Parking
Use the Christian Point access parking on Main Park Road, about one mile north of Flamingo Visitor Center. Parking capacity and fees are not established.
Overview
About Christian Point Trail
Why go
- Distinct mangrove, buttonwood, prairie, and bay shoreline in one route
Heads up
- Unmaintained footing and wayfinding can make the 3.6-mile walk slow
- The low shore is a modest payoff if you want a panoramic overlook
Christian Point Trail is a roughly 3.6-mile out-and-back from Main Park Road to the shore of Snake Bight, moving from mangrove and buttonwood shade into open coastal prairie. Choose it for a rugged, quiet walk, not a big overlook or a polished path. The shoreline is low and the water view can feel modest; it is best near high tide. Allow 2–4 hours. One official trail page lists 1.8 miles each way and the mapped tread measures about 1.79; another park entry says 1.6. Plan around 3.6 miles total and leave room for slower footing.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs it for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Everglades map
Full mapElevation0–16 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Everglades alerts
- ClosureEast Everglades Day Use Area closedThe East Everglades Day Use Area is closed to all public use from SW 168 Street westbound to SW 237 Avenue, including the entire roadway of SW 237 Avenue.Official details
- ClosureGulf Coast wilderness sites closed or restrictedClosures and restrictions affect several Gulf Coast wilderness areas and sites. - Hog Key: Camping is open, but the middle of the key is closed.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Everglades Tour Guide
Your drive to Christian Point Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Everglades National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Everglades audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Christian Point Trail: From Mangroves to Coastal Prairie0:00 / 0:24
“Christian Point Trail is coming up, a walk through mangroves and buttonwoods carrying air plants before the coastal prairie opens out.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Everglades Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Bear Lake: A Canal Walk Beyond the Access Road
- Flamingo: Bay Views and Marina Wildlife
- Flamingo Lodge: A Meal Beside the Bay
- Eco Pond: A Short Birding Loop
- 62 audio storiesacross Everglades’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Mountain Lion, West Indian Manatee, Alligator, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 19 trails, 33 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Christian Point Trail
From mangroves to prairieThe trail starts through dense mangroves and buttonwoods carrying bromeliads, or airplants,…
The trail starts through dense mangroves and buttonwoods carrying bromeliads, or airplants, then opens into salt-loving coastal prairie. Dead buttonwood snags punctuate broad stretches shaped by hurricanes. Cape Sable thoroughwort is a small purple-flowered plant whose range is restricted to the coastal Everglades and a few Florida Keys sites; protecting its habitat is why the path is left unmaintained. There is little elevation change, but brush, mud and hard-to-follow tread can make progress uneven. Visitors report both clear, dry walking and difficult wet sections. The open prairie has little shade, so bring water, insect repellent, long pants and navigation you trust.
At Snake BightThe route ends along the bay shore, not at a built viewpoint.
The route ends along the bay shore, not at a built viewpoint. The park identifies high tide as the best time to see Snake Bight here. Look for the long mangrove edge and birds on the shallow water; visitors disagree about how much view the end delivers, so don't expect a panoramic overlook. For a photo, keep some mangrove branches in the frame with the water to show the low shoreline. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Everglades
15 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,429 sightingsWest Indian ManateeMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
4,397 sightingsAlligatorMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
1,672 sightingsCrocodileMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
15 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Everglades. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
