Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, a Florida State Park near Bal Harbour, Carl Fisher, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah

USA

Florida

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

State Park Location Maps:

(click here to zoom and navigate local map)

(click here to zoom and navigate regional map)

View TOPO Maps!

Get directions to this park:

State Park Photo Gallery:
volunteer positions open

State Park Link:
Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

Nearby Parks:
Biscayne National Park
The Barnacle Historic State Park
The Barnacle Historic State Park
Oleta River State Park

State Park Contact Information:
	Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park 1200 S. Crandon Blvd. Key Biscayne, Florida 33149 Phone: 305-361-5811 Toll Free: 850-245-2157
Adopt-A-Park Contacts:
	Photography: add your photos

State Park Overview:

Cape Florida is the home of a historic lighthouse built in 1825 and reconstructed in 1846, the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade County. Visitors come to the park to sunbathe, swim, and picnic on over a mile of sandy Atlantic beachfront. Biking and kayaking are also popular activities. Anglers can throw in their lines from the seawall along Biscayne Bay for some of the best shoreline fishing in the region. Guided tours of the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper?s cottage are given twice daily, Thursdays through Mondays. The Lighthouse Cafe and Boater?s Grill offer casual waterfront dining, or picnickers can reserve a pavilion and grill their own dinner. Bicycles, ocean kayaks, beach chairs, and umbrellas are available for rental. Overnight boat camping is allowed in No Name Harbor, and a primitive campsite is available for organized youth groups. Located at the southern end of Key Biscayne off the Rickenbacker Causeway, south of downtown Miami.

Nature of the Area:

Birds may be seen along the sea wall and the nature trails, depending on the season, weather and migration patterns.

Reviews By Park Visitors:

visitor rating:

(1 vote) |Post Your Own Review

Written by Rosa G. 8-Jul-2009

Camping:

Organized groups may access the Youth Camp by contacting the Assistant Park Manager at (305) 361-8779 to apply for a permit. Fees include entrance for all vehicles and the permit. Groups may have the fees waived in exchange for providing volunteer service to the park.

Trails:

Nature trails are located on the west side of the park. To the north, is a trail through the mangrove wetlands, beginning 100 feet north of The Boater's Grill parking area. A trail through the coastal strand runs from 100 feet east of The Boater's Grill parking area and travels south ending in Area D.

Picnicking:

The park has 18 picnic pavilions that may be reserved up to one day in advance by paying the required fee at the park entrance station. All visitors attending a picnic or party are still required to pay the park entry fee.

Swimming:

A mile and a quarter of Atlantic beach is open to swimming. There are no lifeguards, so swim at your own risk. The beach is accessible from access points in Areas A, B, & C by making any left turn once you enter the park. During the winter, please watch for Portuguese Man-of-War Warnings posted at the Ranger Station.

Fishing and Hunting:

Some of the best shoreline fishing in the region is available from the seawall located along Biscayne Bay. Saltwater fishing licenses are required in Florida.

History of the Area:

When Ponce de Leon led the first Spanish expedition in 1513 to the land he called Florida, he visited this area and named it the "Cape of Florida." It was an area of ferocious storms and uncharted waters. Hidden sandbars and submerged reefs, were a hazard to early sailors, causing hundreds of shipwrecks along the Straits of Florida. For this reason, one of the federal governments first actions when Florida became a U.S. Territory in 1821, was to plan for the extension of a network of lighthouses along the east coast of Florida.

In 1825, the Cape Florida Lighthouse was built to serve as an important link in this network of navigational aids. The lighthouse is the oldest building in south Florida. With the outbreak of the Second Seminole War in 1835, bloody encounters between the Seminole Indians and settlers to the area spread throughout the peninsula. By July of 1836, the threat of attack had caused the settlers to flee the mainland and take up temporary residence on one of the better protected keys to the south.

Late in the afternoon of July 23, 1836, the Cape Florida Lighthouse was attacked and severely damaged by fire. The Assistant Lighthouse Keeper miraculously survived and was rescued by the crew of a Navy schooner. His helper, however, was killed. The lighthouse remained out of service for the balance of the Second Seminole War which ended in 1842.

By 1846, Congress had appropriated $23,000 for reconstruction of the lighthouse. On April 30, 1847, Cape Florida Lighthouse was "re-lit" for the first time. In 1855, the height of the structure was increased from 65 to 95 feet and a 2nd Order Fresnel lens was installed. In 1861, Confederate sympathizers removed the lamps and burners and smashed the crucial center prism so it could not be used as an aid to Union sailors who controlled the surrounding waters. The lighthouse was repaired and re-lit again in 1866.

Finally, when nearby Fowey Rocks Light was placed into service in 1878, the lens and illuminating apparatus atop the lighthouse were removed and shipped to Staten Island, NY. One hundred years later, on July 4, 1978, the light was reinstalled by the U. S. Coast Guard to again serve as a navigational aid.

Advertise your park related business
on stateparks.com

...vacation cabin, weekend getaway, log cabin rental, romantic cottage, vacation home, resort, hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, country inn, campground, RV park, horseback riding stable, canoe livery, river rafting, outfitting, sporting goods store, guide service, RV rental, etc