Everglades National Park guide · 1 min read
Milky Way Nights at Flamingo
Flamingo sits on the edge of Florida Bay at the end of the Main Park Road, 38 miles past the Homestead entrance.
Arriving visitors spot pink buildings that house the visitor center and the marina store. Because the area is remote, it is one of the best places in Everglades National Park to look up at the night sky.
The remote southern areas around Flamingo and the Ten Thousand Islands are among the best places in the park for dark skies, with minimal light pollution. Measurements in parts of the park place the darkness near Bortle 4 on the scale astronomers use to rate night skies. Facing south gives the brightest view of the Milky Way, since that is where light pollution is lowest. One long-exposure view of the Milky Way was taken from the road to Flamingo.
Evening ranger programs at Flamingo lead groups out after dark to talk about the area's wildlife, stories and natural history. Rangers urge visitors to guard against bugs before setting out. In April, a month-long event called the Everglades Dark Sky Celebration brings programs on the night sky, astronomy and science.
Overnight stays are possible in Flamingo. Choices include the Flamingo Lodge, fully equipped houseboats, glamping tents and the Flamingo campground. The Flamingo Restaurant next to the lodge serves meals, and the marina store sells snacks. Mosquitoes are a constant presence at the campground, including in the drier part of the year, so tent campers who want some relief can consider a spot in the tents-only section, where breezes sometimes keep the insects away.
