Shark Valley Observation Tower

Shark Valley Observation Tower is a raised concrete lookout near the midpoint of the park’s 15-mile Tram Road loop. It looks out across the Everglades’ broad wetlands, with sightlines reported up to 20 miles. The tower is one of the loop’s main payoffs, but it sits about seven miles from the entrance parking lot. Private cars stop at the lot, so plan this as a real outing rather than a quick pull-in.

Walk or bike along the loop, or take the narrated tram. A walk to the tower and back is about 14 miles; completing the full loop is 15 miles. The tower’s midway location makes the tram a practical choice if you want the view without the long walk or bike ride. Bring water and sun protection for the extended trip, and allow time to stop at the tower rather than rushing straight back.

The raised deck gives you a wide look over the flat wetland. The tower is a good place to take in the scale of the River of Grass, but wildlife is part of the approach too: visitors commonly see alligators and wading birds along the loop. Keep looking on the way out and back, not only from the deck.

This is a photo stop, but a straight shot over the marsh can look flat. From the tower, include the dark borrow pit and green vegetation in the foreground, then let the distant horizon open behind them. The nearer water and plants give the broad view some depth.

Completed in 1964, the tower was designed by South Florida architect Edward M. Ghezzi as a Mission 66 project. Its broad concrete terraces, flat roof, and sweeping ramp give it a distinctive modernist shape. Look back at the structure as you leave the deck; the tower is an architectural stop as well as a viewpoint.