Parks & Beaches

Dade County is the only county in the United States whose borders encompass two national parks. They are Biscayne National Park and the Everglades National Park. Even though they are separated by only 21 miles, the two parks are very different from one another in activities and natural resources.

95 percent of Biscayne National Park’s 181,500 acres are underwater. You can explore the park in your boat or aboard a guided glass bottom boat and meander through mangrove creeks and offshore islands and out to underwater reefs. You can camp at Eliott’s Key at a developed campsite or at a primitive camp on Boca Chita Key.

In the Everglades National Park you can explore one of the nation’s most important ecological preserves encompassing nearly a million acres. You’ll find unspoiled wilderness that offers a sprawling sanctuary for vanishing species of birds and other rare creatures, such as the Florida panther and American crocodile. Most of the Everglades is covered by a wide open “river of grass” dotted by small stands of trees and bushes, but you will find moss-draped cypress trees in dark, murky swamps in a few sections of the park.

In the interior of Florida is the second largest freshwater lake in the United States, Lake Okeechobee. It covers more than 700 square miles in five counties. The lake is famous for its fishing. You can walk or bike along the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, a primitive 110 mile-long trek along a 35-foot dike encircling the lake. See the Lake Okeechobee area in this chapter for a description of trails and a more in depth look at the lake area.

You can explore the Loxahatchee River, one of the few remaining jungle type rivers in the USA, at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Hobe Sound. The park is best seen by canoe or guided boat tour. In addition to sighting gentle manatees and alligators, there is an interpretative site and miles of hiking trails. The park also offers comfortable campgrounds, and well-equipped cabins.

South Florida has some of the most diverse natural parks in the entire U.S.

Nearby is the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge near Boynton Beach. The reserve is located at the northernmost tip of the Everglades and covers 221 square miles of flat wetlands and hundreds of tree islands scattered throughout the area. Here, adventurous explorers can spot bobcat, otter, skunk, and deer. Much of the refuge is accessible only by boat, and you can paddle a 5-mile-long canoe trail and numerous canals and sloughs in the southern half of the refuge. Hikers can wander through one of the few remaining cypress swamps bordering the Everglades or follow canal dikes through seemingly endless marshlands.

For an aquatic adventure beneath the water’s surface, it’s hard to beat the more than two dozen wrecks and reefs that lie off Palm Beach County’s shores. Here you can spot such reef inhabitants as sea turtles, moray eels, nurse sharks, and a spectacular array of tropical and sport fish of every size and color. Further south, divers can explore the more than 54 artificial reefs and 18 major shipwrecks offshore from Broward County. Sixty-nine miles of natural reef are ideal for snorkeling, with shallow waters and depths to challenge the most proficient scuba diver.

The jumping-off point to the Florida Keys is Key Largo, and the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. This was the first underwater preserve in the United States. Nearby you will find the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary. A combined 20 miles long, these refuges feature 55 varieties of delicate corals and almost 500 different species of fish.

Diving is the best way to tour the underwater paradise, but many of the wonders are visible from the glass-bottom boat, snorkeling, and sailing tours also offered at the parks.

For those who prefer snorkeling in an enclosed in-shore lagoon, the Key Largo Undersea Park offers a unique array of undersea adventures. Further south is Islamorada, which features the Keys’ largest fleet of offshore charter boats and shallow water “backcountry” boats.

Across the breathtaking Seven Mile Bridge, the Lower Keys provide an easygoing respite, with wide-open settings bordered with ocean views. Here, visitors can camp beneath the tropical island skies, take a night dive, or spot the tiny Key deer that reside in the area or take a kayak excursion through the Keys’ shallow-water backcountry environment, ranging from mangrove communities to turtle grass flats to sponge flats. Wildlife and rare birds abound in these unspoiled areas. You can explore the backcountry from a rented kayak or take a guided tour, which promises to be a fascinating mixture of field trip, natural history lesson, and a soul-restoring experience.

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Copyright 2006 ~ InnerSelf Publications ~ Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada