As the eastern gateway to Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, Miami has a full spectrum of recreation from easy urban walks in city parks to wild and wooly sloshfests in one of the harshest habitats in America. Backpacking is relegated to the backcountry of the Everglades and the Big Cypress National Preserve.
Nearby: Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne Bay, Biscayne National Park, Coral Gables, Everglades National Park, Key Biscayne, Homestead, Florida Keys
Trails and Parks in Miami
A.D. Barnes Park - Paved trails wind through the woods at A.D. Barnes Park, a Miami city park, where a tiny slice of native pine rocklands survives in one corner along with large trees.
Anhinga Trail - For most visitors, the Anhinga Trail is their first glimpse into Everglades National Park. It's short, and the alligators are right there: hard to miss. 
Arch Creek Park - The tropical hammock at Arch Creek Park was the site of a Tequesta Indian village between 500 B.C. and 1300 A.D. Gentle natural footpaths wind through the dark forest
Bayshore Loop - Providing a walk through the mangrove-lined edge of Florida Bay and the unique coastal prairie habitat within a short loop, the Bayshore Loop takes you what's left of the fishing village of Flamingo.
Bear Cut Preserve - On the shores of the Atlantic Ocean at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne, Bear Cut Nature Preserve is a precious sliver of natural oceanfront in Miami with both hiking and bike paths
Bear Lake Trail - Paralleling the former Homestead Canal, the Bear Lake Trail takes you on a journey through tropical hammock and mangrove forests along a road scooped from the canal diggings.
Big Cypress National Preserve - Protecting the heart of the Big Cypress Swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve was established in 1974. Exploring its lush subtropical landscapes means wading through crystal-clear swamps or paddling its channelized rivers.
Bill Sadowski Park - At the Bill Sadowski Park and Nature Center, the Old Cutler Hammock Nature Trail offers a glimpse of what Cutler Ridge, south of Miami, looked like before development.
Biscayne National Park - Biscayne National Park protects the mangrove coastline of south Miami-Dade County along with living coral reefs and a handful of barrier islands that barely managed to escape development.
Bobcat Boardwalk - The 0.3-mile Bobcat Boardwalk at Shark Valley is a popular destination in winter and spring to see migratory and nesting birds.
Cape Florida Nature Trail - At Cape Florida State Park, the 1.5 mile nature trail loop bisects the natural areas of the park between the lighthouse and marina and shows you views of Stiltsville in Biscayne Bay
Cape Florida State Park - A popular destination for sun worshipers, Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park is an easy getaway for most folks in the Miami area, with a long strand of beachfront complimenting trails along Biscayne Bay and a historic lighthouse at the point.
Castellow Hammock Preserve - At Castellow Hammock, you’re stepping into Florida’s past as you follow the nature trail into a remnant of tropical forest.
Chapel Trail Nature Preserve - Preserving 450 acres on the edge of Pembroke Pines, Chapel Trail Nature Preserve makes an excellent birding destination as well as an easy-to-reach sampler of Everglades flora and fauna 
Christian Point Trail - The Christian Point Trail is one of the more challenging trails in Everglades National Park, leading you deep into the mangrove forest along Florida Bay.
Coastal Prairie Trail - Ready for a wilderness challenge? On the Coastal Prairie Trail, battle mosquitoes, unrelenting sun, and deep and sticky marl mud to camp at remote Clubhouse Beach.
Deering Estate - The Deering Estate at Cutler, a Miami-Dade county park, preserves both the historic buildings and a remnant of the Addison Hammock, a pine rockland along the old road following Cutler Ridge.
Eco Pond - One of the best destinations for birding in Everglades National Park, Eco Pond sits near the end of the Main Park Road in Flamingo, with a 1/2 mile trail around it.
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden - Established in 1938 as one of the world’s largest collections of tropical plants, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is an integral part of the history of Florida botany and of Coral Gables.
Florida’s Best Urban Parks - When you live in a tightly packed space, you need somewhere green as your go-to place nearby. These are our top picks for parks in Florida's urban areas, chosen for their diversity of outdoor activities and/or their unique green spaces.
Fruit and Spice Park - From its humble beginnings in 1944, Fruit and Spice Park has blossomed into a showcase of tropical fruits, flowers, and spices grown commercially in the Redland
Gumbo Limbo Trail - At Royal Palm Hammock in Everglades National Park, the Gumbo Limbo Trail is a gentle paved path that gets you up close and personal with a tropical hammock and its oolite holes. 
Guy Bradley Trail - Named in honor of the first game warden in Everglades, who gave his life protecting the birds, this paved walk offers excellent views of Florida Bay and insight into why Everglades National Park now exists.
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park - At Kendall Indian Hammocks Park, wind your way through one of urban Miami’s last stands of natural forest—a hardwood hammock known as the Snapper Creek Glade. 
Mahogany Hammock Trail - Mahogany Hammock is a tree island, a tropical oasis in the Everglades “river of grass,” where the short boardwalk trail immerses you in the jungle-like hammock.
