Oleta River State Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Oleta River State Park | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area) | |
  |
|
| Location | Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA |
| Nearest city | North Miami, Florida |
| Coordinates | |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
The Oleta River State Park is the largest urban park in the Florida State Park system. The park is located on 1043 acres (4.2 km²) - 993 acres (4.0 km²) of land and 50 acres (0.2 km²) of inland water - on Biscayne Bay, in the northeastern end of the city of North Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and adjoins the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University. In some documents, the park is designated as the Oleta River State Recreation Area. The park contains one of the largest concentrations of Australian Pine trees (an invasive species) found in a Florida State Park.
The central feature of this park is the mouth of the Oleta River, for which it is named. The river has drawn human inhabitants to the area since about 500 BCE, 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, and further explored in 1881 by Captain William Hawkins Fulford, whose ventured inland to what is now the city of North Miami Beach. 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, 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 triathlons and other extreme sports events.
There is a beach on Biscayne Bay, kayak rentals, and primitive cabins.
Oleta River State Park is also the headquarters to one of the state's five AmeriCorps Florida State Parks chapters.
[edit] Health Concerns
Oleta River State Park is adjacent to Munisport landfill, a former superfund site. However, no health issues at Oleta River state park have been linked to the landfill. [1]
[edit] External links
- Oleta River State Park at Florida State Parks
- Oleta River State Recreation Area at Absolutely Florida
- Oleta River State Recreation Area at Wildernet
- Oleta River State Park Mountain Bike Trail at Dirtworld.com
[edit] References
Public Health Assessment, Munisport Landfill, North Miami, Dade County, Florida. Retrieved on 2007-07-28.
