Biscayne National Park

Boca Chita Key

More people visit this island than any other in the park, and boats are the sole means of access. Its small harbor has a single cleated bulkhead for docking. Mark Honeywell built the ornamental lighthouse in the 1930s, and its 65-foot tower rises at the harbor entrance as the best-known landmark. A half-mile path circles the island with views across to Sands Key, and a picnic area with a pavilion sits near the harbor. Campers pitch on grass, since none of the sites are paved. From the north beach, birders can spot brown pelicans and wading birds on unused pilings, and at high tide shorebirds rest along the boat basin walls, where royal terns are common. A three-hour boat tour led by a park naturalist also takes in the lighthouse and the island.

Elliott Key

Reached only by boat, this is the park's biggest island and the most northerly genuine key in the Florida chain. Pineapple farmers once settled here. Later, opponents of the park carved a seven-mile road down its length, known as Spite Highway, and trees have since filled much of that scar. Camping is available, picnic tables near the harbor make a good rest stop, and a designated swim area lies on the bay side. Bird watchers look for red-shouldered hawks and warblers along the trail, while brown pelicans and rare Caribbean species sometimes turn up as well. A mile-long loop trail begins on the bay side and passes through tropical hardwood hammocks, mangrove forests and beaches.

Convoy Point

It is the only spot where the park meets the mainland directly. The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is where you can sign up for a boat tour or pick up a canoe or kayak. Inside, dioramas show the four ecosystems, and a Touch Table lets you handle corals, sponges, bones and feathers. Birders can spot yellow crowned night herons along the main road, migratory warblers by the visitor center, and shorebirds at the jetty's end. The Jetty Walk is a half-mile out-and-back route over pavement, boardwalk and gravel, and it passes a compass rose mosaic. Paddlers can launch their own canoe or kayak from the ramp beside the parking area, then spread out a picnic on the lawn. Pets are welcome on the grounds, though not inside the visitor center.

Biscayne Bay

The bay is semi-enclosed and shallow, averaging about 10 feet in depth, with mangrove forests lining its mainland edge and many of its keys. Seagrass meadows cover parts of the bottom, and manatees and sea turtles move through these waters. Beyond the bay, offshore barrier reefs of living coral draw snorkelers and divers. Because most of the area is water, boats are the usual way to get around, whether for fishing for spiny lobster, snapper, grouper and tarpon or for trips out to Boca Chita Key. Canoes and kayaks suit the mangrove shorelines and shallow lagoons, where paddlers may spot rays and wading birds. Elliott Key makes a longer outing, with a walk along the full length of the island and the chance to camp on a subtropical island.

Jones Lagoon

Totten Key and Porgy Key form this area along with the shallow waterways between them, and the lagoon is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1800s the Jones family grew pineapples and key limes here. Kayaking and stand up paddle boarding are popular ways to explore it. Paddlers reach the lagoon through Caesar Creek, then enter via Hurricane Creek, passing mangrove swamps along the way. Because the waterways lie well away from deeper canals and motorboat traffic, paddling here feels quiet. Look for rays, jellyfish floating upside down, fish in groups and wading birds in the shallows. Stay at least 300 feet from the bird rookery so the birds are not disturbed. Guided Eco-Adventure Paddle Tours are also offered by the park's authorized tour company.

Adams Key

Once home to the Cocolobo Club, a retreat whose guests included Carl Fisher and Presidents Harding, Hoover, Johnson and Nixon, this small island is now a day-use area with no overnight facilities. It lies on the north side of Caesar Creek, which moves swiftly past its shores. The only way to reach it is by boat, so plan the crossing into your day. Set out on the short footpath that winds through the hardwood hammock, then settle in at the picnic pavilion, where toilets are close by, for a meal. Two households of park rangers also call the island home.

Stiltsville

Built on pilings in a shallow stretch of the bay just south of Key Biscayne, these houses rise above the water on their own legs. The community took shape in the 1930s, when alcohol and gambling were illegal, and its clubs, bars and gambling halls offered an offshore getaway. At its height, 27 structures stood here. Hurricane Andrew destroyed most of them in 1992, and fires have claimed others, leaving only six. The best way to see the scene is by boat, cruising past the houses with the Miami skyline in the distance. Visiting the houses requires special permission from the Stiltsville Trust, which maintains them under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service. The Park Service has committed to preserving the community, and the trust plans to use it for overnight camping, educational programs and research.