Everglades National Park is known for stunning wildlife viewing and a unique mix of temperate and tropical plants and animals, and its diverse habitats are a refuge for many endangered species. At the watery gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands, visitors encounter a maze of mangrove islands and channels to explore by canoe or boat. Bird watching is outstanding, especially in winter when migrant species join the Everglades’ year-round residents, and boat tours for wildlife viewing and sport fishing are popular on the Gulf Coast side of the Everglades. The park’s ecosystems include marine and estuarine areas with seagrass, hard-bottom, and corals, as well as coastal marsh, mangrove, cypress, coastal prairie, freshwater slough, pineland, freshwater marl prairie, and hardwood hammock.