Oleta River State Park

Oleta River State Park is located in that place where the Oleta River meets Biscayne Bay. This is a place where you'll find the last remaining intact tracts of native South Florida plants and wildlife in Miami-Dade County. The park offers a lot of kayaking and canoeing opportunities but most folks know Oleta River State Park for the 15 miles of off-road bicycling trails with ratings running the gamut from novice to advanced.

Oleta River State Park offers 14 small, rustic cabins for rent. The cabins lack kitchens, bathrooms, linens, etc. but there is a central restroom with hot showers nearby.

The park also offers three primitive Youth Camping areas that can accommodate up to 30 campers each. Each campsite has two picnic tables, a fire circle, restrooms and cold showers but no electric. There is a community pavilion that all campsites can share. The park requires at least one adult chaperon per 10 youth campers.

The Blue Moon Outdoor Center sells snack items and rents canoes, kayaks and bicycles. The store opens at 9 am and closes 1.5 hours before sunset.

The largest picnic pavilion at Oleta River State Park contains 24 picnic tables and offers running water and electric. It rents for $160.50 per day (includes the tax). Six other pavilions have 10 picnic tables each but only offer running water. Rental: $133.75 per day (includes the tax). Renting the picnic pavilions also requires a $50 refundable cleanup deposit. Fees quoted are subject to change.

The white sandy beach is 1,200 feet long and is man-made. Lifeguards are not present.

Oleta River State Park is open for day use from 8 am until sunset every day of the year. To get there: Get off Interstate 95 at NE 163rd Street and head east. Follow the signs.