The hikes you’ll find in the Florida Keys are for the most part, short, but introduce you to the most tropical and unusual habitats within the United States. It truly is like hiking in the Caribbean, with tangled jungles of tropical trees and mangrove-lined waterways. Some of these hikes are on offshore islands accessible only by boat, while others are right along US 1, the Overseas Highway.
Hikers walking from Key West to Quebec as part of the Eastern Continental Trail use the Overseas Heritage Trail, a string of walkways along US 1 following the original Overseas Railroad route from Key Largo to Key West.
Bahia Honda State Park – Silver Palm Trail
In addition to having one of the best beaches in Florida, Bahia Honda State Park is blessed with a profusion of rare and unique tropical vegetation. Along the park’s Silver Palm Trail, you’ll meander through the largest grove of silver palms (Coccothrinax argentata) in the United States, just yards away from the strumming waves. Resources [...]
Curry Hammock Nature Trail
While Florida thatch palms (Thrinax radiata) are often seen in South Florida landscaping, they’re a rare and endangered species in the wild. At Curry Hammock, a 1.5-mile interpretive trail twists and winds from the paved Overseas Heritage Trail towards Florida Bay through a dense thicket of Florida thatch palms that makes you feel like you’re [...]
Fort Zachary Taylor State Park
The southernmost hike in the United States is one of the lesser-known attractions of Key West, where pub crawls are more popular than nature walks. Still, this classy and quirky historic city has its natural charms, if you just know the nooks in which to look. Fort Taylor is one of the more obvious sites, [...]
John Pennekamp State Park – Mangrove Trail
One of Florida’s most well-known state parks, John Pennekamp State Park is famed for its coral reefs, but not so well known for its trails. Two nature trails showcase the land-side habitats of the park, and of these, the Mangrove Trail is a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk that gets you right into the heart of a mangrove [...]
John Pennekamp State Park – Wild Tamarind Trail
While John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is known for its offshore delights, its onshore amenities are not as well known. Two nature trails provide places to explore as you wait for a guided trip or relax after setting up your tent at the campground. The Wild Tamarind Trail starts and ends nearest the campground, [...]
Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park is truly a botanical treasure, with the highest concentration of champion trees in one place in the United States—and none are over 45 feet tall. Current and prior national champions include crabwood (Ateramnus lucidus), Bahama strongback (Bourreria ovata), spicewood (Calyptranthes pallens), wild cinnamon (Canella winterana), milk-bark (Drypetes diversifolia), Guiana [...]
Long Key State Park – Golden Orb Trail
A coconut palm plantation. An exclusive fishing resort. Long Key has been many things over the past century. We can be glad it’s now a Florida State Park, a place where you can camp along the oceanfront and wander its interesting habitats. The Golden Orb Trail starts and ends near the campground, offering a loop [...]
Long Key State Park – Layton Trail
The quiet, lesser-known side of Long Key State Park is the bay side of Long Key, a mostly-undisturbed and undeveloped fringe of mangroves and tropical hammocks along Florida Bay. The Layton Trail leads you on a quarter-mile exploration of these habitats, emerging at a showy spot on Florida Bay. Resources Overview Location: Long Key Length: [...]
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park
Preserving more than 30 acres of tropical hammock north of Islamorada – saved from condo development in the 1980s, with support from local residents – Windley Key Fossil Reef is a very unique place. In 1908, during the construction of the Overseas Railroad, Henry Flagler purchased this land and opened a quarry for crushed limestone. [...]
