The Oleta River State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

Biscayne Bay Biscayne Bay () is a lagoon with characteristics of an estuary located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida. The northern end of the lagoon is surrounded by the densely developed heart of the Miami metropolitan area while the southern end is la ...

in the municipal suburb of

North Miami North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami campu ...

metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. Adjoining the Biscayne Bay Campus of

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

, the park contains one of the largest concentrations of

Casuarina ''Casuarina'' is a genus of 17 tree species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australia, the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, islands of the western Pacific Ocean, and eastern Africa. It was once treated as the sole genus in th ...

trees (Australian 'pine'), an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

in the state park system.

Facilities

The central feature of this park is the mouth of the

Oleta River The Oleta River, situated north of Miami, drains the northern Everglades into Biscayne Bay, allowing freshwater to reach the Atlantic Ocean. Today, it is the only natural river in Miami-Dade County that has not been dredged and channelized. Its se ...

, for which it is named. The river has drawn human inhabitants to the area since about 500 B.C, when its shores served as a campground for Tequesta Indians. It was used by U.S. troops (who called it Big Snake Creek) in 1841 during the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Native Americans and Black Indians. It was part of a ser ...

, and further explored in 1881 by

Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

William Hawkins Fulford, whose ventured inland to what is now the city of

North Miami Beach North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. Originally named "Fulford-by-the-Sea" in 1926 after Captain William H. Fulford of the United States Coast Guard, ...

. The area became more heavily settled in the 1890s and in 1922, developers changed the name from Big Snake Creek to the Oleta River. The river itself no longer flows to the

Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissim ...

, but remains a popular area for canoeing. The park also boasts some of the best wilderness bike trails in the country, and is a frequent host for

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

s and other

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...

events. There is a beach on Biscayne Bay,

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...

rentals, and primitive cabins. Oleta River State Park is also the headquarters to one of the state's five AmeriCorps Florida State Parks chapters.

Health concerns

Oleta River State Park is adjacent to Munisport landfill, a former

superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency ...

site. However, no health issues at Oleta River state park have been linked to the landfill.

Gallery

File:Miami FL Oleta River SP beach01.jpg, Path to beach File:Miami FL Oleta River SP beach02.jpg, Picnic area by beach File:Beach at Oleta River State Park.jpg File:Miami FL Oleta River SP pier01.jpg, Picnic area and pier File:Miami FL Oleta River SP06.jpg, Picnic area and paths File:Oleta River State Park - Chrysobalanus icaco - Cocoplum fruit 03.jpg, Cocoplum growing in Oleta River State Park - Fruit and branches File:Oleta River State Park - Chrysobalanus icaco - Cocoplum leaves 01.jpg, Detail of branches File:Oleta River State Park - Chrysobalanus icaco - Cocoplum fruit 01.jpg, Mature and immature fruits File:Oleta River State Park - View of Marsh and Mangroves 01.jpg, Marsh and Mangroves File:Oleta River State Park - Mangroves.jpg, Mangroves File:Oleta River State Palm - Sabal Palm.jpg, Sabal Palm growing in the park File:Oleta River State Park - Wild Lantana flowers 02.jpg, Wild Lantana flowers growing File:Oleta River State Park - Wild Lantana flowers 01.jpg, Wild lantana growing near road leading to entrance to park File:Oleta Rive State Park - Swimming Beach.jpg, General view of beach File:Oleta River State Park - Underview of Bridge leading to the park.jpg, Underview of bridge leading to the park File:Oleta River State Park - Bridge piers protection barrier.jpg, View of barrier underneath bridge to protect pilons File:Oleta River State Park - View of Water underneath bridge.jpg, View of water with sediments and oyster beds underneath Oleta River bridge

References

{{authority control Beaches of Miami-Dade County, Florida Parks in Miami-Dade County, Florida State parks of Florida North Miami, Florida Beaches of Florida 1986 establishments in Florida

Facilities

Health concerns

Gallery

See also

External links

References