Boating: How to Boat: Advanced: Paddle Sports

I always thought the Everglades was a swamp. Turns out it's a river. A wide, shallow river. To be specific, the Kissimmee River.

I have a friend from Florida who now lives in Montana. Whenever we're on a river and see a likely sandbar, she says: "That looks like a perfect place for an alligator." Only in Montana, we don't have alligators. She misses them. The Everglades has both alligators and crocodiles. In fact, it's about the only place in the world with both. It also happens to be a great place to explore with a canoe.

At 1.5 million acres, Everglades National Park is the largest sub-tropical wilderness in the lower 48 states. The park service maintains a network of paddling trails, including the 99-mile Wilderness Waterway. (The name's a bit deceiving, since motorboats are allowed.) The trails include backcountry campsites, including floating platforms called "chickees," which are patterned after a design by the indigenous Miccosukee Indians. Other camps are on ancient earthen mounds built by prehistoric tribes.

The native peoples of the Everglades built entire islands by hand, including Sandfly Island. Sandfly was later taken over by whites as a tomato plantation. Now, under the hand of the National Park Service, the island has reverted to a "natural" condition.

The Kissimmee River is fifty miles wide and only a few feet at its deepest point. The waters of the coastal Everglades are affected by the tides, requiring skill at reading tide tables and nautical charts. But the rewards of exploring mangrove estuaries and sawgrass flats are nothing short of astounding.

The Everglades are home to some 350 species of birds. And uncounted billions of mosquitoes. Those are both the main reasons winter is a prime time to visit.

Wow factor? Being astonished when that log on the other side of the channel suddenly moves... and materializes into an alligator.

Contact: Superintendent, Everglades National Park, 40001 State Road 9336, Homestead, FL, 33034-6733. Phone: (305) 242-7700.

No wonder the rest of the world thought America's national parks were such a good idea. But National Parks are victims of their own popularity. Crowds of people have resulted in long lists of rules to protect the parks' wonders for future generations. The Land of 'Wow!' is also the Land of 'No!' Rules vary from park to park and it's the visitor's responsibility to know and follow them.

Thanks to some recent legislation in the United States and Canada, both the US National Park Service and Parks Canada have gone on a fee-spree. The bad news is that services like backcountry camping permits that were free a few years ago may now cost money. The good news is that the money goes toward projects that better serve visitors and the park.

But who can complain? Our National Parks are still the best adventure value in the world. Where else can you experience wonders like this? No where but the Land of Wow!