Adventures in the wilderness can be dramatic and deadly. Everglades National Park’s death records date back to the early 20th century; all told, hundreds of people have died or are presumed to have died in the park during the first hundred years of its existence. Alligator and panther attacks, encounters with pythons, drownings, plane crashes and boating accidents are chief among the calamities experienced by visitors and park personnel alike. Collected here are some the most gripping accounts in park history of these unfortunate events caused by natural forces or human folly.

Randi Minetor has written more than thirty books for Globe Pequot/Lyons Press, including Historic Glacier National Park, Backyard Birding, Hiking Waterfalls New York (FalconGuides), Scenic Routes & Byways New York, and Day Trips Hudson River Valley, and Day Trips Hudson Valley. She lives in Rochester, New York.