Dotted with tropical hardwood hammocks and cypress forests within a 32,000-acre expanse of Everglades wetlands and muhly grass prairies, the Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area beckons with easily accessible fishing platforms by road and boat, and several miles of hiking and bicycling trails. One platform is ADA-friendly and is covered.

On your way in from Aerojet Road (SW 232 Avenue), you'll see where land managers peeled away dense layers of exotic vegetation to reveal a special tropical hammock that supports an array of birdlife. Nearly 160 species of birds are documented at "Lucky Hammock." It's within sight of Ingraham Highway and is a popular birding destination. Land managers have replanted this and other sites along Aerojet Road with dozens of species of native plants. This makes for patches of rich, biological diversity in a region that is highly disturbed from farming and exotic plants. Butterflies abound here, too. Lucky Hammock got its name by being one of the last hammocks in the area that was spared.

For bicycling, hiking and horseback riding, consider the 13-mile shellrock "South Dade Greenways Trail" on the C-111 canal. For hiking and bicycling, use the three-mile paved Aerojet Road (SW 232 Avenue) off Ingraham Highway and the 2.5-mile shellrock levee road on the east side of L-31W (park at Glenn Garrett Park and go east over the bridge to the levee). There are large plantings of butterfly-attracting plants along the east side of L-31W. You can picnic at Glenn Garrett.

The Southern Glades area supports 24 plant and animal species listed as either threatened or endangered, according to state and federal listings. It is a critical habitat for two federally endangered species: the Cape Sable seaside sparrow and the American crocodile.

For More Information:
SFWMD headquarters at (561) 686-8800 and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) (954) 746-1789.

Activities by Site

• Frog Pond (Lucky Hammock): bird-watching, hunting, wildlife viewing
• Southern Glades: airboating, bicycling, bird-watching, boating, canoeing, equestrian trails, fishing, hiking, hunting, kayaking, picnicking, wildlife viewing

Hunting

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages hunting on SFWMD lands.
Please visit www.myfwc.com regarding current hunt dates, regulations and directions to check stations to ensure the most accurate and latest information.

Florida's Wildlife Management Areas - Hunting Brochures

Directions

• Follow State Road 9336 (Ingraham Highway) toward Everglades National Park from the Florida Turnpike or U.S. 1 in Florida City.
• Going from east to west, there are three access points from Ingraham Highway (entrance road into Everglades National Park): The C-111 canal; Aerojet Road (SW 232 Avenue); and Glenn Garrett Park at the L-31W canal. You can also park at the C-111 canal on the west side; along Aerojet Road (SW 232 Avenue) or at the fishing platforms; and at Glenn Garrett Park on the west side of L-31W.
• All access points are within one mile, and Everglades National Park is one mile west of Glenn Garrett Park.