Boca Chita Key

The park's most popular island provides visitors with a variety of facilities. There is a campground with picnic tables and barbecue grills. Additional picnic tables and barbecue grills are located on the south side of the harbor near the open-air pavilion. Saltwater toilets are available, but since there is no freshwater or electricity on the island, there are no sinks or showers. A half-mile hiking trail starts just east of the restrooms. The trail continues to the south end of the island curving back north and emerging near the pavilion and picnic area. The island's crowning glory, and Biscayne National Park's de facto symbol, is the 65-foot ornamental lighthouse built by Mark Honeywell, one of the island's former owners, in the 1930s. The lighthouse is open intermittently whenever park staff or volunteers are on the island. The observation deck provides a fantastic view of the islands, bay, ocean, and the Miami, Key Biscayne, and Miami Beach skylines.