Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne is a beautiful and well maintained park with beach access and many trails and features. Named after a Miami newspaper editor Bill Baggs, this state park is part of an extensive barrier island system.
We loved the calm, crystal clear blue waters on Key Biscayne, with the beautiful Cape Florida Lighthouse at its southern tip. The beach is a short walk from the parking lot through dunes covered with sea grapes. The beach is clean and very family friendly. There was dried seaweed on the beach, but that is expected in a natural environment 😉 The shallow waters are great for swimming or snorkeling, but keep in mind – there is no lifeguard on duty.
There are a couple of places to eat. The park has shaded picnic pavillons next to the parking lot. There are public restrooms in the area as well and you are able to rent chairs and an umbrella which is nice.
You can visit the lighthouse and the house of the keeper (open for free tours at 10:00 and 1:00 every day except Tuesday/Wednesday). Interesting fact: the lighthouse is the oldest building in south Florida. Built in 1825, it has overseen nearly two hundred years of tides, tragedies, and changes. And even if you aren’t a history buff, the view from the top is fantastic.
Nice pieces of history to see and read about on the trails.
This is a beautifully maintained park, much of it left natural. Great shaded paths with lots of small wild animals to see – we saw many lizards, iguanas, grey squirrels and raccoons.
The raccoons roaming the park are certainly not afraid of anything so be careful because they certainly will approach you.
The park has bike route, and you can ride and enjoy the nature, many people are fishing, and there are lots of fish you can see from the west side of the shore line.
We had a great day on this scenic and family friendly beach. If you are staying in Miami this is a good family side trip.
*For more information, please visit the Bill Bags Cape Florida State Park page on floridastateparks.org.
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