You would not expect to find an oasis of nature in urban North Miami but the Oleta River State Park is full of outdoor adventure and surprises. This well appointed State Park is located between the Oleta River and Biscayne Bay. The land Oleta River State Park sits on has historical significance. The first human inhabitants were drawn to the river in 500 B.C, when its shores served as a campground for Tequesta Indians. The river was named Big Snake Creek in the 1800's and was part of the route used by federal troops in the Second Seminole War to travel south from Loxahatchee. In 1881, Captain William Hawkins Fulford explored the river and settled in the area known today as North Miami. By the 1890s the town of Ojus had sprung up along the river along with pineapple and vegetable farms. An Indian trading post was in what is now Greynolds Park. In 1922 the river was renamed the Oleta River. Once a neglected former development site, Oleta River State Park was opened in 1986. One of its earliest and most famous visitors was Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Today Oleta River State Park is more than 1,000 acres and is managed by the Florida Park Service who provides outdoor recreation compatible with conserving and protecting the park. The Oleta River is designated a "Florida Outstanding Waterway," and it is the only remaining natural river in Miami-Dade County. You can rent kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards and explore the mangrove trails in the estuary or bike the miles of paths that run throughout the park. If you are looking for a less active day, you can relax on the sandy beach. Other activities include picnicking, fishing, and camping in air conditioned cabins. The park is also home to the historic Blue Marlin, established as a commercial fishing camp in the 1930's. The original owner of the Blue Marlin was Daniel Diefenbach who was mayor of North Miami Beach in the 1950's. The Blue Marlin closed in the 1980's but it reopened in 2007. Visitors to Oleta River State Park can enjoy smoked fish and wraps. Admission to Oleta River State Park is $6. The park is open 8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year. Plan on arriving early because if the park reaches capacity it will close and won't reopen until the next day. read more

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We were able to buy the tickets online without any problem, but unfortunately we still had to wait in a very long line just to validate the tickets we had already purchased, which honestly didn't make much sense. That said, beyond that confusing process, the place itself is beautiful. We rented kayaks for $60 for two hours, and they were in excellent condition. The kayaking experience was absolutely spectacular. I highly recommend kayaking to Raccoon Island. As you leave the park by kayak, it's the first island you'll see. Just a tip: don't stop at the very first beach you see--keep going and enter through the second beach, which is much nicer and more scenic. Also, don't forget to bring some fruit for the raccoons --it makes the experience even more special. Overall, a great outdoor experience despite the entry validation issue. read more

Oleta River State Park - Racoons - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

Nice place !!! A lot of fun if you rent the kayaks. You could go into the channels and see a lot of wild life wild staying at the shadow in hot days or you can go to the bay and it is amazing. The beach in the morning was great but as the time was running it started to look a little dirty and smelly. read more

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My husband and I had a wonderful time here. We did kayaking and hiked the trails they had. Joey and Ashauni at the kayak sendoff were very kind. Not sure if the map was off or I'm just not a great navigator, but the trails were a bit confusing to navigate although they were beautiful. Shout out to Park Ranger Flo who was sooo generous and very informative about what the park had to offer. We will definitely come back and have more adventures! read more

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Oleta River State Park's mountain bike trails are an easy 5 stars, they're genuinely fun, well maintained, and you can tell there's always work happening to keep the system dialed (they'll even close sections for maintenance when needed). There's a ton of variety for any experience level, with beginner-friendly mileage plus plenty of intermediate/advanced singletrack, so you can cruise a chill lap or get a solid, technical ride in the same park. Every visit feels like you're getting a better, smoother, more polished trail network, and it's one of the most consistent places around to ride. read more

Oleta River State Park - Oleta Trail - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

An amazing place to relax, exercise or just to have a great time. If you haven't visited wake up early and just go! Parking fee all day is $6,00 plenty of parking available if you arrive early. If you like to try kayaking, paddle boarding you can rent the equipment. You need to sign a form but is all digital. (Upstairs in a tablet). We rented life vests for $15 x all day. The State Park closes at 7pm so be there before that time so you don't get charge a fee. The river area is really nice but the beach area is just much beautiful. You can also plan ahead and have a bbq day with your loved ones. When we were there we noticed some people were getting baptized, some other people were celebrating their bdays. So in less words this is a wonderful place to enjoy your weekend and nature! read more

