Get Involved - Bill Baggs

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Effective September 11, 2023: The fishing piers at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park are closed for repairs.

Effective May 27, 2025: The Lighthouse and surrounding area at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park are closed for renovations.

Effective June 4, 2025: Restroom #2, beach access #3, and picnic pavilions A8 and A9 at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park will be closed for renovations.

Know Before You Go

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is extremely busy on weekends and holidays. Please plan to arrive early as the park will close once capacity is reached and will not reopen for at least two hours. When the park is closed due to capacity, there will be no entry to vehicles, pedestrians or bicyclists. Due to high weekend visitation, shelter rentals and new annual passes must be done Monday through Friday at the ranger station entrance. Access to the lighthouse tower and keeper’s cottage are only during tour times; no additional fees or reservations needed. Golf carts shall be treated as a regular vehicle and may not be driven on sidewalks, trails, service roads or off-road.

Volunteer

Are you interested in history and public speaking? Cape Florida boasts a 186-year-old lighthouse on-site, and we are in need of lighthouse tour guides and docents. Walking through the massive cast iron door, into the cool brick-lined tower immediately takes you back a century in time. The unobstructed view of Biscayne Bay, and the gateway to the Keys, from the summit of the tower is unsurpassed. The lighthouse is rich in history, and one can argue that the reason Miami exists here today is because of the light, established 70 years before the city itself.

We welcome new lighthouse tour guides and docents who can keep the tower or keeper’s residence open to the public for several hours during the day. If you have two hours a week to spare, and a talent or desire for public speaking, we will supply you with the background historical information and training, to make you an effective tour guide or docent.

Perhaps you have always wondered what it was like to have been one of the first pioneers in Florida, hacking your way through the dense undergrowth? If you’re not afraid of some hard, sweaty, but satisfying work, our resource management team has an unlimited amount of work available removing exotic vegetation and replanting with native species. We also welcome maintenance volunteers who assist us in picking up trash and cleaning restrooms, pavilions, and fishing piers.

Please consider that many rangers in the Florida Park Service gained the necessary skills and experience to apply for positions, by first volunteering in one of our parks.

At this time, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park requires that all volunteers live off the park premises, as we have no park housing or RV camping available. The Florida Park Service recognizes the tremendous accomplishments of our volunteers. We are happy to provide orientation, training and volunteer uniforms.

To volunteer with us, please contact Park Services Specialist Jorge Brito at Jorge.Brito@FloridaDEP.gov or by phone at (305) 361-8779, extension 114.