • Seasonal Homestead trolley - the only public transportation into the park. Runs approximately December through April only, and schedules are subject to change. A car is otherwise needed; there is no public transportation that travels within the park, and the three entrances are not interconnected.

  5. Your campground or lodging

    Not applicable

    Everglades National Park has no in-park stay that changes what you need to enter.

  6. Selected activity

    Required all year

    Wilderness camping permit applies on every date in 2026.

    • Wilderness camping permit

      Dates
      Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
      Hours
      All day
      Fee
      $21
      Opens
      Rolling window

      Applies to All backcountry and wilderness campsites - ground sites, beach sites and chickees. Most are reachable only by water.

      • $21 administrative fee plus an additional $2 per person, per night use fee. These apply to both advance reservations and walk-up permits, year-round. A credit card is needed online and in person.
      • Not required when sleeping aboard a boat.
      • Trips originating from the Florida Keys can permit by phone for North Nest Key, Little Rabbit Key, Johnson Key, Shark Point Chickee and Cape Sable, no more than 24 hours before the trip start.
      • No more than 30 total camping days per calendar year, and no more than 14 consecutive days between November 1 and April 30.
      • The wilderness permit does not cover the park entrance fee - you still pay to drive in.
    Book on recreation.gov

Fees and passes

Private vehicle$35
Motorcycle$30
Per person, on foot or bicycle$20
Valid for7 days
Park annual pass$70

One pass covers all three entrances - Homestead, Shark Valley (Miami) and Everglades City - for 7 consecutive days. Uniquely, the vehicle rate also covers a vessel: arriving by boat is charged the same $35 as arriving by car. Non-U.S. residents aged 16 and over pay an additional $100 per person on top of the standard entrance fee, unless admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful pass.

An America the Beautiful pass is accepted here. It covers the entrance fee only. It does not cover a timed-entry permit, a vehicle reservation, a parking tag, a shuttle ticket, or an activity permit.

A pass covers entrance only. It does not cover the wilderness camping permit ($21 admin fee plus $2 per person per night), the Shark Valley tram, or any boat tour. NPS suggests buying a digital pass in advance to shorten the gate queue at Homestead and Shark Valley. An Annual or America the Beautiful pass waives the $100 per-person non-U.S.-resident fee. From 2026 the servicewide fee-free days apply to U.S. residents only.

Fee-free days

  • Feb 16, 2026
  • May 25, 2026
  • Jun 14, 2026
  • Jul 3, 2026
  • Jul 4, 2026
  • Jul 5, 2026
  • Aug 25, 2026
  • Sep 17, 2026
  • Oct 27, 2026
  • Nov 11, 2026

From 2026 a fee-free day waives the entrance fee for U.S. residents. Other visitors still pay it, plus the $100 nonresident fee where it applies. A fee-free day never waives a reservation, a permit, or a booking fee unless the park says so.

Rules that apply to one area only

These do not apply to the whole park. Where you go changes the answer.

  • Homestead (main) entrance, Shark Valley entrance on US-41 near Miami, and Everglades City entrance. The three entrances are not interconnected and each is at least an hour's drive apart.Everglades entrance fee, valid 7 days at all three entrances · Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026
  • All backcountry and wilderness campsites - ground sites, beach sites and chickees. Most are reachable only by water.Wilderness permit required for all overnight backcountry camping · Jan 1, 2026 – Dec 31, 2026

What a campground or lodging booking does and does not cover

  • Everglades entrance fee, valid 7 days at all three entrancesNot covered by an in-park booking. Campground and wilderness permit fees are separate from the entrance fee.
  • Wilderness permit required for all overnight backcountry campingNot covered by an in-park booking. The wilderness permit does not cover the park entrance fee - you still pay to drive in.

Quick answers

Do I need a reservation for Everglades?
No. Everglades National Park does not require a timed-entry or vehicle reservation to enter in 2026. You still pay the entrance fee ($35 per vehicle) or show an accepted pass.
Is there an entrance fee at Everglades?
Yes. A private vehicle pass is $35 per vehicle. An America the Beautiful pass is accepted for the entrance fee, and does not cover any reservation or permit.

Official links, coverage, and sources

When reservations are released

  • Everglades entrance fee, valid 7 daysPay at an entrance gate, or buy a digital site pass on Recreation.gov beforehand. NPS suggests the digital pass specifically to reduce wait time at the gates.
  • Wilderness camping permitReleased on a rolling window. Advance reservations open on a rolling basis three months ahead of the trip start date, via Recreation.gov. NPS publishes no clock time for the daily release. The Recreation.gov confirmation email is the permit - no physical pickup is required.

Official booking and park information

What this does not cover

  • Road, weather, and fire closures that change day to day. Check the park’s alerts page.
  • Backcountry and wilderness permits beyond the headline permits listed above.
  • Commercial use authorizations, filming permits, and group-size rules.
  • Availability. We tell you what is required, not whether anything is left.

Effective dates and sources

  • Fees and passesNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-30 · applies to Park entranceAdmits the passholder and passengers of a single vehicle or vessel. Good for 7 consecutive days at all park entrances. Same page, read 2026-07-30: "Each non-US resident aged 16 and older visiting Everglades National Park must pay a $100 nonresident fee (in addition to the standard entrance fee), unless admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass."
  • Fees & Passes - Everglades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-30 · applies to Everglades entrance fee, valid 7 daysGood for 7 consecutive days at all park entrances. Admits one individual hiker, bicyclist, pedestrian, or human-powered paddlecraft, when not arriving in a vehicle or vessel. Individuals 15 years old and younger, are admitted free of charge. Same page, read 2026-07-30: "Each non-US resident aged 16 and older visiting Everglades National Park must pay a $100 nonresident fee (in addition to the standard entrance fee), unless admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass."
  • Wilderness Camping - Everglades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Wilderness camping permitWilderness permits are required for all overnight camping in the backcountry. ... Advanced reservations are available on a rolling basis, three months in advance of the start date. ... There is a $21 administrative fee plus an additional $2 per person, per night use fee.
  • Alerts & Conditions - Everglades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to East Everglades Day Use Area closedEast Everglades Day Use Area on the park's northeastern boundary, encompassing SW 168 Street westbound to SW 237 Avenue and the entire roadway of SW 237 Avenue is closed to all public use to ensure public safety during construction operations with heavy machinery.
  • Directions - Everglades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Gulf Coast Visitor Center at the EvergladesThe Everglades City entrance is the entrance closest to Naples, Florida. The Gulf Coast Visitor Center is currently closed for construction, but the Ten Thousand Islands area of the park remains accessible by boat.
  • Directions - Everglades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Seasonal Homestead trolleyPublic transportation to and from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center and Royal Palm is seasonally available through the City of Homestead trolley service, from approximately December through April. This is the only public transportation offered to anywhere inside of the park.
  • Alerts & Conditions - Everglades National ParkNational Park Service · reviewed 2026-07-26 · applies to Several wilderness campsites and paddling routes closedThe following wilderness sites are currently closed for maintenance: Lostman's Five Ground Site, Johnson Key Chickee, Shark Point Chickee, Little Rabbit Key Ground Site

Something wrong here?

Park rules change, sometimes at short notice. If a line on this page does not match what the park publishes, tell us and we will fix it and re-check the source.

corrections@nationalparkentry.com· Last factual change 2026-08-05 · Sources last reviewed 2026-07-30

Nearest other national parks

Chosen by distance from Everglades, not by editorial preference.