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You can't beat Oleta for a a spot in South Florida to Kayak. I've been to Oleta for a picnic before too. It's a great spot for that and biking and more for sure. But we go for the kayaking. We stopped in the other other weekend. After as decent lien to get in we drove to the area near the back that has the large kayak and canoe facility. As usual there was about 15 people working, but only about 4 people really working. I imagine its a popular teen summer job. We grabbed 2 kayaks(we like to take separate rides sometimes) and after grabbing our lifejackets and oars we were in and down the stream. Actually its in the intercoastal so its not on a stream, but the beginign feels like it. Its starts in a small cove int he mangroves and after a couple minutes of paddling you end up in a bay. Its got a dozen or 2 sail boats anchored there so its a little fun to go rowing by the quiet parked boats. We like to head out to the island that's about a mile away. Its called Racoon island, and for good reason. Every time we park our kayaks there a racoon or 2 can be seen in the tree line. We never fed them but other boats do. We hung out there for a bit then rowed back in. A couple hours later and a few miles and later and we were back. A solid cardio morning done. Its our favorite kayak spot, we may even come back for the moonlight row sometime. read more

I can't believe i had not visited this park... l should have sooner bc it's beautiful. I went on a weekday, so it was not crowded at all, it was super clean, and plenty of picnic areas to choose from. We got to kayak for a bit, hang out at the beach, and bbq in the picnic area. I saw huge iguanas, lots of fish while kayaking! A raccoon sighting would have made my day perfect! I look forward to visiting again! Parking is $6, they have plenty of clean restrooms, water fountains w actual cold water, showers to rinse.. parking tickets allows re-entry... i did knock off a star because i think customer service could have been friendlier.. read more

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First time in six years that I've visited this park at first, I was a little bit, not convinced of their trials and little by little and start finding them out. It was a very nice trail and this time around I loved it because it was a little bit wet and it was a nice ride. I tried two trails. One of them was a little bit flooded. The other one was OK. If you visit our PARKS, please keep them clean. Don't throw trash all over the place. people are way too lazy to clean up after themselves and destroy our nature yet they take their time to go there and mess it up for many others. Keep our parks clean, please and enjoy them. read more

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This is a huge park with beach, picnic areas, and more but I am focusing on the kayaking part which is the one I've done several times. It is better to get here right when they open at 9am or a bit earlier to avoid the huge line to get in. It is a popular spot and does get busy. Once inside parking is easy and close to the kayak check-in area. Upstairs is where the process starts with filling in forms and signing in. Prices vary depending on what type of kayak you prefer if solo or tandem, and how long you stay out for. The one star off is because the service can be a hit or miss... there's young staff so as you can imagine some are a bit distracted sometime on their phones or just talking with each other but other than that the experience is great. Once you are on the water, it is up to you to make it a great time, go as fast or as slow as you want, soak in being outside with nature, and they have some beaches where you can stop for a bit, relax, before going back to your kayak. It's a pity this place is not closer to us, otherwise we would be there more often. read more

Oleta River State Park - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

This is another huge state park. Perfect to spend the day with your family and friends. You can go to hike which is what we did or you can have a beach day or small picnic or all 3. The possibilities are endless. The hiking trails are a bit tiring. We didn't 1hour of a hike. The reason this gets 4 stars is because it is not as clean as other state parks. The bathrooms were not up kept. No toilet paper anywhere and not clean at all ( at least the women's bathroom). You do need to pay to get in. There are jelly fish in the water so be careful. I will come back for a picnic and to relax maybe hike again. read more

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A nice beautiful park. You have to pay an entrance fee. This park is pretty big. I suggest getting a map at the gate. It has. A beach, pier, bike trail, canoes, kayaks and camping area. I have been coming here for ever. Today I came to kayak. You have to go to the office to pay for the kayaks. The place was under construction. It was easy to find the place. It was across from the bight red canoes lol. You have to go to the 2nd floor. The first floor is bike rental. You have to sign a waiver give them your drivers license and they will give you a paper to take down to the first floor to get a vest and paddle. One of the best parks around for kayaking in my opinion. The trails are nice. You have some shades. You get to see animals and fish. If you like kayaking this is a good park to do it at. Today the water was crystal clear and hardly any waves. It was a good day to be out. read more

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I absolutely love this park! Last weekend, I got to experience MEG 2 at the beach for a special premiere screening, hosted by Warner Bros. This hands down, has been the best experience of watching a shark movie at night in the ocean under the moon. The ocean was calm and the water warm. Everything was so organized from the time you came in, to getting the foods and drinks. I love the setup of the lights, and of course of the big screen. No matter what part you are at, you can hear the surround sounds. My friends and I had and amazing time. Please host more movies here. read more

