Key West Parks
Everglades National Park
Home Page
Pa-hay-okee Overlook
Pay-hay-okee : is a Seminole term for
"grassy water"
0.25 miles (400 meters) round trip. Thirteen miles (21 km) from the
main park entrance. A raised observation platform on this boardwalk loop
provides sweeping vistas of the "river of grass."
Wheelchair accessible.
You walk up an to an elevated observation
area to the Everglade stretch from one
horizon to the other. Here you can get a
good feel for the river of grass. Dotted
around you will see Hammocks small
and large. Far to the north you can see
one of Cypress.
Over the side you will notice the sedimentary
rock that is the base for all of this section of
the Everglades. Pitted with pot hole giving a
chance for the plants to set their roots. During
the wet season this area would be covered with
some water filled with life fish, algae and insects
adult and larvae. When Hurricane Andrew can
though the large trees in the hammocks took a
beating. Right after an examination of this a
showed the grasses fish algae took the storm
in stride.
You left the pinelands and you start to see more dwarf pond
cypress.
They like the wetter environment. For here in the Everglades
Park just a
few inches will change what will grow and what will not.
If you are driving to Key West
either from home or after
flying into Miami this is a must side trip.
Clyde's Key West Parks
