Walk the Beaches at Bahia Honda State Park

This 500-acre park, located on Bahia Honda Key in the Lower Keys, is a top Keys family getaway with award-winning — and perhaps the Keys’ best — beaches, with soft sand, warm gin-clear shallow water and excellent snorkeling. 

The park was named after a deep natural bay, a harbor for sailors, under the bridge. Bahia Honda means “deep bay” in Spanish.

Railroad magnate Henry Flagler’s famed railroad helped to transform Bahia Honda Key into a subtropical destination appealing to all ages. Construction of Flagler’s Key West extension of the Florida East Coast Railway was completed in 1912.

The park has one nature trail. Located on the southwest end of the island in the Calusa area, the trail leads to the top of the Old Bahia Honda Bridge. Walk along the route that was once U.S. 1 leading up to the bridge.

From this bridge the park offers stunning, spectacular views. From the top, you can see the entire island park with a bird’s-eye view of the water below. You may see large rays or jumping fish, and If the water is calm, fish and sea turtles swimming beneath the surface.

Nearby over the Atlantic Ocean is an original, but now-crumbling trestle railroad structure, with a highway built on top. It’s truly a must-see point of historic interest, but not accessible.

Bahia Honda’s three scenic beaches front both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Calusa Beach on the park’s southwest end, facing Florida Bay, has two pavilions for picnicking, with tables and barbecue grills, and is adjacent to the Bahia Honda Bridge. The mile-long restored Sandspur Beach, with parking along the beach facing the Atlantic Ocean, is just north of the park entrance. The 3,000-foot-long Loggerhead Beach has shallow water and also faces the Atlantic Ocean.

A short walk leads to an oceanside butterfly garden, where researchers are working to restore the endangered Miami blue butterfly, that’s also home to North American endangered host plants. The park also is a nesting grounds for sea turtles, including the Hawksbill, and an excellent place to observe sea wading birds and shorebirds.

Overnight campers can enjoy 80 total campsites in three area: — 48 sites for both RVs and tents, and 32 tent-only sites: 16 with electricity and water and 16 nonelectric sites with water — and six cabins on stilts. 

Other park amenities include cold freshwater showers, restrooms, grills, picnic tables and in-water accessibility equipment. An onsite concession and gift shop sells sandwiches, snacks, souvenirs and beachwear. Kayaks and bikes are available for rent, and there are daily snorkel trips to Looe Key reef.

Difficulty level: Easy and flat, except for sloped elevation to get to top of bridge. Shade is limited, with intense sun.
Best for: Beachgoers, campers, history buffs
Admission: $8 per vehicle, for 2-8 people. $2.50 per pedestrian, cyclists, additional vehicle passengers.
Address: 36850 Overseas Highway, Lower Keys.
Nearby lodging: Six onsite two-bedroom cabins (three duplexes on stilts overlooking Florida Bay), each accommodating up to six guests, except for Cabin 2, which has a wheelchair lift, and accommodates up to four. Book from one day to 11 months in advance. Call 800-326-3521 or reserve.floridastateparks.org/. Nearby, Isla Bella Beach Resort & Spa and Faro Blanco Resort in Marathon; Parmer’s Resort, Little Torch Key. 
Nearby dining: Onsite concession (with a few outdoor picnic tables) sells sandwiches, snacks, ice, ice cream, T-shirts, souvenirs and watersports rentals. Nearby, Boondocks Grille & Draft House on Ramrod Key; Murray’s Market, Summerland Key, No Name Pub, Big Pine Key.