(From 2019) This park is almost entirely about water. We just didn’t account for the fact that much of it would be falling from the sky. But that was our fault. Biscayne is beautiful and is a testament to the need to protect areas, even if they’re nearby large cities. Thank goodness.
We visited Biscayne in October 2019
Getting
There
Biscayne is pretty easy to get to, sitting just south of Miami and east of Homestead, Florida. There are several RV parks within a few miles of the park, so we chose one conveniently located west of the park. Back in the mid 1980’s, I was working for Bechtel and had a temporary assignment in Homestead. I drove to work 5 or 6 days a week down Palm Drive to the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant. When I left in early 1987, I never imagined I’d be back. The people I knew in Florida were awesome, but I didn’t miss the area. Well, fast forward to October 2019, and déjà vu, I’m on Palm Drive again, this time heading toward Biscayne National Park.
Your San Diego
Is Showing
After we got Cousin Eddie all connected at the RV park, we decided to go hit the Dante Fascell Visitor Center on Biscayne Bay and sign up for a tour the next day. So, we unloaded Ruby Sue and drove the 10 miles due east to the park. There are canals all along the way on both sides of the road, which we’re sure hosted some number of alligators, but none showed their faces. Perhaps they knew what was coming. We made it to the visitor center and got our requisite stamps, postcards, sticker, and magnet. We picked out a tour for the next day and started to head back to our RV. Once we were outside the building, we saw the ominous clouds to our west. Having lived in Florida, I knew with 100% certainty that we were screwed. We considered riding out the storm, but chose instead to get going as every minute wasted was a minute more of getting soaked. Maybe 3 miles into our 10 mile trip, we hit the downpour. At least it was warm, but we were quickly soaked to the bone. Rainy took some video of our escapade, but it’s filed away in our embarrassing moments folder. Living in San Diego, we rarely check the weather as it’s always nice and the rare storm is a major news item. I guess that’s our excuse for being ignorant and getting saturated. Live and Learn.
Boca
Chita
There’s a cool ornamental lighthouse on Boca Chita Key (not to be confused with Boca Chica Key) that was built in the 1930’s. The tour includes some cool history on the many people who have lived in the area. Most people think the Florida Keys begin at Key Largo, but it’s these northern keys within the park that mark the start of the famous archipelago. In early 1960’s, there was a plan to dredge a part of the bay and form a resort city called Islandia. Conservationists overcame this threat and helped gain monument status in 1968, protecting the marine/reef ecosystem. Today, you can go up to the top of the lighthouse for a great view of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. It was a relaxing tour and fortunately not too hot. They also run guided snorkeling tours where you can visit a shipwreck. Many years ago, I snorkeled with my friends Jamie and Cliff at nearby John Pennecamp State Park which was super cool (we had barracuda swimming all around us). Anyway, the snorkeling in the park is probably amazing.
The waters of Biscayne Bay are beautiful. The Miami skyline to the north reminds you of how close this area was to becoming a string of condos, hotels and resorts. We could have spent another day here to maybe try some snorkeling or kayaking. But we had a plane to catch for USVI.