27

Stop 27 is a numbered marker along an Everglades observation route, positioned in a landscape that has remained largely unchanged for thousands of years. The ancient quality of the Everglades is one of its most striking features — the slow sheet flow of water south toward Florida Bay follows patterns laid down long before roads arrived. At a stop like this, looking east or west across the prairie gives a genuine sense of the ecosystem's scale. White ibis often move in flocks low over the grass, and alligators bask on any raised bank that catches the morning sun.