NPS · Florida

Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness

All life in the Everglades hangs by a wet thread—the fresh water required to sustain the vast and varied species, threatened by human intervention. The thread is growing weaker all the time. This lush but fragile landscape is primarily a marsh of scattered tall grasses. Everglades National Park, which covers about 1.4 million acres, contains only part of the watery expanse known as everglades. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness, named after " The Mother of the Everglades," makes up the majority of the park. At the heart of the Everglades is a "river of grass," Douglas wrote about, six inches deep and 50 miles wide, a body of water that flows so slowly the movement is imperceptible.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness1.3 million acresNPSFLDesignated 19786 campgrounds within 10 mi
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byNational Park Service
StateFlorida
Size1.3 million acres
Designated1978, by Congress
Center point25.34° N, 80.90° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 9)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness60°70°80°90°January: 1.73 inches of precipitationFebruary: 1.61 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.56 inches of precipitationApril: 2.49 inches of precipitationMay: 3.62 inches of precipitationJune: 7.05 inches of precipitationJuly: 6.32 inches of precipitationAugust: 6.80 inches of precipitationSeptember: 7.18 inches of precipitationOctober: 4.41 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.36 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.66 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 66.9°F averageFebruary: 69.3°F averageMarch: 71.2°F averageApril: 74.9°F averageMay: 78.5°F averageJune: 81.9°F averageJuly: 83.0°F averageAugust: 83.0°F averageSeptember: 82.2°F averageOctober: 79.0°F averageNovember: 73.5°F averageDecember: 69.7°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Flamingo RS, 14 miles from the center point at 3 feet, station USC00083020 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 47 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 6 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

NPS · under 0.1 mi
Long Pine Key Campground
First-comeFL
NPS · 0.2 mi
Flamingo Campground
First-comeFL
NPS · 3.1 mi
Burns Lake Campground
Reservable14 sites
NPS · 3.9 mi
Pinecrest Group Campground
Reservable4 sites
NPS · 4.5 mi
Mitchell Landing Campground
Reservable12 sites
NPS · 9.9 mi
Monument Lake Campground
Reservable38 sites

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · Adjacent
Everglades National Park
National Preserve · 14 mi
Big Cypress National Preserve
National Park · 20 mi
Biscayne National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 37 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Florida

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Five-Star Trails: Gainesville and Ocala
    Sandra Friend and John Keatley, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking the Gulf Coast
    Joe Cuhaj, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Day Hiking Southwest Florida
    Johnny Molloy, 2014
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness?

1.3 million acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness?

The National Park Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness in?

Florida.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1978.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness?

Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 25.338° N, 80.897° W. Everglades National Park is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Which national parks are near Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness?

Everglades National Park (adjacent), Big Cypress National Preserve (14 mi) and Biscayne National Park (20 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness?

The National Register has 37 listings within 15 miles, including Mud Lake Canal and Smallwood, Ted, Store.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.