A day at Biscayne National Park – A Watery Wonderland

Biscayne National Park – I visited this National Park during my return trip from Key West. I spent 3 days in the Florida Keys and returned to Miami on the 4^th day. And I visited Biscayne National Park on the following day. I didn’t have any plans to visit Biscayne or Everglades during my Key West trip. But then, we had a day in Miami and hence decided as why not visit Biscayne or Everglades. Everglades National Park is quite large and we don’t want to rush it in a day with a flight to catch at evening. Compared to it, Biscayne can be visited in a day.

Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park is located to the south of Miami in Southern Florida. The park has 95% of its region covered by water and hence, being on – or – in water is the best way to explore the park. The park preserves a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands and vibrant coral reefs all within sight of downtown Miami. The park consists of four different ecosystems

A fringe of mangrove forest along the mainland shoreline
The southern expanse of Biscayne Bay
The northernmost Florida Keys
A portion of the third largest coral reef in the world

Each ecosystem includes a variety of smaller communities; seagrass meadows, hard bottom areas and hardwood hammocks. Geological influences include changing sea levels, currents, hurricanes and reef building organisms like corals. The subtropical climate of South Florida includes forests that are more typical of the Caribbean than of North America. Three types of Mangroves – Red, black and White Mangroves, live along the shores of parks and the fringes of islands. Exploration of each ecosystem in the park takes more than a day.

The park comprises of three keys in it which are usually accessible by boat tours or by private boats.

Boca Chita Key: This is the most visited island in the park and the island comprises of the iconic historic lighthouse built by Mark Honeywell in 1930s. The Boca Chita Key is accessible by the boat tours offered by the park near the Dante Fascell Visitor Center.

Elliott Key: This key is the largest island in the park and was once a thriving community of pioneers engaged in pineapple farming, sponging, wrecking or other pursuits.

Adams Key: Adams Key lies on the north side of swift-moving Caesar Creek. Once home to the famed Cocolobo Club, a retreat for Carl Fisher and Presidents Harding, Hoover, Johnson and Nixon. Adams Key is now a day-use area open from dawn until dusk.

We visited Biscayne on a windy day. The weather was so cold and there were heavy winds, hence the park has cancelled the boat tours, kayaking and snorkeling due to strong winds. Hence, we couldn’t explore the park much. Hence I highly recommend you to check the weather before planning your visit to Biscayne National Park.

Things to do in the Park

The park offers a multitude recreational opportunities including fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, diving, wildlife watching, hiking and more.

Visit Dante Fascell Visitor Center and explore its Museum

Dante Fascell Visitor Center is the best option to explore the park indoor and the center has a museum which provides a space where contemporary artists display their work inspired by the beauty of the Biscayne Bay. All the guided boat tours start from this visitor center. Not only the guided tour, you can also rent kayak or boat for your exploration. Check out the schedules for the boat tours to Boca Chita Island. Boca Chita is the most frequently visited by the park visitors. The tour starts from the visitor center and drops you back at the center.

Explore the Black Point Jetty Trail

The Jetty trail is the easily accessible trail along the Mangrove trees and the trail can be accessed from the Dante Visitor center. One can view the red and black Mangroves along the shorelines. The trail offers a number of opportunities for bird watching. Watch out for the Mangrove Cuckoos. Have a picnic lunch at the table. Relax in a rocking chair. Enjoy the clear turquoise water along the Biscayne Bay.

Canoeing and Kayaking

Canoeing and kayaking are great ways to explore the mangrove-fringed shorelines and shallow bay waters of the park. More experienced kayakers may enjoy crossing the seven-mile expanse of Biscayne Bay to Elliott or Boca Chita Keys. Adams Key is a popular launching spot for those exploring these areas from the south. Using the islands as a base camp will allow exploration of the lagoons, creeks, and channels south of Caesar Creek.

Snorkeling and Diving

The Maritime Heritage Trail offers exciting opportunities to snorkel, dive and explores the remains of some of the park shipwrecks. Access to the site is only through boats. Six wrecks – 19^th Century Wooden Sailing Vessel, Mandalay, Lugano, Alicia, Erl King, Fowey Rocks Lighthouse, Arratoon Apcar – spanning nearly a century and a wide variety of sizes and vessel types, have been mapped, brochures have been produced and mooring buoys have been installed. The newest addition to the trail is the Fowey Rocks Lighthouse. Snorkeling is great around the base of the light, but the structure itself is not open to the public.

Fishing

The park preserves unique marine habitat and offer numerous opportunities for fishing. We saw people fishing in the shoreline along the jetty trail. We watched numerous fishes from the walkway. The walkway provides a great opportunity for fishing.

But then, we couldn’t do any of the outdoor activities as the sea was rough and the boat tours were canceled for the day. We walked along the jetty trail and the trail offers you a closer view of the red and black mangroves. The entire trail is a relaxing walk along the shorelines and line by the mangroves on either side. The trail also offers picnic spots and rocking chair to relax and unwind yourself enjoying the calmness of the sea. We spotted few ravens in the trail and few fishes in the waters.

I love the education movie played at the visitor center and never missed the movie at any cost at every national park I visited. Since we had plenty of time in Biscayne, we watched the movie about the park. I highly recommend to watch the park movie on reaching the park to know more about the park and also to plan your day. We also explored the museum near to visitor center and watched the displays created by the local artists.

The islands also offer camping sites and you need to get prior permission to camp at the sites. And also to be noted is that the islands don’t provide water or any other facilities.

Though we had an entire day to explore the park, we returned back for lunch as most of the activities in the park was closed and cancelled due to the weather, heavy winds and rough sea.

But then, I loved the park and the place is less crowded blessed with beauty and abundance. Though the park is not on the radar for many, I highly recommend everyone to visit the park once and especially if you love to be in the water, then it has to be in your list. No doubt, Biscayne Bay is a Watery Wonderland – Clear turquoise waters, Mangrove forests along the shorelines, artistic islands, rich coral reef system and a calm place to be.

*The information is collected from the pamphlets and from the National Park websites.