Experiences & Amenities

Rentals

• Single bicycles may be rented for $10 an hour, and $15 for 90 minutes. 
• Quad bikes seat two, plus two small children in the basket and are available for $20 an hour, $35 for 90 minutes.
• Large quads that seat four, plus two small children are available for $40 for 30 minutes, $58 for 90 minutes.

The park has a 1.5-mile-long paved bike path and unpaved service roads where you can enjoy easy cycling. Ride a few miles in a loop by routing through the various paths and roadways. The terrain is completely flat.

Some paths will take you beneath the trees, and others offer views of Biscayne Bay. If you're lucky, you might spot an eagle ray or manatee.

• You can rent individual bikes or quad bikes from the park's concession located a few steps from the Lighthouse Cafe. 
• Helmets are highly recommended for all cyclists. Florida law requires helmets for cyclists age 16 and under.

Visitors can anchor overnight in No Name Harbor for a fee of $20 per boat, per night. Mooring to the seawall is not permitted from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., and no more than two boats can be moored together within the harbor.  

During operating hours, visitors who have paid the overnight fee have access to park amenities. Boater's Grill is open for lunch and dinner. 

• We also have covered picnic tables and a free pump-out for all boats. 
• Visitors arriving by boat but not anchoring overnight must pay an $8 entrance fee. The entrance fee and anchoring fee are both collected by honor system stations located along the seawall. Cash and checks are  accepted.  
• Vehicles associated with boat campers must have a valid overnight parking permit displayed on their dashboard. Overnight permits are $10 per night and must be filled out at the ranger station entrance during regular park hours. Please have your vehicle information and the name of the boat you are staying on.  

Commercial activity is not allowed within park waters unless permitted.   

Some of the best shoreline fishing in the region is available on the west coast of the park along Biscayne Bay. There are eight fishing platforms, and a section of the seawall at the southern tip of the park available for fishing.

Fishing is not permitted on the beach, or in the mangroves.

• All fishing within the park must conform to regulations concerning size, number, method of capture and season.
• A fishing license may be required. More information is available at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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.

Our new launch is available at Beach Access No. 1 at the north end of Area A. We have reserved parking spaces directly adjacent to the walkway. Since the portage is several hundred feet, we recommend a boat dolly or an extra helper for your convenience.

On the beach, you will notice a "V" shaped set of safety floats for your protection. This is the only area on the beach where you are permitted to launch and make land from.

You also can launch from No Name Harbor by lowering your canoe/kayak off the sea wall. However, depending on tidal conditions, there may be a significant drop to the water's surface, providing a difficult launch and loading/recovery scenario. You must portage by hand from the parking lot at Boater's Grill to the sea wall.

Please arrive early on the weekends as parking fills up quickly. Remember, you may not tie up to the fishing platforms anywhere in the park; the only beach landing site is at Beach Access No. 1 in Area A.

We have 18 covered pavilions provide shaded picnicking overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, plus picnic tables and grills are spread throughout the picnic areas.

Our covered pavilions can be reserved for picnics and events by visiting the Ranger Station. Pavilion rentals must be made in person, Monday through Friday between 8am until 30 minutes prior to sunset. Upon arrival please let the Ranger at the entrance gate know the date you’re looking to make a reservation and they will provide you with a map showing which pavilions are still available for that date, and the park rules. Once you select the exact shelter, the rental agreement and payment will be completed. Small shelters cost $53.50 for the day, large shelters cost $107.00 for the day. Payment can be made using cash, card, or check and must be paid in full at the time of the reservation. Uncovered picnic tables and grills are first come first served.

A paved bike trail runs along the west side of the park through the tree canopy and past the harbor. 

A mile-and-a-quarter of Atlantic beach is open to swimming. There are no lifeguards, so swimming is at your own risk.

The beach is accessible from access points in areas A, B and 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.

Tours of the lighthouse are available at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., Thursday through Monday.

• All may enter the lighthouse but you must be at least 42 inches tall to ascend the stairs. 
• The lighthouse, keeper's quarters and kitchen are open only during tour times.
• The grounds are open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is a lovely location for intimate, casual wedding ceremonies. The two most popular ceremony locations in the park are on the sand with the Cape Florida Lighthouse in the background, or within the lighthouse grounds set up along the coconut palm walkway leading to the lighthouse tower. Many restrictions are in place in order to protect the parks sensitive habitats and wildlife. Balloons, confetti, rice, dropping of real or artificial flowers and/or the release birds and or butterflies are not permitted. Set and clean up (i.e.: rentals, decorations, chairs, etc.) are the responsibility of the permittee. Park is not responsible for wedding planning and/or arrangements; vendors liability insurance must be submitted with your permit application. Alcoholic beverages, bonfires, fireworks, and drones are prohibited. Receptions are not permitted on the beach but may be held at one of our 18 covered pavilions.

Beach weddings permit fees begin at $150.00 plus tax, weddings in the Lighthouse Grounds begin at $500.00 plus tax and require a Special Event Ranger for the duration of the event. Additional fees may apply depending on the total number of guests, time, and special requests. In order to obtain a special event permit application, please send a request with your event date, time, park location, and approximate number of guests to Dominique.Llopiz@floridadep.gov. Special event permits can be made up to 6 months in advance.

Birds may be seen along the sea wall and the nature trails, depending on the season, weather and migration patterns. The park is home to the Cape Florida Banding Station (CFBS). CFBS partners with the Florida Keys HawkWatch (at Curry Hammock State Park) and Tropical Audubon Society to form the South Florida Bird Observatory.

Many of the neotropical migrants that breed in eastern Canada, the northeastern United States and the mid-Atlantic region travel the Atlantic Flyway in fall to reach their winter habitats in the Caribbean Islands and northern South America. Migrant passerines following the eastern Florida coastline southward often funnel through Key Biscayne and land in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, a natural oasis in heavily developed Miami-Dade County.

Here, the birds stop to rest, refuel and find refuge from bad weather before continuing southward. The restored native vegetation provides ample food such as insects and fruit that are essential to build up the fat deposits that fuel the birds on their over-water flights.

Twenty-two mist nets are set up in an area covering 10 acres located discreetly within a restored hardwood hammock in the park. Mist nets are operated from mid-August through the first week of November and opened daily from just before sunrise to early afternoon, weather permitting.

CFBS was established in 2002 to investigate use of the restored hardwood hammocks by neotropical migrants.

As the only long-term banding station in South Florida, it fills a gap in migration monitoring along the entire Eastern Seaboard. CFBS offers a unique study opportunity of the use by migrant birds of restored native subtropical vegetation as well as the challenges faced by birds along their migration routes.