Route: Shark Valley Everglades National Park Loop (FL)

Shark Valley is a geological depression at the head of the Shark River Slough in far western Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is currently part of Everglades National Park. Shark Valley empties into Shark River in the Ten Thousand Islands of Monroe County. Shark Valley characteristically includes sawgrass prairie that floods during the rainy season, hence the name "river of grass"—Pa-Hay-Okee, from the Mikasuki language—for such marshes in the Everglades. Shark Valley features a Visitor Center with educational displays, a park video, an underwater camera and informational brochures. The entrance to Shark Valley is located along Tamiami Trail (US 41) near the Miami-Dade–Collier County line. Once you enter the park Shark Valley has a 15-mile loop paved path which can be explored by foot, bike, or tram. You’ll begin this hike on the west side of the main Shark Valley Trail, or to the right from the Visitor’s Center. Here you will follow the main trail along the paved path that parallels the canal.