Everglades National Park Permit Guide 2026

Florida · No dogs in the backcountry

By Casey Rowan, Permit Ranger

Last updated

Everglades National Park in South Florida protects a vast subtropical wilderness of mangroves, marsh, and coastline, best explored by kayak or canoe along the Wilderness Waterway and coast. A wilderness camping permit reserves a specific chickee (elevated platform), beach, or ground site for each night of your itinerary. Popular paddle-in sites in the cooler dry season can be competitive, so plan around the booking window.

Everglades National Park issues its wilderness permits through recreation.gov, and popular passes sell out ahead of the season. First-come-first-served: each entry date's campsite quota opens 3 months ahead at 7:00 AM Pacific (rolling window, no lottery, no later drop). Permits are itinerary-based - every night books a specific chickee, beach, or ground site, most reached by kayak/canoe. Permit Ranger watches every pass here and alerts you the moment a sold-out date opens.

When permits are released

First-come-first-served: each entry date's campsite quota opens 3 months ahead at 7:00 AM Pacific (rolling window, no lottery, no later drop). Permits are itinerary-based - every night books a specific chickee, beach, or ground site, most reached by kayak/canoe.

Fees

  • Reservation: $21 per trip (non-refundable)
  • Per person, per night: $2 per person per night

How to get a Everglades National Park permit

  1. Plan your paddling or hiking route and choose which chickees, beaches, or ground sites you want for each night of your trip.
  2. Reservations are first-come-first-served: each entry date's campsite quota opens 3 months ahead at 7:00 AM Pacific on a rolling window, with no lottery and no later drop.
  3. Book on recreation.gov the morning your dates open, since sought-after dry-season sites can fill quickly. Every night of the itinerary books a specific chickee, beach, or ground site, most reached by kayak or canoe.
  4. If your dates are sold out, keep watching - cancellations return quota to inventory. Permit Ranger can alert you the moment a sold-out Everglades site reopens.

Top passes in this area

The most in-demand Everglades National Park entry points, each with its own detail page.

Frequently asked questions

When do Everglades National Park permits open?

First-come-first-served: each entry date's campsite quota opens 3 months ahead at 7:00 AM Pacific (rolling window, no lottery, no later drop). Permits are itinerary-based - every night books a specific chickee, beach, or ground site, most reached by kayak/canoe. Exact on-sale details are on the recreation.gov permit page.

What if my dates are sold out?

Cancellations open up all season. Watch the passes you want on Permit Ranger and you get an instant alert when a date you need becomes bookable.

Does Permit Ranger book the permit for me?

No. Permit Ranger alerts you the moment a watched date opens, with a direct booking link, but the booking is always yours to make on recreation.gov.

Plan ahead

Sold-out dates reopen all the time from cancellations and quota drops. Permit Ranger checks recreation.gov around the clock and alerts you the moment your dates open. It never books for you.

Browse Everglades National Park passes · Book on recreation.gov