Biscayne National Park Ranger Station — Restaurant in Leisure City

I am a writer and photographer for National Park Planner and I visited Biscayne National Park in March 2015. Biscayne National Park encompasses 172,000 acres of Biscayne Bay and has a visitor center located 35 miles south of Miami, Florida, in Homestead. The park is 95% water, which means that there is not a lot to do without a boat. Landlubbers can visit the Dante Fascell Visitor Center and walk the short Jetty Trail. Those looking to engage in canoeing or kayaking can launch their boats into the bay also from the Visitor Center. For those without a boat, during the tourist season an authorized park concessionaire offers a daily sailing excursion for up to six people, and of course you are welcome to rent a boat from any local marina.

For those with boats, the park offers fishing, diving, and snorkeling opportunities in both the calmer waters of Biscayne Bay and in the open Atlantic. Of the dozens of islands, or “keys,” in the park, only three have any developed facilities. The rest are just a tangle of mangrove and maritime forests that are impenetrable other than to those wanting to Lewis-and-Clark-it™. The keys of Boca Chita and Elliott have a boat dock, a campground, a picnic area, and hiking trails, while Adams Key is open for day-use only and has a picnic area and a short trail.

Biscayne National Park started out as Biscayne National Monument back in 1968. After being enlarged it obtained the “National Park” moniker in 1980. However, it is not most people’s idea of a National Park, and not just because it is 95% water. I don’t mean to belittle the park’s beauty or its worthy purpose of halting development, but essentially this is a National Park for the people of Miami who own a boat, which means that it really should be a National Recreation Area, not a National Park. There is nothing here that is going to attract people from around the world, or even from around the country. It’s not like everything gets sunnier or the water gets bluer once you enter the park. It’s just the ocean.

The National Park Service can’t even land a contract with a concessionaire to provide affordable excursions. It lost the concessionaire for the 2015 season, which is why I needed a friend with a boat to visit the park, and for 2016 it has one company offering an all day sailing excursion for groups of up to six people. I’m not knocking the service, but small groups mean big prices, and at $150/person, there aren’t many families that can afford to spend the day at Biscayne. The previous concessionaire had large boats that could haul a bunch of people out to snorkel at $50 apiece. I expect there to be affordable ways for the average American to enjoy a “National Park.” I expect people to have their own boats in a National Recreation Area.

So, can’t afford to own a boat. Can’t afford to rent a boat. Can’t afford $750 to take your family out in a boat. You basically have a National Park for the wealthy. I understand that Dry Tortugas National Park costs $170/person to visit, but it’s out in the middle of nowhere 70 miles from Key West. Biscayne is a stone’s throw from one of the largest cities in the United States and its islands are only 7 miles off the coast.

With all that said, there is plenty of beauty in the park for those who can take advantage of it. Biscayne Bay is where the Florida Keys begin. Snorkelers and divers will find the northernmost reefs in the country here, plus there are many shipwrecks in the park, most shallow enough to reach without SCUBA gear. There’s no limit to the time you can spend fishing, and being protected from the waves of the Atlantic Ocean by the keys, canoeists and kayakers can paddle around in the bay on a nice day without too many safety concerns. There’s a lot to love if you can love it.

For complete information about visiting Biscayne National Park see the National Park...

This place was beautiful. We took our boat to the islands and explored there as well. Crystal clear water for snorkeling. I didn't dare but my husband...

Todos tenemos un lugar favorito, y todos tienen su belleza, su grandeza; pero no tengo duda de que mi lugar favorito es el mar, y así como es mi favorito le tengo un increíble respeto, me parece imponente y maravilloso, algo que sin duda no se debe retar. Lleno de tanta vida, de verdes, azules, lleno de pequeños peces y grandes peces, te puede hacer florecer todas tus emociones, sin duda mi lugar favorito para renacer, para pensar, para sentirme bien es...