dsjtecserv
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
|
 p.1 #6 · Moonrise Moonset and Florida advice, please! | |
Andrew, I can't help with Biscayne, not having been there, although I did pose your questions to a fried who works for the NPS regional research office.
You will want to visit the Anhinga Trail, maily for the birds. Even if landscape is your primary objective, you'll enjoy the close proximity of a large variety of birds at Anhinga. It becomes less concentrated as the water levels go up, but should still be active in April. Also at the Royal Palm parking is a short, interesting nature trail called the Gumbo Limbo Trail. It is tame, but a good intro to the habitat.
Also from the Royal Palm area you can drive out into the backroads of the pine land and prairies south of the main road. Where the road is gated, you can continue by walking, and there are trails crossing the area. Parts of this are restoration areas, and you can get a feel for how that is going. If you go all the way on the road you can take a tour of the former Nike missile base.
As you drive down the main road to Flamingo you'll start in pineland and see the changeover to varied dwarf cypress prairies and cypress domes, with an occasional hardwood hammock or pine island. These can present a lot of landscape opportunities, depending on the weather and lighting. Planning for a long view over the prairies at sunset or sunrise can be rewarding. There are several side attractions along the road, notably Pa-hay-okee and Mahogany Hammock. They are worth a visit. Also stop at the several ponds created by borrow pits along the road; they can have good views or be the starting point for a wet walk. I particularly recommend Pine Glades Lake, on the edge of the pineland. There is a nice trail around it and it is scenic. Once you get closer to the coast the habitat will change again to mangroves, forests, and tidal marshes. There are a number of pull-off ponds, and trailheads in this section. The trails will be wet and muddy, but worth the effort to really experience the area.
I have taken the sunset "cruise" out of Flamingo, which goes out into the bay. It is OK if you want a sunset over open water. There are also boat trips into the inland waterways, which I think should be excellent, although I haven't taken one. Make a stop at Eco Pond, which can have a good selection of birds, and also offers an entrance to an unofficial trail onto the salt prairies, depending on the time of year and how muddy you want to get. Same thing for the Coastal Prairie Trail, which leaves from the campground and goes all the way to Cape Sable, if you are so inclined. It has a reputation for being very muddy.
[Added: I've not done it, but I think you can rent canoes or kayaks and paddle out to spend the night at a chickee in the mangrove wilderness. That would be excellent! Also, my friend says that taking the boat to Dry Tortugas isn't worth it unless you camp on the island; the remainder of the day between shuttles is too short. If you are prepared to camp, that would be the way to do it.]
Plan on getting to Anhinga early (<8:00, ideally), before the buses and casual tourists arrive. After that, plan on a full day to Flaimingo, with several stops; maybe sunset as you drive back across the prairies, and driving out after dark. I haven't stayed at the campground, but if you do, that will put you closer to the action than staying in Florida City.
If you are also going west on Tamiami Trail toward Big Cypress, I can offer suggestions on that, too.
Have fun, sounds like a great trip.
Dave
|
