Gumbo Limbo Trail

The Gumbo Limbo Trail is a short loop of roughly 0.5 mile (0.8 km) at the Royal Palm area of Everglades National Park, near Homestead in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The trailhead sits across the parking lot from the Anhinga Trail, beside the Royal Palm Visitor Center at 40001 State Road 9336, about 40 miles (64 km) southwest of downtown Miami. Access is by car or rideshare only, since no public transit serves the area, and the park charges a per-vehicle entry fee covering the trail; no separate permit is needed. The distance should be confirmed on the trailhead sign. The walk takes about 20-30 minutes and is classed as easy: it is essentially flat, with under 10 ft (3 m) of elevation change. The surface is a paved or hardened path winding through a shaded tropical hardwood hammock, a small island of raised ground where tropical trees grow in the otherwise open sawgrass landscape. The canopy gives welcome relief from the sun compared with nearby boardwalks. The trail is named for the gumbo limbo tree, recognisable by its smooth, peeling reddish bark, sometimes called the tourist tree. Visitors also see strangler figs, ferns, orchids and air plants growing on trunks, along with butterflies and small birds in the understory. Because the loop is brief, there are no formal turn-around points; most visitors walk the entire circuit. Restrooms and drinking water are available at the visitor center, but nothing is provided along the trail itself. Mosquitoes and other biting insects are common in the hammock, particularly from May to October, and closed-toe shoes and repellent are advisable. The trail pairs naturally with the Anhinga Trail, and many visitors walk both in a single stop at Royal Palm.