Tiger Key

Located on the northwestern end of the Everglades National Park on the shores of West Pass in the city of Naples, Tiger Key is a campground that has a mile-long beach with beige sand.  There is also a dense patch of coastal flora near the beach that has many kinds of plants including sea grapes, sea oats, marsh grass, moss-draped cypress trees, palm trees, and mangrove trees. 

Tiger Key does not have lifeguards or any other amenities, so plan your trip accordingly.  Dogs are not permitted on the beach, which is open from sunrise until sunset. 

Tiger Key offers many fun activities including camping, fishing, swimming, paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, and watching wildlife. Visitors can spot dolphins, manatees, bald eagles, roseate, ospreys, and spoonbills near the beach.  Tiger Key is an ideal camping spot - visitors must obtain a camping permit.  It is important to note that campers can make advance reservations to stay overnight at www.recreation.gov – advance reservations are made on a rolling basis, three months prior to the start date, and the permit must be picked up in person at the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. 

Getting to Tiger Key is difficult — the beach has a free parking lot at 815 Oyster Bay Lane in the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in mainland Everglade City. Tiger Key is only accessible via boats, kayaks, or canoes (you can rent one or bring your own). If you want to rent kayaks or canoes, call (855) 793-5542 or visit https://evergladesfloridaadventures.com to make reservations. For another Kayak or canoe rental option, you can call (239) 294-8487 or visit https://evergladesadventures.com/.  Once you park here, paddlers can launch their boats from the nearby Everglades National Park boat ramp. The trip is around 8 miles each way, paddling through Chokoloskee Bay, Lane Cove, and then up West Pass to reach Tiger Key.

If you are looking for another attraction near Tiger Key.  Naples Zoo at Caribbean Island is home to many wild animals including alligators, pythons, monkeys, lemurs, giraffes, gibbons, leopards, tigers, sloths, badgers, panthers, siamang, hyenas, agouti, macaws, vultures, and hawks - it also offers many interactive animal feeding and animal petting sessions.  Marco Island Historical Museum has a gallery displaying the history of the region, from indigenous Native American life to modern developments through various documents, photographs, artifacts, and related memorabilia.  If you are looking for another attraction near Tiger Key, the Downtown Area of the City of Naples is a waterfront shopping area that features upscale restaurants, branded stores, galleries, restaurants, and a pier.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Tiger Key.  City Seafood is an upscale waterfront restaurant that serves delicious seafood, steaks, salads, sandwiches, crabs, oysters, frog legs, and alligators.  Havana Cafe of the Everglades offers amazing seafood, steaks, chops, salads, sandwiches, and desserts.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near Tiger Key, the modestly priced Island Cafe serves incredible seafood, salads, soups, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, burgers, quesadillas, pizzas, and dessert - also serves vegetarian food.

If you are looking for a hotel near Tiger Key, there are many great nearby options.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 4-Star Hilton Naples is 57 minutes away by car and offers many amenities including an outdoor pool, a hot tub, a fitness center, basketball courts, and a steakhouse restaurant.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Port of the Island Everglades Adventure Resort which offers many amenities including a fitness center, an outdoor pool, a hot tub, a sundeck, picnic areas with barbeque grills, and complimentary breakfast.  As another moderately priced option, the 3-Star Captain’s Table Resort offers a few amenities including an outdoor pool, a boat ramp, and a barbeque grill facility.  If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near Tiger Key, the modestly priced 2-Star Ivey House Everglades Adventure Hotel offers a few amenities including an indoor pool and complimentary breakfast.