Chapman Field Park is located at 13601 Deering Bay Dr, Coral Gables, FL 33158, it’s about 30 miles south of Miami, Florida. Checking in at almost 500 acres, Chapman Field Park features a baseball/softball field, a huge, split, dog park, a kayak launch, and a couple of small hiking trails. There are rumors and signs warning about crocodiles, so keep a look out if you go. A great feature to the park is that the admission is free.
Chapman Field Park: Pest Friendly
Before you go, you need to understand that the first rule of Chapman Field Park is: you do not forget the bug spray. The second rule of Chapman Field Park is: you do not forget the bug spray. The park is mostly a mangrove forest, and it borders on Biscayne Bay, with two lakes, and saltwater estuaries to boot. So yes, there is a fair share of mosquitoes and no-see-ums.
Dog Friendly
There is only one road into and out of the park. Driving to the end will put you at the two dog parks. One for big dogs and one for small dogs. Both are fenced and have a collection of trees in them with plenty of room for Rusty to roam. There are big banyan trees with park benches under them to relax on as Rusty and the other dogs plot their escape. It’s a really nice place to take the dogs, just don’t forget to take water with you. For some inexplicable reason, when they remodeled the park in 2021, they didn’t put water in the dog parks.
Hiking Friendly
There is an asphalt hiking trail that’s about a mile long, from the baseball fields to the dog parks and ends at a gated fence. Presumably to keep the crocodiles out. Actually, if you go through the gate, you can access two short hiking trails to the bay. It’s best to walk them at low tide, as high tide partly covers them. Also wear some type of water shoe because you’re going to get wet and or mucky.
Enter the gate and the “road” will lead you to the first trail that goes to the bay. It twists around to the left and dead ends after a short hike through mangroves and palm trees. There’s a newer looking bridge that’s been twisted and deposited on the other side of a pool of water, most likely by one of the recent storms. At some point it must’ve connected the two trails together.
Staying on the road past the first trail entrance, almost to the end, is where the second trail starts. This one is only about 500 feet and pretty much just ends in a mixture of water and trees. A word of caution though, some of the muck can be thigh deep. Unless you’ve been wanting to see if the movies are right about getting caught in quicksand, it’s best to stay on the trail.
Find out about other places to kayak in South Florida. Just click here.
Kayak Friendly
Even though Florida is literally surrounded by water, it’s still hard to find a place to launch a kayak south of Miami. Outside of traipsing through someone’s yard to get to Biscayne Bay, there are only a handful of spots to launch. Fortunately, Chapman Field Park has a great kayak launch and fantastic kayaking trails.
About halfway between the park entrance and the dog parks is the kayak launch. There is a parking lot with plenty of parking for cars and vehicles with trailers.
The kayak launch is a dock and has a slot with rollers for kayaks to sit in and launch. From the launch, if you turn right, you’ll do a short paddle through the mangroves to a small tranquil lake. The clear lake is ringed by trees and the occasional condo building.
Going straight off of the launch will take you through a tree lined canal and under an arched bridge made of fossilized coral blocks. After the bridge, there’s a mangrove tunnel that leads to another lake. This one is bigger and has an island in the middle of it. Paddling along the shore you will see plenty of birds and the occasional jumping fish.
Kayaking to the back of the lake leads you to another mangrove tunnel. This one is a little more technical because you’ll most likely be dodging branches and downed trees. There are a few offshoot tunnels, but they dead end so you can’t really get lost. During high tide the water is really clear, and you can spot barracuda and other fish closer to the bay.
After about a 30-minute paddle from the kayak launch, you’ll come to the end of the mangrove tunnel and you’ll find yourself in Biscayne Bay. Once you’re out in the bay, there’s a chance to see manatees, stingrays, and other tropical fish. The great thing about this kayak trail is that if it’s windy, you can stay in the protected tunnels and lakes and not be affected by the wind.
Heading to the Keys next? Read about John Pennekamp State Park here.
Chapman Field Park: Softball Friendly
During the renovations the baseball/softball field was completely redone (there were elevated levels of arsenic, the land was remediated) and is now open. Slow pitch softball leagues are starting again. For information click here.
Chapman Field Park is conveniently located just 40 minutes south of Miami if you’re looking for someplace to take the dogs, or kayak, or take the dogs kayaking.
Looking for a park that you can camp at? Read about Bahia Honda State Park, just click here.
