Area Statistics

• Total acreage including expansion (land and water): 1,509,000 acres (610,684 hectares, 2,358 square miles), in Dade, Monroe, and Collier Counties
• Designated Wilderness: 1,296,500 acres (524,686 hectares); Potential Wilderness: 81,900 acres (33,144 hectares); for a total of 86% of the total park area
• Elevation: 0 to 8 feet (2.4 m) (average 6 feet / 1.8 m)
• Average rainfall: 60 inches (152 cm) per year; Rainy season: May through September (mosquito season coincides with the rainy season)
• Hurricane Season: May 1 through November 15
• Average temperature: Winter - High 77°F (25 C), Low 53°F (12 C); Summer - High 87°F (31 C), Low 67°F (19 C)

Significant Dates

• Park authorized: May 10, 1934; Established: December 6, 1947, dedicated by President Harry S Truman at Everglades City 
• Designated Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site on October 26, 1976; Wetland of International Importance on June 4, 1987
• Wilderness designated on November 10, 1978
• Hell's Bay Canoe Trail (8 miles / 13 km) and the Wilderness Waterway (99 miles / 159 km) received National Trails Designation on March 20, 1981
• Everglades Expansion Act added East Everglades (109,500 acres / 44,315 hectares) to the park on December 13, 1989
• Chekika State Park donated by the State of Florida on October 1, 1991