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I've been here for kayaking and paddle boarding and last weekend I came for the movie screening of Meg 2. What a great venue for a screening of a movie about a shark! The park has lots of parking facilities and you can rent kayaks, etc.. The park is next to the Bay so lots of water sports availability. There is a fee to enter the park. read more

Oleta River State Park - Entrance - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

I love this park! We went fishing on the pier on Saturday, so much fun. They have lots of picnic tables where you can bbq or bring your food but get there early! There's lots of shade, open spaces for playing with the kids and wonderful trails to walk or bike on. Admission is no more than $6, can't beat that for a good time. They also have a small beach to cool off, not much shade though. There's kayak and paddle board rentals too. Go enjoy the beautiful outdoors. read more

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No kayaking excursion for two middle age men would be complete without a redemptive power lunch thereafter. I'll get to that soon. If you had told me 10 years ago I'd be at Oleta River State Park kayaking with Mickey Ramirez, owner and proprietor of Technique Records©, I'd tell you it was a Terrible Lie. But here we are! Prior to our journey, I had read someone's Yelp review of the park complaining about hundreds of toddlers that smelled like feet driving boats here on the weekends. So we opted for a breezy Monday morning. A servant takes your money upon entering the park. Once inside, there are a bunchy of bro-y camp counselor types running this place. They make you fill out a bunch of waivers in case you die at the park. Micky offered to pay for the kayak rentals if I picked up lunch. Dealio bro! Once on the water it was smooth sailing and not a smelly toddler in sight! I was a bit rusty since I hadn't kayaked since being a young buck in Summer camp. But Mickey made me feel comfortable and guided the way. He even snapped a kayak selfie of us for the gram. Although I did get some nasty blisters on my thumbs from the paddle. OUCH! Once the kayaking portion of our journey was through, it was time to get Down In It and smash some lunch. Unfortunately there wasn't an Arby's near by so Mickey suggested a local French diner in the area he had been meaning to check out. I was game. On the way, whilst waiting at probably one of the longest red lights of my entire life on the intersection of 163rd and N. Federal Hwy, I decided to look this place up on Yelp. Photos of snails in a bowl of slime; a French Onion soup that looked like an inoperable tumor; some poor, overcooked steak crawling with slimy onions; a piece of sad bread; All pretty ghastly. We descended upon the strip mall which contained The Petit Gourmet Diner. Once inside, the salty seating servant scoffed at us for being under 60. The decor was that of a low budget 90's Italian restaurant movie set, with the savory sounds of soft, satellite radio pop permeating the atmosphere. The only thing on the menu below $24.95 was a hot dog. Today was Mickey's "cheat day" so he ordered an ice cold DC and $24.95 hamburger, well done, with cheese. I splurged on the $16.95 hot dog and a tall glass of water. Oui oui! Before we knew it, the diner was full of old, lumpy bodies ready to spend their social security checks on an early lunch. Each plate came with fries (the only "French" portion of either dish), and if you've ever dined at an elementary school cafeteria you'll catch my drift about the quality of said fries. The hotdog was hot though and came with free condiments. After paying the lofty check, the servants rewarded us with some cookies they had just heated up in the microwave and a free refill of water. I think I got "fleeced." Pros: a nice day out on the water with an old friend Cons: the blisters on my thumbs and blow to my wallet read more

Oleta River State Park - Mickey and me - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

We've had our company family picnic here for the last few years and it's been amazing! Until this year, there was a new park ranger that completely changed our experience. He was rude and made us leave the pavilion we had rented early. He wouldn't let in our vendors even though we've used the same ones every year and they are approved. He wouldn't leave us alone and kept bothering people, even interrupted our leaders giving speeches. It was ridiculous. We spend a lot of money on this party and it's to give back to the employees so that they can have a fun day with their family and coworkers. We are a responsible group and believe there is a way to talk to people to get your point across and he did not do it in the right way. We might not even come back next year because of how we were treated. I wish we knew his name but fortunately for him we don't remember it. read more

Love this park! Perfect for a Sunday to spend with your family and friends. Lots of picnic table, kayak and paddle board rentals. read more

Oleta River State Park - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

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Camped in a cabin here for a week in July 2024. AC unit worked great! We enjoyed our stay. Bathroom and shower house was well maintained. Very nice place to get away from it all yet be able to enjoy Miami if one so desires. read more

