NP#54 - Biscayne National Park

Park visit #54 of our quest to visit all of our country's 59 major parks.  

 Lighthouse on Boca Chita Key

 Mangrove Shoreline

 Mangrove Tentacles

 Boca Chita Key Shoreline

"Cannons don't thunder...there's nothing to plunder...I'm an over 40 victim of fate!" (JB)

The Park: Most of Biscayne is an underwater wilderness filled with a wide variety of sea life. Below the surface, colorful coral reefs, exotic fish, manatees and turtles will dazzle you!   Unlike land-based parks, 95% of the park is underwater! Most of the 5% of the park that does contain terra firma is found mainly on northernmost of the Florida Keys, which lie approximately 6-10 miles off the mainland in Biscayne Bay.  Elliott Key, the park’s largest island, is considered to be the first in a long chain of the Florida Keys. These islands are what remain of ancient coral reefs, which formed when ocean waters were much higher than they are today.

This park was created to protect one of the world’s most extensive coral reefs along with the longest stretch of mangrove forest on the east coast. The park also protects endangers species such as the Florida Manatee, the Loggerhead and Green Sea Turtles, the American crocodile and the colorful Schaus Swallowtail butterfly.

Getting there:  Within sight of downtown Miami, getting to the Visitor’s Center of Biscayne National Park is easy. Getting into the main sections of this park is a bit more challenging, as only 5% of the park is land based! We took a 2-hour boat Tour of the bay, Elliot Key and Boca Chita Key. 

What to do: This aquatic wonderland is ideal for snorkeling, diving, boating, canoeing and kayaking. There is only one mile of paved road in the park and only two hiking trails – both on Elliott Key - so visitors must take to the water to get a true sense of the park’s charm.

For divers, Biscayne’s Maritime Heritage Underwater Trail features the sunken remains of six of the parks many shipwrecks. Access to this trail is by boat only. The wrecks have been mapped and mooring buoys have been installed. The newest addition to the trail is Fowey Rocks Lighthouse where snorkeling is sensational around its base.

Glass bottomed boat and guided canoe and kayak tours (when available) offer visitors a great way to explore the park. Tours are mainly offered during the winter months.

Where to stay: For lodging, you will find opportunities outside the park boundaries in Homestead and Florida City as the park does not have any lodging within its borders. Camping inside the park requires boat transportation to either the Boca Chita Key or the Elliot Key.

Wildlife: One of the most unusual critters that can be found floating about Biscayne is the Manatee. These  “Sea Cows” can grow to up to 12 feet long and weigh as much as 3,500 pounds. These harmless beasts have lungs as long as a basketball player and to efficiently submerge their massive bodies into the water, they pass enormous amounts of gas! Eyes like a puppy, they will occasionally roll over and allow you to rub their bellies!

Trivia: Biscayne's Maritime Heritage Trail is the only underwater archaeological trail in the National Park System. The "Shipwreck Trail" includes six wrecks spanning a century of maritime history. 

Perhaps the most interesting anecdote we discovered while visiting Biscayne is learning the difference between an island and a key. Whereas an island is geologically formed, i.e. it is a body of land completely surrounded by water that are either a part of a larger continental mass or  formed volcanically.

A key is biologically formed - its mass consists of the debris that has collected on a coral reef. 

Visit our website at www.trektheparks.com to learn about the award winning tabletop board game that was inspired by our travels to our country's amazing national parks.