Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park

ByChris Cagle

Biscayne National Park has a stunning marine ecosystem, chock-full of vibrant coral reefs, and abundant aquatic life. Located in southern Florida, just a few miles away from downtown Miami, Biscayne National Park encompasses a vast area of protected waters, islands, and mangrove forests. The park’s most remarkable feature is its diverse underwater world, including the third-largest coral reef system in the world. Snorkelers and scuba divers are treated to a mesmerizing display of colorful corals, tropical fish, and other fascinating marine species.

The park is also home to several shipwrecks that offer unique opportunities for underwater exploration and diving. Above the water’s surface, visitors can kayak through mangrove forests, explore pristine islands, and encounter a wide variety of bird species. Biscayne National Park serves as a vital habitat for endangered and threatened species, including sea turtles and manatees. It also plays a crucial role in preserving and educating visitors about the delicate balance of marine ecosystems and the importance of conservation.

VISIT Biscayne National Park:

Park Details

Biscayne National Park was established on October 18, 1968, and has a total area of 172,971 acres (270 square miles, or 700 square kilometers).

Address 9700 SW 328th Street, Homestead, FL, 33033
Phone(305) 230-1144
HoursDay-Use only.
Entrance FeeFree, but a boat is required to reach.
Learn MoreOfficial Website

When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation

Biscayne National Park is the 101st most visited park in the country.

We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Biscayne National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Biscayne National Park is.

Our data shows the best months to visit Biscayne National Park are January, February, December & November.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Park Visits25,71619,68630,74530,92537,12830,78029,44830,58830,69024,66616,66224,324
Precipitation242626264886648392592216
Avg Temp767779838688898988858077
Max Temp838588919394949492908684
Avg Temp636365697377797978746965
Min Temp434550586774767674645546
Temperature values in °F; Precipitation in Inches

Biscayne National Park Road Trips

Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Biscayne National Park is visited.

Trip NameTrip MilesTrip Days
Biscayne, Everglades & Big Cypress via Miami747

Other Nearby National Park Sites

From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Biscayne National Park.

NameDistance
Everglades National Park58 mi
Big Cypress National Preserve61 mi
Dry Tortugas National Park188 mi
De Soto National Memorial204 mi
Canaveral National Seashore219 mi

Nearby Campsites & RV Parks

If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Biscayne National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.

NameDetailsMiles Away
Larry and Penny Thompson ParkMiami, FL more 20 miles
T.Y. ParkHollywood, FL more 27 miles
Topeekeegee Yugnee County ParkHollywood, FL more 27 miles
CB Smith ParkPembroke Pines, FL more 29 miles
Easterlin ParkFL more 36 miles
Markham ParkSunrise, FL more 37 miles
Long Pine Key - Everglades National ParkFL more 39 miles
John Pennekamp - Coral Reef State ParkKey Largo, FL more 41 miles
Quiet Waters ParkDeerfield Beach, FL more 46 miles

Nearest Ski Resorts

For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Biscayne National Park:

None Found.

Nearest Airports

When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Biscayne National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.

Large Airports

A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Biscayne National Park.

NameCodeCityDistance
Miami International AirportMIAMiami, FL16 mi
Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International AirportFLLFort Lauderdale, FL29 mi
Palm Beach International AirportPBIWest Palm Beach, FL71 mi
Southwest Florida International AirportRSWFort Myers, FL120 mi
Orlando International AirportMCOOrlando, FL206 mi
Tampa International AirportTPATampa, FL220 mi
Orlando Sanford International AirportSFBOrlando, FL227 mi
Medium Airports

A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Biscayne National Park.

NameCodeCityDistance
Key West International AirportEYWKey West, FL129 mi
Charlotte County AirportPGDPunta Gorda, FL147 mi
Melbourne Orlando International AirportMLBMelbourne, FL173 mi
Sarasota Bradenton International AirportSRQSarasota/Bradenton, FL194 mi
St Petersburg Clearwater International AirportPIESt Petersburg-Clearwater, FL224 mi
Daytona Beach International AirportDABDaytona Beach, FL251 mi
Northeast Florida Regional AirportUSTSt Augustine, FL307 mi

Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.