Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook: A Great Easy Board Walk In Everglades National Park

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The Pa-Hay-Okee Trail is closed as of November 2025 for repairs.

One of the must-do hikes (really more of a walk) in Everglades National Park is the Pa-Hay-Okee Trail.

This is a short elevated boardwalk almost halfway down the main scenic drive in the park.

I’ve done this trail twice now and while it’s not my favorite hike in the Everglades, it’s definitely worth doing.

There is plenty of parking here but I’ve never seen it busy. Other people, yes, but not busy.

This trail is a loop and we always go to the left first, doing the hike clockwise.

The whole thing is a boardwalk with a bit of an incline in this direction but it is a smooth walk.

The first part takes you through a brief wooded area before opening up a bit more.

Going to the left will take you into the cypress treetops (I think it’s a cypress dome). Since we were here in February they were all bare.

That meant we got a bit of a view between the branches but the other side has better views.

As you go around, you’ll start to head back down and get a way better view of the open prairie.

You can see more trees off in the distance. It’s a great example of the vastness of the Everglades.

It was very brown/gold when we saw it, again, because it was winter. It should be much more green in the summer (but bugs).

Continuing on, you’ll pass back through the wooded area before getting back to the parking lot.

While this isn’t the best hike in Everglades National Park, it is still really nice.

I definitely think it’s worth checking out the Pa-Hay-Okee trail and overlook since it’s short and only takes 5-10 minutes.

I’m glad we did this hike and I will probably do it again on any/all return trips to the park.

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Get yourself a National Park journal for all of the NPS sites (400+!) to keep track of your travels!
Consider reading some of these books set in national parks before your big trip, on your adventure, or once you get home to take you back to the parks until next time.