I got up at 1:20am and gathered my gear to drive down to the Everglades to catch the Milky Way. The weather conditions were just right with clear skies, no moon, cool temperatures and a very light breeze that did not disturb the water surface. the cool weather kept the mosquitos in check. I arrived at one of the many lakes around 3:00am in the Everglades National Park. My goal was to try out some new techniques to capture the Milky Way. This image of the Milky Way is made up of 20 images that were stacked to reduce the noise and provide more definition to the stars in the night sky. Taken 03-30-2022
Homestead, Fla. – Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Everglades National Park is increasing recreational access. The National Park Service (NPS) is working service wide with federal, state, and local authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.
Beginning May 4, Everglades National Park will reopen access to:
Main Park Road from the Homestead entrance to Flamingo (note exceptions below)
External restrooms at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center
Flamingo Marina and boat launch ramps
Flamingo Marina Store, restrooms, and gas pumps
Flamingo Fish Cleaning Station and restroom
Chekika Day Use Area (roads and surrounding areas only)
In addition, entry fees are waived, and the following spaces continue to be available:
Marine waters of Everglades National Park
Beach campsites in wilderness
With public health in mind, the following facilities remain closed at this time:
Royal Palm area including the Anhinga Trail
Long Pine Key area and campground
West Lake area
Flamingo campground
All visitor centers and public buildings
Concession tours and boat rentals
All other park restrooms
Other park locations such as Shark Valley and Gulf Coast
Everglades has developed a free boater education course to orient and educate boaters to the unique features of the park’s marine waters. Our overall goal is to protect marine resources while providing world-class recreational opportunities
At present, the program is available on a voluntary basis and on August 1, 2019 will be mandatory for nearly everyone* operating a powerboat within the marine waters of the park.
