It’s autumn in much of the U.S. and chilly weather (brrr!) is just around the corner — but the Florida Keys are still balmy, with salt-tinged breezes coming off the water. And while the island chain is better known for its living coral reef and other offshore wonders, now is a perfect time to discover its beaches.
Visitors relax on Cannon Beach at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. (Photo by Bob Care, Florida Keys News Bureau)
From Key Largo to Key West, strips of sandy beach provide places to chill out, sun, swim or just dip your toes into warm, clear turquoise waters.
Key Largo is home to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, known worldwide as America’s first undersea preserve.
Its main entrance is at mile marker (MM) 102.6, and the park features upland areas including the popular Cannon Beach and Far Beach. There you can rent kayaks, paddleboards and snorkel gear to explore the nearshore Atlantic Ocean.
Anne’s Beach, located at MM 80, attracts waders and kiteboarders cruising along the shallows off Islamorada. You’ll find great views, scenic walkways and a serene vibe that makes it a perfect spot for a meditative stroll or a tranquil dip with family — particularly since the shallow water typically means no breaking waves.
Sombrero Beach, tucked away at the end of Sombrero Beach Road at MM 50 oceanside in Marathon, is a well-maintained Middle Keys gem that (because it’s off the beaten path) many visitors never see. But it’s well worth discovering.
The free-access public park and beach features a kayak and paddleboard launch, volleyball courts and a playground for kids — plus shady picnic pavilions equipped with cooking grills, freshwater showers, restroom facilities and handicap access.
Marathon’s Sombrero Beach is an off-the-beaten-path gem with blue water, palms and shady picnic areas. (Photo by Julie Botteri, Florida Keys News Bureau)
You can even bring well-behaved canine companions as long as they remain leashed.
And while you’re in the Marathon area, check out the 1,200-foot beach at Curry Hammock State Park. Sunbathing, swimming and sandcastle building are favored activities at the lovely spot.
The shallow, protected mangrove creek and waters off the pristine coastline are ideal for paddleboarding and kayaking. The park lies on a large, protected parcel of land along both sides of U.S. Highway 1 at MM 56.2.
The Keys’ most widely known beach area, because of its repeated kudos as one of the top 10 beaches in the U.S., can be found at Bahia Honda State Park — located in the Lower Keys between MMs 36 and 37.
Bahia Honda’s gorgeous sandy expanses include Calusa Beach (the smallest), which offers a unique view of a historic Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad trestle bridge. Shallow-water Loggerhead Beach features a large sandbar a few feet offshore. Sandspur Beach is the largest of the three, lying on the southeast end of the island.
Key West’s Smathers Beach stretches along the Atlantic Ocean on South Roosevelt Boulevard. (Photo by Rob O’Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)
Bahia Honda was voted the USA’s best beach in 1992 by “Dr. Beach” himself — Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, a Florida professor who’s been rating beaches since 1989. He praised the popular park for its facilities including boat slips, cabins and amenities for tent or RV camping. Plus the on-site concession offers a gift shop, snack bar, kayak rentals and daily snorkeling tours to nearby Looe Key.
If you’re a sun-seeker visiting Key West, enjoy the temperate waters of Florida’s southernmost state park. At Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, you can swim and snorkel among colorful tropical fish and explore a National Historic Landmark.
Currents help keep the water clear and clean off what locals call “Fort Zach” or “rocky beach.” The park also features picnic tables and grills, nature trails, fishing areas — and the opportunity to tour an iconic Civil War–era fort.
But that’s not Key West’s only prime sandy spot. Others include Smathers Beach, stretching alongside South Roosevelt Boulevard, and Higgs Beach beside historic West Martello Tower.
Like the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor, both front on the Atlantic Ocean and offer seemingly endless vistas of blue water.
Your favorite beach might be in Key West, Key Largo or somewhere in between. But wherever it is, lazing there can help you forget that autumn has arrived and temps will soon be falling — except, of course, in the balmy Florida Keys.
