Homestead, FL – “Within sight of downtown Miami, yet worlds away, Biscayne protects a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs. Here too is evidence of 10,000 years of human history, from pirates and shipwrecks to pineapple farmers and presidents. Outdoors enthusiasts can boat, snorkel, camp, watch wildlife…or simply relax in a rocking chair gazing out over the bay.” – Biscayne National Park website
The blue waters of Biscayne Bay
View of Miami from Dante Fascell Visitor Center
The Florida Keys is one of the most famous and most visited archipelagos in the world. Contrary to what many think, the Florida Keys do not begin at Key Largo. North of Key Largo lie nearly 50 more keys (ancient coral reef islands) that are virtually undeveloped. The fight to protect these last unspoiled keys culminated over 30 years ago with the creation of Biscayne National Monument, which was changed to a National Park status in June of 1980. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive mangrove forest. The park covers 172,971 acres and includes Elliott Key, the park’s largest island and first of the true Florida Keys, formed from fossilized coral reef. The islands farther north in the park are transitional islands of coral and sand.
The park consists of four primary ecosystems:
• A fringe of mangrove forest along the mainland shoreline
• The southern expanse of Biscayne Bay with its shallow water ranging from 1-10 feet deep
• The northernmost Florida keys
• A portion of the world’s third largest coral reef known as the Florida Reef (behind only Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Belize Barrier Reef)
This was our first visit to Biscayne National Park and we started at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center which may be reached from the Florida Turnpike or from US Highway 1. The park is in the same region of south Florida as Everglades National Park’s Homestead entrance. We were staying at Keys Palms RV Resort on Key Largo, which was about a 45 minute drive. The Dante Fascell Visitor Center has excellent displays on the diverse ecosystems of the park and offers a short film about the park. It is an excellent overview to the area.
View from the Dante Fascell Visitor Center
In advance of our visit, I booked a boat tour to Boca Chita Key through the Biscayne National Park Institute who offer several tours including some that include snorkeling the reef. The Institute also rents kayaks from the Dante Fascell Visitor Center which can be used to peruse Biscayne Bay. All tours leave from the harbor at the visitor center.
The Boca Chita Key lighthouse
The Boca Chita Key tour transports visitors across Biscayne Bay past several islands to the Boca Chita Key, which was partially developed by electronics industrialist Mark Honeywell who built a 65’ ornamental lighthouse, seawall, pavilions, and chapel in the 1930’s. Private boaters can also travel to Biscayne Bay and may visit overnight. There are a limited number of cleated docking spots on the bulkhead. It is the most visited island in the park.
Close-up view of the Boca Chita Lighthouse
View from the lighthouse, our tour boat in the foreground, private boats in the harbor
Emerald islands in Biscayne Bay
We were surprised at the loud party atmosphere when we arrived. All of the cleated docking spots were in use and there was a good number of visitors having BBQ’s and hanging out on the key. Despite rules prohibiting loud noise, there were numerous boats cranking competing loud stereo systems. This is not the destination for those looking for a quite respite. We enjoyed touring the lighthouse and the island. We saw sea gulls and terns, palm trees and beautiful blue water. Enroute to Boca Chita the tour stopped over a large sea grass area so that we could look for sea turtles and sting rays. Arriving back at the visitor center, we spotted iguanas sunning in the trees, herons, pelicans, and cormorants. From the boardwalks we spotted fish. Our captain and interpretive guide were great. We learned about the history of the region and the park during the drive to Boca Chita Key.