Matheson Hammock Park - A tropical retreat along the coast of Coral Gables, Matheson Hammock Park has two distinct sides: a wild slice of the ancient Miami Hammock and a waterfront with a man-made atoll on Biscayne Bay
Matheson Hammock Trail - One of the wilder places showcasing a remaining piece of the ancient Miami Hammock, the Hammock Trail at Matheson Hammock Park immerses you in a tropical forest
Old Ingraham Highway - Opened in 1922 as the first motorway to Flamingo, the crumbling pavement of the Old Ingraham Highway now provides up to 22 miles of backpacking into the heart of the Everglades.
Oleta River State Park - Camping cabins and mountain biking in Miami? Oleta River State Park is a surprising gem amid the bustle of this dense urban area, providing both beach access and paddlers a place to explore the mangrove islands of the Oleta River and Biscayne Bay.
Otter Cave Hammock Trail - Complementing Shark Valley’s loop trail and Bobcat Boardwalk, the Otter Cave Trail gets you out into the Everglades at a walking pace, where you’ll see more wildlife.
Pa-Hay-Okee Boardwalk - For a sweeping panorama of the "River of Grass" from a personal perspective, get out of your car and walk the short Pa-Hay-Okee Boardwalk at Everglades National Park.
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area - A ridgetop once surrounded by the grassy waters of the Everglades is the highest natural landform in Broward County, protected at Pine Island Ridge Natural Area in Davie. 
Pinecrest Gardens - Established in the 1930s as a tropical tourist attraction, Parrot Jungle, this tropical forest in Pinecrest has deep roots, if you will, showcasing both native and exotic tropical species. 
Pinelands Ecotone - Unnamed, un-blazed, and wild, on an old jeep road, the Pinelands Ecotone is an extraordinary hike between two rare habitats – pine rocklands and sawgrass prairies.
Pinelands Trail - The Pinelands Trail is a showcase for South Florida’s weird and wonderful karst, a limestone bedrock that’s full of Swiss-cheese like holes, in a tropical forest where colorful tree snails make their home.
Snake Bight / Rowdy Bend - The Snake Bight Trail in Everglades National Park leads you a wild place where tropical forests meet the mangrove shorelines of Florida Bay, where crocodiles cruise the saline shallows and mosquitoes thicken the air.
Snake Warrior Island - Protecting what was once the headwaters of Snake Creek and a Seminole settlement, Snake Warrior Island Natural Area is a small urban oasis not far from I-95 in Miramar.
The Barnacle Historic State Park - In 1891, Commodore Ralph Middleton Munroe built his cherished retreat, The Barnacle, in the dense jungle of the Miami Hammock. The Barnacle Historic State Park preserves that tiny sliver of history surrounded by urban Miami.
Tree Tops Park - An oasis of ancient live oaks, tropical hammocks, and wetlands covering more than 140 acres in Davie, Tree Tops Park is a success story for conservation in Broward County.
Vizcaya Museum & Gardens - The grandiose home of industrialist James Deering may be the star attraction, but the gardens of Vizcaya, set along Biscayne Bay, rival those of any formal estate. 
West Lake Mangrove Trail - At West Lake, the Mangrove Trail loops through a shady tunnel, showcasing the protector of Florida’s coastline, the mighty mangrove, along the shores of a brackish lake.
Related Articles
Big Cypress reopens campgrounds (11/30/2017) - As water levels begin to recede in Big Cypress National Preserve, the National Park Service has been able to reopen some of the campgrounds along the Tamiami Trail and points north.
Big Cypress flooding (10/26/2017) - We share this press release from the National Park Service regards emergency closures throughout Big Cypress due to major flooding.
Have your say on Florida’s trails (10/15/2017) - Attend a public workshop in a community near you this October through December to voice your opinion on changes to the Florida Trail route and priorities for new bike and water trails in Florida.- Florida’s Best Urban Parks (10/27/2016) - When you live in a tightly packed space, you need somewhere green as your go-to place nearby. These are our top picks for parks in Florida's urban areas, chosen for their diversity of outdoor activities and/or their unique green spaces.
Kayaking Oleta River State Park (8/16/2015) - Paddling within sight of downtown Miami? Kayak or SUP fromt Blue Moon Outdoor Center in Oleta River State Park to explore mangrove shorelines along Biscayne Bay
Adding to the Life List (7/21/2015) - Although John is a native Floridian, our research trip to South Florida became an opportunity for him to see many natural "firsts" in Florida that most people have on their life lists.
Tegus establish a foothold in Florida (7/31/2014) - It's big. It's colorful. And it's the newest non-native species to establish breeding populations in Florida. Meet the black and white tegu. - Miami Hikes? (2/4/2009) - Response to a reader question on trails within a half-hour of Aventura: My wife and I love to walk and hike. What trails would you recommend?
Nature’s Way (5/8/2006) - Visit the Everglades late in April? To me, this was absolutely foolish but, due to personal circumstances, necessary. I prepped like I’d never prepped before. Long sleeved shirts. Long pants. Mosquito headnets. Gallons of water. Many cans of bug spray. A healthy paranoia about getting out of the car. We stopped at Robert is Here […]