Are the Everglades a Mountain Range? No—They're a Unique Subtropical Wetland

Absolutely not. The Everglades is not a mountain range. It is a vast, slow-moving subtropical wetland ecosystem—often called a "River of Grass"—occupying the southern tip of the Florida peninsula.

What It Actually Is

• Hydrology: Shallow sheet flow (cm–m deep) moving south from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay over a limestone shelf.
• Area: ~1.5 million acres (6,000 km²) in Everglades National Park alone; greater ecosystem ~3M acres.
• Habitats: Sawgrass marshes, wet prairies, mangrove forests, cypress domes, pine rocklands, hardwood hammocks.
• Biodiversity: 360+ bird species, American alligator & crocodile (only place both coexist), Florida panther, manatee, 1,000+ plant species.

Why the Confusion?

The name "Everglades" evokes "glades" (open spaces) and "ever" (perpetual), not elevation. The highest natural point in the park is ~2.4 m (8 ft) above sea level—hardly mountainous.

Threats & Restoration

• Drainage canals, agriculture, urban sprawl, invasive species (Burmese python, melaleuca), altered fire regimes.
• Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) – largest ecological restoration project on Earth.

The Everglades is a flat, watery wilderness of global significance—precisely because it is not a mountain range.