National parks in Florida

Florida's national park units come in enough shapes and sizes to keep any trip planner busy. The state's NPS holdings fall into three rough geographic zones. In South Florida, Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, and Biscayne National Park form a connected arc of sawgrass prairie, cypress forest, and coastal water. Dry Tortugas sits alone offshore, reachable only by ferry or seaplane. Further north, a quieter Gulf Coast stretch takes in Gulf Islands National Seashore and the little-visited Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve near Jacksonville. Water ties nearly all of them together, whether you're snorkeling over seagrass in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary or paddling through Biscayne's backcountry. Florida works best for visitors who can handle heat and humidity, want real wilderness without giving up a family-friendly beach, and are willing to track down places like Jupiter Inlet that most road-trippers blow right past.