Parking
Boat access only; arrive at the island's cleated bulkhead. The trail starts just east of the restrooms by the harbor.
Overview
About Boca Chita Trail
Why go
- A short route to the wooded south shore and a beach facing Sands Key
- The harbor and 1930s lighthouse add context to the island walk
Heads up
- Boat access only, with no drinking water or food sales
- Year-round mosquitoes and steps at both ends of the bridge
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Biscayne alert
- CautionBoater caution: navigational markers may be missing or movedUse caution while navigating park waters: navigational markers may be missing or moved due to unforeseen circumstances. Check current park alerts before boating.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Biscayne Tour Guide
Your drive to Boca Chita Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Biscayne National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
- 19 audio storiesacross Biscayne’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor West Indian Manatee, American Crocodile, Burmese Python, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 9 trails, 31 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Boca Chita Trail
A short island loopBoca Chita Trail is an easy, roughly 0.7-mile loop on Boca Chita Key.
Boca Chita Trail is an easy, roughly 0.7-mile loop on Boca Chita Key. Start just east of the restrooms, follow a short access stretch to the southern perimeter path, then circle back toward the harbor. The route crosses the wooded south end and reaches a small beach facing Sands Key. You walk the short access stretch twice to finish where you began. Allow about 20 to 30 minutes, including time at the water.
UnderfootMost of the path is broad and unpaved, with grass alternating with sand and gravel.
Most of the path is broad and unpaved, with grass alternating with sand and gravel. A small bridge has three steps at each end, so this is not a fully step-free walk. Informal tracks branch toward the water; the main route is wide enough to follow without treating every side path as part of the trail.
The south shoreThe beach is the payoff: pale sand, mangroves at the water's edge and a view across the bay…
The beach is the payoff: pale sand, mangroves at the water's edge and a view across the bay toward Sands Key. This is a quick island walk, not a long wilderness hike. If you are already ashore, it is an easy way to see more than the harbor and its historic buildings.
The lighthouse is a separate stopThe 65-foot Boca Chita lighthouse stands beside the harbor near the start of the walk.
The 65-foot Boca Chita lighthouse stands beside the harbor near the start of the walk. Mark Honeywell built it in the 1930s; it was a decorative landmark rather than a working navigational light. The tower is separate from the trail, and reaching its observation deck means climbing stairs. Park staff may open it when they are on the island.
Come ready for the islandBoca Chita is reachable only by boat.
Boca Chita is reachable only by boat. There is no drinking water or food sales on the island, so bring what you need and pack out your trash. Mosquitoes are present year-round; repellent is useful. Pets other than service animals are not allowed on the island or on boats in the harbor.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Biscayne
201 sightingsWest Indian ManateeMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
154 sightingsAmerican CrocodileMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
15 sightingsBurmese PythonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
17 sightingsTamanend's Bottlenose DolphinMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
23 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
146 sightingsGreat BarracudaMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Biscayne. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
