Convoy Point Jetty Trail

The Convoy Point Jetty Trail beings at the Dante Fascell Visitor Center. You can park in the lot and explore the visitor center where there are exhibits upstairs where you can learn about the ecosystems that make up Biscayne National Park. There is a Compass Rose mosaic on the floor that you can enjoy as well as the fish wall in the breezeway. The fish wall provides examples of the nearly 600 species that call the park home. The trail goes to the right and passes the canoe launch before making its way along the shore. If you want to rent a canoe, this can be done at the outfitter located on the upper level of the visitor center (or you can bring your own and use the area from 7 am - 5:30 pm). The trail continues along the shoreline where you can watch people canoeing windsurfing, or kite surfing in the ocean. People may be seen fishing along the jetty as it was part of the legislation that created the park. On a clear day, you can catch glimpses of Miami to the North. As you pass a couple of the picnic tables in this area, be on the lookout for iguanas that call the area home. The trail moves out onto a bridge where you can see various fish and maybe a manatee if you are lucky. People enjoy fishing from the bridge. You can start to see keys that make up Biscayne. On the right hand side of the trail, you can hear boats providing tours coming and going from the harbor at the visitor center. At the end of the bridge, you pass through some mangroves. You can see red mangroves, which have long roots that reach out into the water. Black mangroves, characterized by pencil like structures poking up from the ground, can be seen and if you know what you are looking for, white mangroves can be viewed. Birds can be seen on the branches. At the junction, you can turn to the right and enjoy a break on some benches that provide views of the bay. You can see Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant across the way. Going to the left, the trail moves along the jetty until it comes to the end. From here, you have great views of the keys that make up Biscayne National Park and the ocean, where most of the park lies underneath the water. From here, you turn around and retrace your steps back to the visitor center.