What's on in Biscayne National Park, United States through the year

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Winter calm on the bay

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Spiny lobster season (6 Aug – 31 Mar), Winter calm on the bay (1 Dec – 31 Mar)

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Winter calm on the bay

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Spiny lobster season (6 Aug – 31 Mar), Winter calm on the bay (1 Dec – 31 Mar)

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Winter calm on the bay

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Spiny lobster season (6 Aug – 31 Mar), Winter calm on the bay (1 Dec – 31 Mar)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Mosquitoes on the keys

  15 Apr – 30 Nov · usuallyInsects & disease

  Once the winter breezes drop, mosquitoes swarm in the hardwood forest on Elliott and Boca Chita keys, worst from May through August; the water is fine, but island trails and camping are hard going without long sleeves and repellent. Source ↗

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Mosquitoes on the keys (15 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Atlantic hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  Ninety-five per cent of this park is water, so a storm three days out closes everything with an engine long before it arrives. Mid-August to mid-October is the busy stretch; the rest of the season is mostly afternoon thunder. Source ↗

Still on: Mosquitoes on the keys (15 Apr – 30 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Lobster mini-season, Summer break in United States

• Season

  Lobster mini-season

  29–30 JulForaging seasonCrowded

  Florida's two-day recreational lobster season falls on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, and boat ramps and reefs are at their busiest; harvest stays banned in the Biscayne Bay-Card Sound sanctuary and the park's bag limit is half the state's. Source ↗

Still on: Mosquitoes on the keys (15 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Summer break in United States

• Season

  Spiny lobster season

  6 Aug – 31 MarForaging seasonCrowded

  The regular season runs from August into spring, and the two-day sport season on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July fills the bay with boats. Harvest is banned year-round in the park's five coral reef protection areas. Source ↗

Still on: Mosquitoes on the keys (15 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Mosquitoes on the keys (15 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Spiny lobster season (6 Aug – 31 Mar)

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Columbus Day weekend raft-up

• Festival

  Columbus Day weekend raft-up

  8–14 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedRisk

  Hundreds of boats tie up in the shallows off Elliott Key for a floating party over the October holiday weekend. Rangers treat it as the park's most dangerous weekend, so it is a poor pick for a quiet snorkel or a family boat day. Source ↗

Still on: Mosquitoes on the keys (15 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Spiny lobster season (6 Aug – 31 Mar)

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Thanksgiving break in United States

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Mosquitoes on the keys (15 Apr – 30 Nov (usually)), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Spiny lobster season (6 Aug – 31 Mar)

Peak crowds — Spiny lobster season, Winter calm on the bay

• Season

  Winter calm on the bay

  1 Dec – 31 MarWinter-sun seasonCrowded

  Winter is the dry half of the year here, and between cold fronts the bay goes flat enough to see the bottom from the boat. It is also when everyone else in South Florida is on the water, so the ramps at Convoy Point fill early. Source ↗

Still on: Spiny lobster season (6 Aug – 31 Mar)