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This is a beautiful state park north of Miami. We came to kayak. Our first time, we couldn't go because it was too windy, so there was no kayaking. We had better luck the second time. We kayaked for about 60-90 minutes. There's a nice loop path through the mangroves that's really pretty. Part if it goes out into the harbor and to a beach. The beach is a nice place to stop and relax. The park itself is great. I'd recommend bringing your own kayaks if you have them though. It was easy to rent them, but when we tried to return them, the company makes you wait in the same line as people who are waiting to get a kayak. It was fine when we got there, but we waited almost an hour before we could leave (and they had our credit card so we had no choice). The kayak rental company isn't great, but the state park is beautiful. read more

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Clear water, a lot of tree's and space to do bbq. Kayaking and beautiful walking zone's. Great mountain biking trails with scenic ocean views accessible to everyone and friendly people out there read more

A beautiful Park that offers so much. There's bike and walking paths everywhere, along with lots of restrooms, picnic tables, and a decent beach. We were here on a Sunday and there was a long lineup to get into the park; this is one popular place! Admission is only $6 per vehicle with 2 or more people inside. The park staff were very friendly; we received a park map and all them on ATVs waved as they drove by us. The trails near the beach are mostly for walking, elsewhere, they are best for bikes, especially the half-pipe. It would take quite a while to go through all the trails; this is one big property. The many different trees and plants you see here is so interesting. Make sure you bring insect repellent as we got bit a few times without it. Also, you might want to bring water and a snack, as the trails are quite lengthy. There's a two-story restaurant in the middle of the park, although we didn't visit it. Next time! read more

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Writing this review today because it's Earth Day tomorrow and it just feels right to show some love to our beautiful parks and mother nature. Oleta Park has been one of my favorite spots whenever I'm in need of a fresh breath of air or a moment to step outside and disconnect. Whether it's biking around or Kayaking in their beautiful lakes to get to the mini islands -- it's such a beautiful place to reconnect with yourself and remember to stay grounded. Their kayaking routes are my favorite, you get to catch a lot of nature, such as mangroves and beaches + some wildlife life during your route. Everything is well maintained and the service is on point. Such a wonderful time, always! read more

Great park for hiking, cycling, kayaking, barbecues, beach. Nature garden. Carload rates for parking. Variety of bike trails / maps available showing novice, intermediate and expert. So fun! read more

Oleta River State Park - Panoramic photo of Beach/shore at Oleta River State Park. - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

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Best spot for kayaking hands down !! They upgraded the process so I do recommend coming early if you want a good time to be on the water.

A one of a kind park filled with Florida, is truest nature in mind. One can say that if you were to choose a national park that can embody the spirits and individuality that Florida has it would be Oletta River State Park for sure. I enjoyed it thoroughly with beautiful weather and the trialsare incredible and beautiful with ups and downs and left and right read more

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What a better way to start memorial day weekend by getting off work early to go kayaking with your SO. Yes, it was an impromptu daytime date that was totally worth it. Usually Oleta is full before 10 am on the weekends and as a mom it's hard to plan anything without having to pay an arm and a leg to enjoy date night. For a total of $40 (1.5 hour rental) & $6 to get into the park. The experience was priceless! Bring sunscreen, water & a waterproof case. read more

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Oleta River State Park has plenty of outdoor activities during this pandemic. We went here for the nature hiking trials. This review is solely reflective of that and does not include the bike trails, kayaking, beach and other activities. There is ample parking in the park; actually too much. There is a trail on the map marked in Orange and we found it fairly simply. It was not marked at all. The trail is not interesting until you get to the south eastern tip where it loops following the bay. Within the Orange trail, there is a nature trail. The head of it is marked. There is little to know wildlife other than ibises. I did see an Osprey overhead. The nature trail is way too small. It then dovetails into a mountain bike trail; where there is a plethora of bike trails at this park. The mountain bike trail was hard on the feet and with the knowledge that a biker could come careening around each corner made that part unenjoyable. read more

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This park is the worst me and my friend went fishing at the pier. It's the smallest and the only pier. It was 4:pm and I had to use the restroom. The park closes at sundown. The next thing I heard, a man there started screaming get out of the restroom, park is close to think they charge to come to this park and they throw you out at 4:30PM VERY RUDE AND SCREAMING IN THE RESTROOMS LIKE THAT AND THE BATHROOMS WERE NASTY. LEAST THEY CAN DO IS CLEAN IT THAT'S WERE OUR MONEY GOES. NO I DON'T RECOMEND THUS PARK NOT WORTH 6 DOLLARS read more

