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Biscayne National Park on the National Parks Service website - NPS.gov

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Biscayne National Park - NationalParks.org


Florida Keys

Biscayne National Park

Situated on a coral reef in Florida’s beautiful Biscayne Bay you can see exotic sea life through glass-bottomed boats in this one-of-a-kind national park.

Florida

2010

About The Park

Biscayne National Park is quite different from any other national park. Ninety-five percent of the parks 270 square miles is underwater and consists primarily of coral reefs, shoals and mangrove swamps. The only land area that you can set foot on are on several of the northernmost Florida Keys that are only reachable by boat and are several miles off shore. There are no bridges or ferries to these islands. Either you have your own boat or take a tour boat.

The rest of the park’s land area consists of narrow stretches of mangrove swamp along the mainland Florida coast. It stretches for about 20 miles and is rarely more than a quarter of a mile wide throughout most of its length.

It really doesn’t matter very much how wide it is. You can’t walk on it because it’s a mangrove swamp. The mangrove trees with their multiple roots protruding out from the water make for a nearly impassable barrier to all but aquatic life. These trees were once considered worthless and a wasteland but we now know they are essential to the ecology of the bay, the cleanliness of the waters and they protect the coast line behind it from being washed away by Florida’s frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. They are essentially a barrier and they filter the water.

The only part of the park that’s reachable from the land is the entrance road leading to the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point. It is located a few miles west of the city of Homestead, Florida (which lies south of Miami, Florida) and sits right on the edge of Biscayne Bay. It is situated on a point that looks out at the bay and islands (‘keys’) that make up the national park.

The park’s waters contain many shipwrecks, some of which date to the 17th century when the Spaniards owned Florida. Over the centuries many a vessel met its end up against the reefs surrounding the keys. Sometimes it was a matter of poor navigation; other times sudden storms or hurricanes drove the boats onto the reefs where they were torn apart by the forces of nature.

There’s a concessionaire in the park that offers glass-bottom boat tours which is the most common way for the one-time visitor to see the park. You can see the reefs and many of the exotic fish found in the area. The waters of lower Biscayne Bay, where the park is located, are clear and the glass-bottom boats will give you an intimate look at the sea life below. The average depth of the bay is only 10 feet so often the bottom dwellers can be easily seen.

You can also take snorkeling and scuba diving trips to the reefs. The equipment can be rented with or without a tour. They also rent kayaks, canoes and paddleboats. The water temperature is typically around 80° all year round which makes for nice swimming conditions.

If you’re a boater there are places that will rent you boats and I guess they assume that you know what you’re doing out on the water given the shallowness of the bay and the dangers of coral reefs. If you’re hauling a boat there are plenty of places to put it into the water and there’s also a limited number of slips that can be rented. Personal watercraft are not allowed in the park.

This is an easy park to see in one day. Visiting the visitor center and looking at the exhibits followed by a glass-bottom boat tour out on the bay will give you the sense of the park. Obviously if you’re into boating, canoeing, windsurfing or kayaking you’ll want more time to explore the park.

Wildlife

There are 200 species of fish that make the park their home. The bay has a resident population of bottlenose dolphins. American alligator and the threatened American crocodile, which are common to south Florida, are sometimes seen in the mangrove swamps. Manatees like to swim lazily in the still waters of the bay. Lobsters, stone crabs, blue crabs and shrimp can be seen in the waters on the glass-bottomed boat tours. Hundreds of bird species can be seen in the park and surrounding areas. Pelicans, anhingas and cormorants dive in the park’s waters for food.

Naturally, the coastal mangrove swamp environment is conducive to breeding mosquitoes and in the summer months they can be a problem. If you’re out on the water they are less of a problem.

Lodging

There is no lodging in the park. Camping is allowed on some of the keys in the park but they are only reachable by boat. Lodging can be found in the surrounding communities. Homestead, Florida is close and large enough to have many choices of lodging.

Hiking

There are some hiking trails out on some of the keys which can be reached by boat. The coastal areas are mangrove swamps which are pretty much impassable on foot.  

Biscayne National Park Photo Gallery

Other National Parks Within a Days Drive

Everglades National Park Alligators, crocodiles and bald eagles populate Florida’s famous ‘river of grass’ and lies just a few miles south.

Dry Tortugas National Park A 140-mile drive down the highway to Key West is where you can get a high-speed catamaran to visit the Civil War fortress that makes up this unique National Park out in the Gulf of Mexico.
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