National Parks Traveler Episode 166: Slogging Through A Cypress Dome At Everglades

Exploring a cypress dome during a slough slog at Everglades National Park

I recently had the great opportunity to visit Everglades National Park in South Florida on the tail end of the dry season.

Gazing out across the national park as we drove south from the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center towards Flamingo, my eyes swept across sawgrass prairie that was broken only occasionally by tree islands. Ivory-white egrets and great blue herons were the most obvious birds on this soggy landscape, though a few ospreys cruised overhead.

Few trails headed out from the road. That no doubt explained why, when we pulled over near one of those tree islands that touched the road, cars and trucks whipped by us in such a hurry that they couldn’t appreciate this unique landscape.

Yvette Cano, the national park’s director of education, had been checking her GPS coordinates as we drove south and here, along the road, she was satisfied that we had arrived at our destination.

Looking at the thick bald cypress forest, I wasn’t exactly sure what made this spot so attractive until Cano led me, Contributing editor Kim O’Connell, and Special Projects Editor Patrick Cone off the shoulder of the road and into the water.

 

02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Everglades National Park Ranger Yvette Cano leads Traveler Editor Kurt Repanshek on a slough slog into a cypress dome.
9:50 Spring Fever - Bill Mize - The Sounds of the Everglades
10:06 Great Smoky Mountains Association
10:25 Interior Federal Credit Union
10:47 Potrero Group
11:13 The Everglades Foundation
11:24 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
11:55 Kurt Repanshek and Yvette Cano continue on their slough slog.
19:40 Whispering Winds - Grant Geissman - The Sounds of the Caribbean
19:54 Friends of Acadia
20:19 Yosemite Conservancy
20:39 Wild Tribute
21:00 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
21:20 Washington’s National Park Fund
21:57 Kurt and Yvette continue to slog through a cypress dome at Everglades National Park
33:19 No’Easter - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
33:26 Episode Closing
34:08 Orange Tree Productions
34:39 Splitbeard Productions
34:49 National Parks Traveler footer

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National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 376 | ESA's Future

Since this past December here at the Traveler we’ve been bringing you a series of stories on the Endangered Species Act and the threatened and endangered species it’s intended to keep from going extinct.

For me, it’s been an eye-opening series because of what our editors and writers have learned about threatened and endangered species — from birds to trees and even to grasses — and the work being done to help them recover. It’s certainly not an easy task, and one that often takes decades before you can see progress.

May 31st, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 375 | Rethinking Public Lands Stewardship

Public lands stewardship has most definitely changed under the second presidential administration of Donald Trump. Land-management agencies such as the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management have lost thousands of employees, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is on a mission to turn the country’s public lands into a cash cow of sorts.

May 24th, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 374 | Cook Inlet's Beluga Whales

A fast-track proposal to develop a gold mine near Alaska’s Cook Inlet and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is alarming scientists, environmental groups and local communities because of the devastating effects it is expected to have on the region’s critically endangered beluga whales.

May 17th, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 373 | Southern Campaign of the American Revolution

America’s 250th birthday is coming up this summer, festivities will be held all over the country, and history buffs will be delving into the various nooks and crannies of the National Park System to see where they can visit sites of Revolutionary War battles.

Don't overlook South Carolina and its three park sites that preserve Revolutionary War battlefields – Kings Mountain National Military Park, Cowpens National Battlefield, and Ninety-Six National Historic Site. 

May 10th, 2026 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 372 | Print Ain’t Dead

We’re living in somewhat tumultuous times in the print media industry. Well-familiar titles are either disappearing, shrinking drastically, or shifting over to the internet. On top of that, the advent of Artificial Intelligence has some readers wondering how much human effort and talent went into the piece they're reading.

May 3rd, 2026 Read More

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The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

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