Parking
Use the signed Pa-hay-okee parking area off Main Park Road, about 13 miles from the Homestead entrance and Ernest Coe Visitor Center.
Overview
About Pa-hay-okee Overlook Trail
Why go
- A covered, wheelchair-accessible platform opens over the sawgrass.
Heads up
- Very short; it’s a scenic stop rather than a longer hike.
Pa-hay-okee Overlook Trail is a 0.16-mile round-trip loop on a raised wooden boardwalk to a covered viewing platform. Give it about 15 minutes. The walk is easy and wheelchair accessible; the reason to stop is the broad view over the Everglades’ sawgrass, the “River of Grass.” It’s a good choice when you want that perspective without committing to a longer trail.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy this short loop earns a stopMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Everglades map
Full mapElevation3–10 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 Pa-hay-okee Overlook 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
Pa-hay-okee Overlook: Grassy Waters0:00 / 0:25
“You're nearing the access road for Pa-hay-okee Overlook, a quick stop I'd keep for the wide view across the sawgrass.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Everglades Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Pool in the Branches
- Rock Reef Pass: Elevation Three Feet
- The Book Behind River of Grass
- The Bird That Walks on Lilies
- 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 Pa-hay-okee Overlook Trail
Look across the sawgrassThe platform lifts you above the flat wetland for an open panorama.
The platform lifts you above the flat wetland for an open panorama. Look near the boardwalk, too: dwarf cypress, magnolia, air plants and string lilies grow here. It’s a good little birding stop, though the view is the reliable payoff, not any particular wildlife. For a photo, frame the sweep of grass from the covered platform rather than aiming at the roof.
A rebuilt boardwalk with an older designThe boardwalk and roof were widened in the 2026 rebuild.
The boardwalk and roof were widened in the 2026 rebuild. The platform’s new ceiling reflects the design of the original 1959 structure, keeping a bit of the older overlook’s character along with the more accessible route.
Get there and make it comfortableUse the signed Pa-hay-okee parking area off Main Park Road.
Use the signed Pa-hay-okee parking area off Main Park Road. The trail is about 13 miles from the Homestead entrance and Ernest Coe Visitor Center. Bicycles and pets aren’t allowed on this or other park trails. The open wetland gets strong sun, and mosquitoes and biting flies can be worst in the hot, humid summer.
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.
