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Florida Parks Recovering From Hurricane Ian

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By Compiled From N... - September 30th, 2022

Flood waters kept the Flamingo area in Everglades National Park closed on Friday/NPS

With Hurricane Ian lining up for a direct hit on South Carolina, National Park System units in Florida on Friday were recovering from the storm's impacts and slowly reopening.

National Park Service officials advised visitors to the state's national park units to exercise caution due to the possibility of unidentified hazards on land and in park waters. Marine waters continue to be open in all locations. Current status is available on each park’s website under "Alerts." You also can find some information at the Park Service's "Hurricane and Severe Weather Response" website.

The Park Service provided the following operational guidance for the parks in Florida:

Biscayne National Park was to reopen under normal operations.

These areas include:

  • Convoy Point Grounds  
  • Dante Fascell  Visitor Center  
  • Park Headquarters
  • Biscayne National Park Institute tours 
  • Florida National Parks Association bookstore

Everglades National Park was to reopen on a limited basis, with the following areas open:

  • Shark Valley entrance at 8:30 a.m.
  • Airboat tour operators along Tamiami Trail
  • Homestead entrance and the Main Park Road for 25 miles to Paurotis Pond from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Starting Oct. 1, this area will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until the park is able to reopen the Flamingo area.

These Everglades areas remain closed:

  • Gulf Coast Visitor Center and Everglades City entrance
  • Flamingo
  • Main Park Road south of Paurotis Pond
  • Wilderness and front-country camping

For guided tours and services, visitors should call or check individual websites for more information. Links can be found on the park’s website: www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm

Dry Tortugas National Park sustained a direct hit from Hurricane Ian and remains closed while staff assess damage. Vessels may seek safe harbor within the one nautical mile anchoring zone around Garden Key, including Bird Key Harbor. No services are available. Garden and Loggerhead Keys are closed, including the campground, main dock and visitor courtesy slips on Garden Key and the main dock at Loggerhead Key.

Big Cypress National Preserve also remains closed at this time.

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Comments

Submitted by WD on September 30, 2022 - 12:12pm.

will the camp site at Dry tortugas open next week (10/6)?  Thanks 


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