Oleta River State Park - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

We found it to be a bit ghetto. Different families playing louder than loud music which ALWAYS interferes with ones own fun. We don't go to listen to someone else's music nonstop so turn it down so you and yours can enjoy it only cause otherwise its pretty freakin rude. Lots of trash on the ground too which was weird cause I live in Fort Lauderdale and it's spotless compared to hometown of Los Angeles especially. We just weren't very impressed with this park in the least and we are NOT all all picky people, just wasn't our vibe. I would suggest taking a carload of friends and family, can't really beat $6 for a carload of 8 to get in. They let you motor dirt bike ride, kayak, and there's plenty of other water sports and trails to enjoy so get out there and see what you can find. Little KIDS to elementary kids will probably love it there. read more

I finally went kayaking in Oleta River State Park. It was a really fun time and worth the price. The staff in the rental area where you pay for the kayak, and collect the life vests and paddles are not very nice but luckily the staff that hand off your kayak are nice and helpful. We rented a tandem kayak for 2 people for about 2.5 hours and spent about $60 including tip and $6 to get into the park. The park and kayaking area is nice. Unfortunately, there is one area for kayaking right next to the park that was pretty terrible, it smelled very bad and had several dead fish. The rest of the area was pretty nice and enjoyable. The rental area sells towels, sunblock, snacks and beverages which is great in case you need something. Would definitely come back! read more

Oleta River State Park - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

It was wonderful experience doing the kayaking. There are enough areas to remain in the shade. The bay is gorgeous and you could take it as easy as you'd like to. Staff were friendly and able to help. Looking forward to returning. read more

Here is 200-220 people in the line. And only 2 cashiers working. The queue to the cashiers is not organized as always. They change registration system every 2-3 months, and there is no one to ask.. workers work very slow, barely move.. they don't need to rush, they don't care about the queue, since their hourly salary doesn't depend on it compare to other places!.. if people here worked conscientiously and in an organized manner, it would be better. There is few more rental places down the street with good , fasters employees! Do not recommend this place at all. read more

This is still kinda a hidden gem to me. I recently started getting into more water sports and purchased a kayak.I dock from this beautiful park and it's very convenient. Workers from the park are always nice and it a great place to be when you're trying to get away from the craziness of the city or partying. read more

Oleta River State Park - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

Big crowd and a huge wait to rent kayaks but overall the experience was nice. I wish the river ride was longer, you can basically kayak for 45 minutes and you have seen it all. It's nice that you are able to exit the river into the open ocean but a little intimidating with the big boats near by read more

First things first, head on over to Groupon and score an amazing deal on Oleta's kayaks and paddleboard rentals! We saved a ton and enjoyed a memorable day out on the water. The process is easy and quick! Once you show your ID and voucher, you receive your ticket upstairs on the second floor and then you get your paddle and life vests on the ground level. The workers by the water help you get on your way and the rest is up to you. You can either guide yourself by their map or take your own routes. We did a little mix of both. Going for the first time with kids and watching neighboring stormy clouds, we wanted to make sure we would head back just in time to avoid any rain. We saw crabs and iguanas in between the mangroves and many birds flying high above, desperately looking for manatees but no luck! With some time to spare, we found their beach after returning the kayaks and enjoyed the shallow waters for a few. Can't wait to go back and rent the kayaks again but also ride the bike trails! read more

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Great spot for a morning walk. Lots of water activities including kayak rental. We happened to be there on a windy day when rentals were not available, so that's something to keep in mind. We brought our dog and went for a lovely walk on trails. We found that the trails are very well maintained. My only grievance would be that the trails are not particularly well marked. Will definitely be back! read more

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I love this park! It has something for everyone. Fishing, kayaking, canoeing, beach, picnicking, bike riding, walking trails, cabins... too much to mention. read more

Beautiful park I. The middle of North Miami. Gorgeous beach, mountain biking trails, kayak, canoe and bike rentals. They also have very nice cabins to rent. Love this park. So much to do. Something for everyone! read more

Oleta River State Park - Oleta river state park swimming beach - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida

Very rude staff! Don't forget your mask or they will strong arm you into buying one for $8!!! Don't forget your license AND credit card BEFORE you go into the WATER or they will force you to walk all the way back to your car in hot sun read more

Oleta River State Park - Sign - Parks Near Me - North Miami Beach, Florida