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Everglades Swamp
Tromp Tour
When to go and what to take with you
to survive the muck
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Everglades Swamp Tromp (Slough Slog)
The National Park Service offers Swamp Tromps (or Slough Slogs) almost daily
from mid-December through March. Most are in the Homestead area but they are offered at Shark Valley, the section park that is 30 miles west
of Miami.
The
tromps are free, but you'll pay $20 per vehicle to enter the park. Call
ahead for times and locations: Coe Visitor Center, 305-242-7700.
Proper garb for a Swamp Tramp is essential. Most important is a pair of old
shoes that can be tightly laced so they won't be sucked off.
Sandals almost guarantee a spill. Also wear long pants.
Tuck the pants legs into your socks and use gray duct tape
around the top of the socks to keep marl from getting into your shoes.
Some people also like to wrap their shoes in tape just to make certain
they don't get them sucked off their feet.
Also
carry a stout walking stick to probe the mud and help
keep your balance. Depending on your height, an old broom handle works
well. Wrap the top of the stick in duct tape for a better grip.
Swamp
Tromps are offered in the winter months when the mosquito population
is at its lowest. The drier the year, the smaller the mosquito population.
The
Everglades National Park Flamingo Visitor Center has famous Mosquito
Meter that is more grim than amusing.
The
Mosquito Meter ranks conditions accordingly: Enjoyable, Bearable,
Unpleasant, Horrible and Hysterical. Winter
is the only Enjoyable period.
Even
so, pack insect repellent with at least a 30 percent concentration of
DEET, which is a little higher than is normal and probably too high
to be safe for young children.
Swamp Tromp Part 1
Swamp Tromp Part 2
To Florida Everglades
To January Hotspots Home
To Monthly Hotspots Homepage
To Florida Ecotourism Home
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