Day 7: Biscayne National Park
National Park #3
When people talk about National Parks in Florida, Biscayne is often overlooked compared to the flashier Everglades or Dry Tortugas. It shouldn’t be. There’s an incredible amount of history and wildlife here, and any place where you need a boat to get to will rank highly on our list.
Biscayne National Park takes up a huge section of the Biscayne Bay. The visitors center is near Homestead, but you’ll need to book a tour on one of their boats to truly experience it. We went on the stand up paddle board trip into Jones Lagoon, and loved every second of it. We saw upside down jellyfish, the bonnet shark, black tipped sharks, and mangrove crabs…all while gliding across crystal clear waters. Our guide was fantastic as well, with a huge thanks to the Biscayne National Park Institute.
Our favorite part of Biscayne, though, is its history.
We owe much of what became Biscayne National Park to Israel Jones and his family. Jones bought the land for $300 in the late 1800s, and over the next decade his family owned, fished, farmed, and protected much of the current park lands. In 1970 they sold the land to the National Park Service for $1.2M in order to preserve it.
Visit the NPS site to learn all about the Jones Family after whom the lagoon we toured is named.
What you need to know:
The park is primarily water, islands, and reefs, so you’ll need to book ahead to get one of the boat tours.
The stand-up paddle board and canoe trips to Jones Lagoon are a great way to experience the park and learn about its history.
Not surprisingly, once you get out over the bay there is little or no cell-service.
There are two first-come, first-serve campgrounds located on islands only accessible by boat. Obviously no RVs, but the Everglades campgrounds are only 30-40 mins away so this wasn’t an issue.
Make sure you bring cash to tip your captain/guide.