Exploring & Hiking at Deering Estate
Deering Point
Deering Point (17350 Old Cutler Road Miami, FL 33157) is located adjacent to the C-100 Canal at the southern point of the Deering Estate property – approximately six blocks from the Deering Estate’s Main Entrance.
The site known as “Deering Point” is a small (3 ½ acres) portion of the Deering South Addition, located adjacent to the C-100 Canal at the southern point of the Deering Estate property. Deering Point is the only location within 13 miles of downtown Miami that offers free public access to Biscayne Bay for canoeing, kayaking, wildlife viewing and fishing. Free public parking, restrooms, and shade pavilions are also available on a first come, first served basis.
Miami Rock Ridge
The Deering Estate sits atop the geological formation known as the Miami Rock Ridge, most prominent and visible in southern Miami-Dade County. The sedimentary ridge was formed more than 120,000 years ago, has elevations up to 25 feet above sea level, and serves as a topographical barrier between Biscayne Bay and the interior basin of the southern Florida peninsula. At the Deering Estate, visitors have a rare opportunity for up-close experiences with its “karst” features, which include solution holes, sink holes, razor rock, and caves – all created by historical movement of freshwater through limestone.
Featured Exploring & Hiking
Ongoing surveys of birds at the Deering Estate have recorded over 170 resident and migratory species, including sightings of rare species such as Mangrove Cuckoo, White crowned pigeon, Black-whiskered Vireo, and Limpkin which occur often enough to excite even the most experienced bird watcher.
Guided Bird Walks are offered one Saturday a month October-May.
The Miami Pine Rocklands
The pine rockland habitat at the Deering Estate is the largest parcel of this ecosystem that remains on the coast of Biscayne Bay. There are around 107 acres of pine rockland, primarily located next to Deering Point and along SW 152 Street. It consists of moderately dense stands of South Florida slash pine.) replanted post Hurricane Andrew with an understory mosaic of saw palmetto and cabbage palm.
Tropical Hardwood Hammock
Tropical hardwood hammocks are one of many natural communities found in Florida, but one of the few that are characterized by tropical plants. The word “hammock” was first used by early inhabitants to mean a cool and shady place. Later, settlers of Florida used the word “hummock” to indicate areas that were slightly higher in elevation from the rest of the land. Guided access through this ecosystem is available seasonally.
Guided Nature Preserve Tours to the Tropical Hardwood Hammock are held daily (October through May) at 12:30PM.
Chicken Key
The island of Chicken Key, located approximately one mile offshore, was formed by the deposition of quartz and limestone sands by ocean currents. An 1899 survey by S. H. Richmond recorded a maximum elevation of three feet above sea level and historically, the island was characterized by a sand beach and low dunes.
Deering Estate Conservation Information
Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve
The waters behind and adjacent to the Deering Estate are home to two state aquatic preserves, part of a system of 41 aquatic preserves around the state managed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas. The Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve provides habitat for a wide variety of juvenile and adult marine species including several of Florida’s imperiled species, such as the west Indian manatee, the smalltooth sawfish, the American crocodile, and Johnson’s seagrass. Other vital resources of the Preserve include corals, sponges and algae, mangrove-lined shores, and a variety of invertebrate species throughout the length of the bay. Seagrass beds within the BBAP, especially along the shores of the Deering Estate, are prime feeding areas for wading birds and a valuable nursery area for juvenile fish and invertebrates, including many of commercial interest.
The Cutler Slough Rehydration Project improves salinity levels in these nearshore environments, supporting the Preserve’s nursery habitat for fish and invertebrate. Unfortunately in the last ten years the Bay has been showing signs of distress including seagrass die offs, reduced species diversity and documented plumes of construction debris and sediments released into the water. This came to a head in August of 2020 when the public noticed mass fish kills throughout public areas of the bay. As a result Miami-Dade County alongside other partners including South Florida Water Management District, and Florida International University have created the Biscayne Bay Task Force to take measures to monitor and properly manage pollution and activities in the bay. We hope that with increased regulation and enforcement our backyard paradise will be restored.
Environmental Endangered Land in Miami
The Deering Estate has some of the highest quality and most diverse natural resources remaining in Miami-Dade County. The Estate is one of the few remaining Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) in Miami-Dade County. As such it serves as an outdoor classroom and laboratory for students and scientists. The Estate contains globally-imperiled pine-rockland, state-imperiled tropical hardwood hammock, a remnant transverse glade, various ecotones, freshwater upwellings, salt marsh, mangrove forest, sea grass beds, and barrier island habitat.
Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands
Historically there was a seasonal freshwater transverse glade wetland known as the Cutler Slough that flowed through the Deering Estate and into Biscayne Bay. With the development and channelization of South Florida this wetland ceased to receive the sheet flow of water it used to have and instead it became a concentrated stream now known as Cutler Creek. The alteration of the natural flow has caused issues such as the disappearance of key wetland species from the property and the conversion from wetland habitat to hardwood hammock. Beginning in the 2000s The Deering Flow-way was proposed and passed as part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan/Biscayne Bay Coastal Wetlands Project. It is a site specific reconciliation ecology effort to help restore seasonal water flow into the historic slough. This scale model of Everglades restoration redistributes water from the South Florida Water Management flood protection canals via a spur canal and a pumping station. You can visit the pump station known as the Powers Property on Old Cutler and SW 74th Ave. through a walking gate.
North Addition - Environmental Endangered Land
Free public access is offered daily from two entry points to this Environmentally Endangered Land – along SW 152 Street and via a footpath along in 67 Ct in the Royal Palm community. The 45-acre Deering Estate North Addition is favorite viewing spot which features an actively used fishing point overlooking Biscayne Bay and the historic bridge pilings from Fuzzard’s Dock, both of which are frequented by the American crocodile, cormorants, sandpipers, and other shorebirds.
