Bear Cut Preserve

So, I’ve visited Crandon Park many times in the last 29 years. It wasn’t until a few months ago that i finally «discovered» Bear Cut though. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a gem but it’s definitely hidden up on the North side of Crandon. There is usually a barricade on one of the lanes leading to Bear Cut and i always figured that meant it was a «Nono spot». It isn’t… pay no mind to that barricade.
On my first visit i checked out their visitors center which was pretty neat. They have a couple of mounted creatures, including a bear. A few different fish tanks give you a close look at some coral and live sea creatures. There was even a small «nerd» shark in one of the tanks. It didn’t look very nerdy though… it wasn’t even wearing glasses.
I also ran into Julian who is one of the educators their and he gave me a rundown of what they do. They have different programs /​camps throughout the year so it is very likely that you’ll see a huge mob of jits at the main building.
As far as hiking goes, it isn’t a long one but it does offer some variety and a nice view or two. You can either go down a wide paved path (mostly bicyclists), through the «nature trail» or a white sand path.
Once you’ve explored the different routes you probably won’t care to come back, at least not for the sights. I’ve come a few times for a workout. The different trails offer a change of pace from your regular concrete jungle routine. They also offer different difficulties or intensity. Weaker runners might want to stick to the paved path while those looking for something a little more exciting should run the main trail. Having to dodge giant spiders as you suck wind might just get your rocks off a bit.

I really enjoyed myself on this trail. That being said, the trail is not very convenient to get to. First of all, you need to drive your behind all the way to Key Biscayne, and pay the $ 1.75 KB toll. Next, you need to park inside Crandon Park beach and pay $ 6 for parking. Considering you have all day access to the beach, its not that bad but I have never been a fan of Crandon Park beach because there is more seaweed and algae than water.
The preserve has a fascinating nature center. Inside the nature center there are stuffed animals like deer, raccoons, armadillos and even preserved baby turtles. There are tons of educational charts. There are fish tanks with crabs, fishes and all kinds of sea creatures. The nature center is free of charge. I have great pictures but I will refrain from showing everything otherwise people will be discouraged to go.
The hike itself was about 2 miles, because we did all the loops. We did not see too many animals but we did go at noon and I am sure they were all hiding from the hot sun. The wooded areas provided a nice shade.
The trails are bike and pet friendly.
I had a good time because I generally enjoying hiking and the outdoors. You might be a little disappointed if you make a day of going to the preserve so I would suggest combining it with a trip to the Key Biscayne lighthouse. You could park your car at Crandon Park (Bear Cut preserve) and bike the 2 miles to KB lighthouse park.

If you enjoy hikes, especially easy hikes that are not too long, and with the option of cooling off (there IS a beach you can swim in, after all), then Bear Cut is for you. There aren’t many bayfront properties, much less, hike-​able ones, available to the public. This preserve, located on the shores of Biscayne Bay in Key Biscayne’s Crandon Park, provides hiking along the waterfront and in the shade of tropical trees. There is a trail system of footpaths that intertwine with paved trails, ending up at an overlook of a fossil reef with a backdrop of downtown Miami. A true sight!
In order to arrive, you would take I-​95 and get off on exit 1A to the Rickenbacker Causeway (bridge toll) to Key Biscayne. Continue on Crandon Blvd to Crandon Park and the Nature Preserve is at the north end of the North Entrance beach parking area on the left.
When I came, it was around 5 o’clock, so my friend and I entered and parked for free, although I think you’d normally pay to get in. If you get there early enough (unlike us), you will get to visit the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Nature Center (this is also the only site where a restroom is to be found). I hear they have some lovely aquariums. If you want to just get started on your hike, you can ignore the nature center and just get right down to the path.
The Bear Cut Preserve’s trail starts with the Tequesta Hammock Trail on a dirt path, intertwining you around several typical plants for this area, such as fan palms, sea grapes, gumbo limbos, mangroves, and fungi. As the name states, you are, most of the time, in a hammocked area, so you will have to duck and push leaves aside on your way, although the trail itself is pretty much cleaned up. The trail is probably half a mile long. It then leads to a paved trail, along which I saw many people jogging and riding bicycles. There are other ways of reaching this paved trail that don’t require going through the hammock, although I’d say most, if not all, of the hammock trail could easily be tamed with a mountain bike. The paved trail is about 1.5 miles.
Once you reach the paved trail, you have the option of continuing along the 1.3 mile Osprey Beach trail. There is also a boardwalk that promises a great sight at the end of the path. We took the boardwalk and saw some beautiful views of the South Beach skyline intersecting the Bay of Biscayne. Down below the boardwalk’s platform was a fossilized mangrove forest reef, which they say is 6,000 years old, but I wanted a closer look. The sun was already going down and we got to witness the beautiful colors in the sky. Along the mangroves, on our way back and on to Osprey Beach, to get a closer look at the mangrove reef, we saw a curious ghost crab staring at us. It was already quite dark as we arrived to Osprey Beach. We saw a couple of cormorants swooping in for a dinner bite and decided to wet our feet along the coastline. It was interesting how in some spots, the water felt somewhat warm, but in other areas, it was quite cool. We could see a sandbar straight ahead, leading us to think the water must be quite shallow. There were no waves, it was more like a lagoon. Good place to bring a kid.
As I walked, I saw this odd sight in the water. I still have no idea what this might have been. A Google search yielded no clues, so if anyone can offer a clue as to what this might be, please feel free to contact me. Basically, it looked as if someone had thrown a bunch of tan pantyhose in the water. At first, that is what my friend and I thought they were, but then, we realized there were so many, and not only that, but this odd thing seemed to be coming out of holes in the sand at the bottom of the water. I thought they might be seasnakes, but they look different. They felt mucous-​like (yes, I was brave enough to step in it, to the horror of my friend). Perhaps it’s some sort of algae. Again, if you can identify what this sea creature is, I’d love to know, for future reference and for naming my photo!
Anyhow. I got close to the mangrove reef, snapped photos, and before we knew it, it was dark and we had to walk along the path by these trees, late at night. A word of advice — there is no lighting whatsoever, even on the paved portion, so walking over 2 miles in the dark while hearing rustling leaves may frighten you. Ypu probably want to avoid it. Fear not though, I saw a few raccoons on the dirt path and most likely, any rustling sounds can be attributed to these creatures, or a bird rustling the leaves. After all, as far as I know, Bigfoot has only been sighted in the Everglades, not in suburbia.