If Stony Man takes you to see the sky, Dark Hollow will take you back to the lush groundwaters. Another relatively short and easy hike, Dark Hollow Falls Trail is 1.4 miles with 564 feet of gain. It brings you down into a verdant valley and features several small falls as it follows along a small mountain creek.
As we continued walking along the little paths that cut through the meadow, we began to see that there were deer scattered throughout – some off on their own, others in small groups. We could also see that some had tiny fawns at their heels.
With a very limited amount of time in the park I picked a couple of shorter, easier hikes that would offer the largest payoff for our time. Stony Man was at the top of the list.
I think that this park would be worthwhile even if you were unable to hike a single trail – Skyline Drive is such a mesmerizing drive.
Like all of our National Parks, New River Gorge is a unique experience that instills a deep appreciation for our history and architectural accomplishments. It’s also a moment to reflect on the past way of life, and the differences, both good and bad, with our modern lifestyle.
Flamingo is the southernmost Visitor Center, and features a General Store (in the process of begin rebuilt at the time of this writing), a Marina, a Bait and Tackle shop, and several hiking trails.
This is the ecosystem that Everglades is most known for – the flooded grasslands that host the most iconic species like the alligator, crocodile, and plethora of wading birds.
Driving along the main road from Homestead to Flamingo, you’ll pass as sign that reads “Rock Reef Pass, Elevation 3 feet”.
It’s comical, but the sign is not intended to be a joke – this is one of the highest points of elevation in the entire park.
Pinelands is a very short and easy walk, but I think it’s one not to miss because it features an important feature of the Everglades National Park that is key to the survival of many species – solution holes.
Not far from the Nike Missile site lies Long Pine Key, an area which encompasses nearly 19000 acres of slash pines, one of the largest and most threatened expanses of pine rockland remaining in the US. At one time, these pines dominated the entirety of South Florida, but have been eliminated by the growth demands and raw material harvesting.