exploring & escapades

Sandy beaches, dunes, trails, wildlife, seawalls, even a lighthouse- Bill Baggs State Park at the tip of Key Biscayne is an absolute must-visit if you’re in South Florida and you like the outdoors. I can’t believe it took me over two years to find it!

I was feeling a bit restless on Tuesday after class; seeing as it was still before noon, I figured I could spend the day doing something a bit more adventurous than homework by the pool. I had heard of a park on Biscayne before, but didn’t know much about it except that it was close enough that I could check it out without being gone all day. Close by and new? It was good enough for me.

Next thing I knew, my two feet were being slapped by the waves as I stood in the ocean, looking back across the dunes. I couldn’t get over how perfect the whole scene was- the beach is actually rated as one of the top ten in the United States.  And the lighthouse towering overhead made it especially unique. My camera couldn’t capture the full essence of it, no matter how much I tried.

Besides the beach, though, Cape Florida is full of other fun outdoor things to do too. We spent a lot of time exploring the different paths and trails throughout the park, most of which were full of massive spiders and equally massive lizards. The various piers along the seawall path were full of people fishing, bikers pedaled by on the paved biking trails, and we even passed a kayak launch site. And if you’re into geocaching, there was a greater concentration of caches in the park than I’ve found anywhere else in Florida so far; we found a really cool, well-hidden one in an old ammunition case off the beaten path- definitely a highlight of my day!

The park is located, literally, at the tip of Key Biscayne- to get there, you just drive down Rickenbacker Causeway, all the way to the end. It’s only open from 9 to 5pm, though, and you do have to pay a $8 parking fee- pretty annoying, but it’s still worth the trip.

Nearby and ‘away from it all’ at the same time, Cape Florida is definitely one of my new favorite places near Miami. I always love getting out and finding such great places in my own backyard! This one was close and easy enough that I plan on doing it again soon- and again many, many more times in the future.

The best part was that this was all in November… Gotta love life in never-ending-summer.