Biscayne National Park

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Biscayne National Park is one of the great surprises of the national park system: a 172,000-acre marine wonderland just 25 miles south of downtown Miami that most Floridians have never visited. Established in 1980, approximately 95 percent of the park is water — the turquoise shallows of Biscayne Bay, living coral reefs (the northernmost in the continental United States), a band of lush mangrove shoreline, and a chain of undeveloped barrier islands stretching toward the Florida Keys. This is a park best experienced from the water, whether you arrive by kayak paddling through tunnels of red mangrove roots, aboard a glass-bottom boat tour watching eagle rays glide over coral heads, or underwater with a snorkel mask hovering over brain corals teeming with parrotfish and angelfish. The park also preserves a rich maritime heritage: the waters conceal at least ten significant shipwrecks from the 1700s to the 1900s, making it a premier wreck-diving destination. Boca Chita Key, with its ornamental lighthouse and picnic areas, and Elliott Key, the largest of the barrier islands, are accessible by private or concessionaire boat and offer a wild, vehicle-free escape from the sprawling city just over the horizon. If you've overlooked Biscayne, it's time to correct that.

Snorkeling and diving are the headline activities. The Maritime Heritage Trail links six shipwrecks in the park's Offshore Reef area, including the Mandalay schooner and the Lugano freighter; waterproof dive slates available at the visitor center guide you around each wreck's highlights. The park concessionaire (Biscayne National Park Tours) offers glass-bottom boat tours, snorkel trips, kayak rentals, and ferry service to Boca Chita Key and Elliott Key from the Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point. Kayaking is exceptional: paddle the mangrove-lined Intracoastal Waterway, explore the tidal creeks of the shoreline, or cross the bay to a barrier island for a backcountry camping experience. Elliott Key has 4 miles of hiking trail through a hammock forest of tropical hardwoods. Birdwatching from the water or the visitor center seawall is excellent year-round, with frigatebirds, ospreys, and roseate spoonbills all reliable sightings. Night snorkeling trips reveal octopuses, lobsters, and bioluminescent plankton.

Biscayne's coral reef ecosystem supports over 500 fish species, 70 stony coral species, and 30 species of sea grass. West Indian manatees are year-round residents of the warm bay waters; look for their distinctive propeller scars near the surface. American crocodiles — shy, gray, and far less aggressive than alligators — nest on the barrier islands and are occasionally seen near the shoreline. Loggerhead, green, and hawksbill sea turtles nest on park beaches June through September. Brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, double-crested cormorants, and dozens of wading bird species work the shallows.

There is no entrance fee for Biscayne, though boat tours and kayak rentals from the park concessionaire charge fees (check Recreation.gov). The Dante Fascell Visitor Center at Convoy Point is the only land-based facility on the mainland — all other sites are accessible by water only. Backcountry camping on Elliott Key and Boca Chita Key requires a permit ($25/night). The best snorkeling and diving conditions are November through April when water clarity peaks; summer is warm but can bring afternoon thunderstorms. Hurricane season (June–November) occasionally forces closures.

The park's mainland visitor center at Convoy Point is at 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, FL — about 25 miles south of Miami via US-1 south to SW 328th Street east. There is no public transit to the park. Miami International Airport (MIA) is the closest major airport, about 35 miles north. The park is approximately 10 miles north of Everglades National Park's main entrance.

Bring or rent reef-safe sunscreen only — chemical sunscreens containing oxybenzone are banned in Florida state waters and damage coral. Book boat tours and kayak rentals in advance during winter holidays and spring break; they sell out weeks ahead. Wear water shoes on the rocky shoreline and around the mangroves. Mosquitoes on Elliott Key are legendary — pack serious bug repellent if camping overnight. The glass-bottom boat tour is ideal for visitors who can't snorkel; it covers the reef thoroughly and is narrated by a park guide.