Biscayne National Park

 October 5, 2020

   Today we went to Biscayne National Park.  It's a relatively new park; led by longtime Representative Dante Fascell, Congress created Biscayne National Monument to protect "a rare combination of terrestrial, marine and amphibious life in a tropical setting of great natural beauty." President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill on October 18, 1968. And became a National Park on June 28,1980  But it's true uniqueness is that its 95% water.  How do we tour that, well by boat of course.

First things first, we arrived and had a picnic lunch here on the boardwalk trail looking out at Biscayne Bay.

The trail went around the bay then turned into the bay on this gravel path.

It was high tide, so when we got to the end of the path it was covered with water.

As campers are familiar with taking a family photo by the park sign, we found this sign a little hard to include ourselves in as it was out in the bay.  I took this shot from the trail. (my shots of it from the boat came out even blurrier)

After taking the short hike we checked in for our boat tour.  The Heritage of Biscayne Cruise - small group.  It was a small group, just Jim, myself and Captain Dan.  Dan was a great guide relaying the history of the bay and the park while driving us around the bay for 3.5 hours. (wonderful)

Here is the view from the second story porch where we waited to board the boat.

 The water was a little choppy, which increased the fun for me as we went out 6 miles to the keys, about 20 minutes of fun in the sun to get to them.

Captain Dan did a great job telling us about the history of this area.

Here are the mangroves along the edges of all the keys.  This what all of southern Florida would look like if all the mangroves had not been cut down and beaches made by importing sand and now continually shipping in sand in to form/restore beaches.  What is on the bottom if its not sand you ask?

Limestone makes up the surface.  Look through the clear water and get a glimpse at it.

Part of the history of this area, tells of the dynamiting of this canal (remember its limestone) to access a pond at the end of it.  It is called the keyhole for it long entry and round end.

The water is so clear, here is another peak beneath the surface.

A reflective view of the mangroves, clear water and limestone.

So what do you do if you like this area and have a ton of money from inventing the thermostat?  Well if your Mark Honeywell you buy a key, Boca Chita to be precise, and then you set it up as your own personal playground.

First you will need a lighthouse so all your friends can find the place.  It's purely decorative, not in the right spot on the key for a true lighthouse, but your yacht buddies don't care.

Thankfully it already comes with a beautiful beach.

It does not have sand, but it does have lots of shells and coral pieces.  The surface is pleasant, not hot, makes me wonder why all these beaches ship in sand, this is much prettier.

Game time, can you find the hermit crab?

The key is large enough for lots of trees, picnic tables, and grills.  You can dock here for $30/night which includes a $15 camping fee. 

We had a great time at Boca Chita without staying the night.  This national park is truly unique in that is almost all water, even this avid hiker loved it, a long boat ride out on the water in the sunshine made for a wonderful day.