Parking
West Lake Trail parking area on Main Park Road, about 7 miles north of Flamingo Visitor Center.
Overview
About West Lake Trail
Why go
- The raised boardwalk connects mangrove forest with open lake views
- Level, wheelchair-accessible footing
Heads up
- A brief stop rather than a longer hike
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Everglades map
Full mapElevation-4–3 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 West Lake 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
West Lake: Mangroves and a Picnic Break0:00 / 0:26
“You're coming up on West Lake, a quiet place to break the drive with a picnic and a short walk through mangroves.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Everglades Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Florida Bay’s Underwater Meadows
- Snake Bight Trail: A Longer Walk for Birding
- How Mangroves Handle Salt
- Mrazek Pond: A Quick Check for Feeding Birds
- 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 West Lake Trail
Take the short lake walkWest Lake Trail is a 0.
West Lake Trail is a 0.5-mile round trip on a level boardwalk through mangroves to a small circuit beside the lake, then back along the shared approach. Allow about 20 minutes. Published descriptions give both a 0.4-mile loop and a 0.5-mile round trip; plan for the longer figure.
Follow the boardwalk to the waterThe raised walkway passes through white, black and red mangroves and buttonwood before opening…
The raised walkway passes through white, black and red mangroves and buttonwood before opening over West Lake. Benches sit along the lake-side boardwalk. Look for bromeliads in the branches and the upright breathing roots of black mangroves near the water.
Plan for access and insectsBegin at the West Lake parking area on Main Park Road, about 7 miles north of Flamingo.
Begin at the West Lake parking area on Main Park Road, about 7 miles north of Flamingo. The boardwalk is wheelchair accessible; bicycles are not allowed, and pets are prohibited on park trails. Biting insects occur year-round and can be severe in hot, humid summer weather, so bring repellent and drinking water.
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.
