Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is an escape to nature that is located just minutes from downtown Miami at the southern tip of Key Biscayne.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is a 494 acre recreation area that occupies the southern third of the island of Key Biscayne. The park is a place for outdoor activities that features nature trails through tropical fauna and along the mangroves, a calm bay for canoeing or kayaking, shaded areas for picnics and a one mile sand beach on the Atlantic Ocean.

Atlantic Ocean beachfront

One of the most iconic aspects of the park is the Atlantic Ocean beachfront. The white sand beach stretches for more than a mile with clear turquoise water that is popular for swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing and snorkeling. Similar to many beaches in Florida and throughout the Caribbean, this beach can become inundated by Sargasso seaweed.

Boating

Boaters from Biscayne Bay can come to the park and eat at the boaters grill. There is an entrance into the park from the bay through a narrow inlet into No Name Harbor. The harbor is lined with mangroves and there are covered picnic tables to have a water view while enjoying a snack.

Trails

The park has extensive trails for hiking and biking. Don’t worry if you are on vacation without your bike, there are bikes to rent if you desire. Single bikes, two seat or four seat quad bikes are available at hourly rates.

Wildlife Viewing

While the park is a popular for people to enjoy the south Florida nature, it is also popular for the native and some invasive species of wildlife. The park provides habitats for wildlife that likes woodlands, mangroves and oceanfront. With such a variety of habitats, the park is an excellent place for wildlife viewing. Many different kinds of wildlife like lizards, raccoons, tropical birds, migrating birds and sea life can be seen in the park.

Historic Lighthouse

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is home to the historic Cape Florida Lighthouse that was built in 1825 and is the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. Click on the link at the end of this post for more information about the lighthouse.

View of Miami

Very few places provide the opportunity to be in nature and to see the modern skyline of the big city but the park has an excellent view of the Miami Skyline because of its location being across the Biscayne Bay from the Miami downtown.

Picnicking

There are lots of outdoor activities to enjoy at the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park but it is also a great place to relax and simply enjoy a picnic on a flat grassy areas under the shade of a tree or at one of the 18 picnic pavilions that are available for daily rent.

The Dust on My Shoes

Miami is known for places like South Beach, Miami Riverwalk, Ocean Drive and night time parties where people go to see and be seen. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is a place to go to get away from the crowded hot spots of Miami.

The park gave me the feeling of stepping back in time to my visions of how old Florida looked. Not too crowded, unspoiled nature, nice hiking trails and beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.

Most of my travels are to place with historic sites or to spectacular modern cities that are full of excitement and energy which I really enjoy but sometimes I like to escape from the crowds and visit places that are peaceful and calming!