Biscayne Bay is huge! Filled with all forms of sea life from crocodiles to manatees, with amazing coral, and colorful jellyfish thrown in. Miles of shoreline inhabited by mangroves which house multiple species of birds. On the bay there are islands dotting the horizon surrounded by calm, clear water. Put it all together and you’ll find that kayaking in Biscayne Bay is a dream come true. This article will cover launching from public parks on the mainland side. Keep in mind, all of these parks are open from sunup to sunset, so don’t get stuck there after the sun goes down.
Cheat Sheet
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a crystal clear and shallow body of water that runs from Miami to Key Largo. Biscayne Bay also has it’s own National Park, the appropriately named Biscayne National Park. The bay itself is bordered on the east by the very upper keys, Elliott, Biscayne, and the always cool to say Boca Chita Key, all of the infamous Florida Keys. On the west is the mangrove covered mainland of south Florida.
Marine life is abundant and very visible. Sea turtles, manatees, stingrays, crabs, and of course crocodiles all inhabit the waters of Biscayne Bay and can be seen from a kayak. Stay away from the crocs, you’ll ruin whatever fashion cred that you had, oh yeah, don’t go near the crocodiles either, they’ll rip your arm off. In all over 600 types of fish have been seen in the bay and surrounding waters.
When you are kayaking in Biscayne Bay you will also see and hear plenty of birds. Flamingos showing off and standing around on one foot, Pelicans dive bombing into the water either looking for food or just trying to show the crabs who the boss is. Cuckoos and Loons also visit the park, but we’re talking about birds now.
Heading out to the Keys after you get done kayaking? Be sure to check out our guide to Key West.
Places To Launch
Homestead Bayfront Park
Located in Homestead, right before you get to the Keys, this is the southernmost official public place to launch. It has a couple of put ins that are easily accessed from the parking lot. If you’re going on a weekend, it’s best to get there early, because the parking lot will fill up. You don’t want to be that stalker driving behind someone hoping they’re getting in their car to leave when they’re just going back to their car to get the sunscreen. Be sure to visit the great Dante Fascell visitors center, it’s filled with displays and information about what you can see in the park. For those of you who don’t mind human interaction they have Rangers on hand to answer any questions that you might have.
Homestead Bayfront Park is popular with kayakers, windsurfers, fishermen, and picnickers. Got all the way there and forgot to load your kayak? That’s cool, they rent kayaks and offer guided kayak tours.
Besides the option of just kayaking around the bay dodging windsurfers, there actually is an official kayak trail to paddle. The Mowry Canal trail. There is another trail that but the park service has removed the map, probably because they don’t want you crossing the channel. That would be the Crocodile Creek trail.
The Mowry trail is a little shorter, paddle along the mangroves and explore them, duck into the canal when you get to the islands on the west. It’s possible to see manatees, osprey and you will definitely see pelicans. When you come out of the canal head on over to the islands, find a place to tie off and just soak up the sun, or the shade if you prefer and drop a line in the water. When you’ve had enough, head back to the park, and cook that Grouper that you caught on one of the grills in the park.
The Crocodile Creek trail has more open water to traverse. Be careful when you cross the channel though, you don’t want your day to end early because you didn’t see that 42′ fishing boat coming down on you. Paddle into the creek and explore the mangroves. If you do get attacked by a crocodile, remember, they’re protected so don’t do anything to hurt them as they’re eating you. If you do make it out alive, give yourself a reward and stop by the atoll pool in the park on the way back.
Keep track of all your kayak trips with one of our cool journals! Available in hardcover or paperback, it’ll come in handy to jot down your favorite memories! Each page has a slight image of the front cover to keep you in that beachy mood. Click here to buy one today!
Check out our Planners and Journals pages for more selections!
Black Point Marina
Black Point Marina is in between Miami and Homestead in Cutler Bay. There’s a marina, boat launch, restaurant, bike path and a pretty big park.
Do yourself a favor when you’re kayaking in Biscayne Bay at Black Point (<pssst, fancy map), don’t go to the boat launch/Marina side to launch. That place can be a madhouse. Instead, Black Point has a great park along the north side of the boat channel with facilities, picnic tables, and cutouts to fish. To launch your kayak, drive to the end of the parking lot and stay left. If you drive to the end, there’s a turnaround for unloading kayaks. Don’t do that, it’s a trick. The only spot to put in there is muddy, buggy, and not really easy to get to. Stop about halfway down and there’s a better place to put your kayak in by the bridge.
Once you get through the mangrove tunnel. you can paddle to the end of the jetty and head south. Be careful when you cross the channel, that’s where Fred the crocodile hangs out. There’s also a manatee that hangs out there so if you’re lucky, you might get to see both while you’re there. Heading south takes you along mangroves, with plenty of birds, the occasional crab, and possibly more manatees. After about 5 miles you’ll get to the aforementioned Homestead Bayfront Park, so turn around here, or keep going if you’re feeling strong.
Heading north offers you a chance to kayak through the mangroves. There are multiple breaks in the canopy to paddle in between the mangroves offering you a chance to check out the bird and mosquito population. If you choose to just cruise along the shoreline you’ll enjoy the amazingly clear waters under which you can see marine life among the sea grass.
Deering Point
Deering Point is just north of Biscayne National Park. There’s a parking lot with plenty of parking, bathroom facilities and pavilions with picnic tables. There aren’t any fancy maps for Deering point, just put in and go, you’ll figure it out. Dog lovers, you’ll need to leave Rusty at home if you plan on putting in here, as they only allow service animals.
Deering Point is a great place to launch, but do not go during low tide, you’ll end up beaching your kayak and you do not want those pics to go viral. If you go north, there’s a great mangrove island named Chicken Key that’s about a mile away from the launch. On the way there, you’ll pass the Deering Estates Museum, if you have the time some day, it’s a great place to visit.
Kayaking Biscayne Bay out of Deering Point allows you to see incredible things. Whether it’s a sea turtle, a manatee, a sting ray, or just a bunch of crabs hanging in the sea grass, it’s always a wonder. Kayaking along the shoreline offers multiple breaks in the mangroves to explore. Mangrove lined shores, mangrove islands, and just the most incredibly clear water that you’ve ever seen make for a remarkable day.
Chapman Field
Chapman Field is the place to go when you want to kayak in shady, calm, and clear waters. Located about 40 minutes south of Miami it’s a quiet little park with walking/biking trails, a dog park, and a kayak launch. Launching from the platform is really easy, just set your kayak in the groove, get in and push off.
Once you’re in the water you can go west and wind up on a lake that is overlooked by condos. If you go east and under the bridge, you’ll kayak through mangrove tunnels and eventually end up on a lake, where you can hang out with other kayakers, go fishing, or just float on calm waters soaking up the sun.
Paddling to the very east end of the lake takes you to another set of mangrove tunnels, don’t worry, you can’t get lost in these, they either dead end or circle back to the main path that eventually leads to Biscayne Bay. Keep going and enjoy the wonders of the bay or turn around and navigate back to the boat launch. Along the way you’ll see Pelicans, Herons, and other flying creatures above and schools of fish below.
A round trip from launch to the bay and back is about 1.5 to 2 hours, so you can have a relaxing paddle in the morning and still have time to take Rusty to run around in the dog park.
When You Go
Remember, when you’re kayaking in Biscayne Bay that you are in sunny Florida, floating on a reflective surface where the sun shines constantly and with the sun the summer heat will get well into the 90’s. What am I getting at you ask? The sun shines here 250 days a year so be sure to bring plenty of hydration, sunscreen, and even a hat.
Another great place to kayak is John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park!
