State Park Splendor in the Florida Keys, Part 1

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As I noted yesterday, America's National Park Service has just celebrated its 94th birthday. So, it surely goes without saying that I currently have national parks on the brain. Of course, it doesn't take much for that to happen. Even with outstanding issues like snowmobiles, firearms, overcrowding, pollution, and other environmental dilemmas, our National Park System is truly a wondrous thing.

Still, while national parks receive the lion's share of media attention, it's worth remembering that many U.S. states also have incredible state park systems. California, Michigan, and Florida are only three such examples. In southern Florida, for instance, Everglades National Park isn't the only preserved place worth visiting. Even the Florida Keys have their share of natural wonders. In fact, of the more than 150 parks in Florida's state park system, the Florida Keys nurture 10 of them, all of which are ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and vacationing families. If you begin your journey in Key Largo, as most travelers do, here's just a taste of what distinguishes each of the first five parks you'll encounter:

Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
Address: County Road 905, Key Largo
Phone number: 305/451-1202 (via John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park)
Hours: 8 a.m.-sunset daily
Fee: $2.50 per person (to be left in the honor box)
On the ocean side of C.R. 905 lies this tranquil, 2,421-acre preserve, spared from becoming a condominium development in the early 1980s and now home to more than 80 plant and animal species, including semaphore cactus, Key Largo woodrats, and American crocodiles. Named after a local environmental activist, this wooded park also protects one of the country's largest tracts of West Indian tropical hardwood hammock. Hikers, bicyclists, bird-watchers, photographers, and other wildlife lovers can – with a backcountry permit available from nearby John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park – enjoy more than six miles of backcountry trails. If you have time, consider relaxing at one of the designated picnic tables near the butterfly garden – and of course, don't forget to pack out any and all trash. Also, while specimen collection and motorized vehicles are prohibited in the park, leashed, well-behaved pets are welcome in the picnic areas and on the roadways and nature trail.

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Address: 102601 Overseas Highway, Key Largo
Phone numbers: 305/451-1202 or 305/451-6300
Hours: 8 a.m.-sunset daily
Fees: $8 vehicles with 2-8 passengers plus $0.50 per person, $4.50 motorcycles and single-occupant vehicles, $2.50 pedestrians, bicyclists, and extra passengers
People flock daily to America's first underwater park, where you can, for various fees, enjoy canoes and paddle boats, kayak through mangrove swamps, launch your own boat, take scuba-diving lessons, join a glass-bottom boat tour, and snorkel amid vibrant, offshore coral reefs in the Key Largo National Marine Sanctuary, part of the only living coral reef in the continental United States. Established in 1963 and situated on the ocean side of U.S. 1, this well-favored park offers several picnic areas, a souvenir and gift shop, a small campground (currently undergoing renovations), convenient access to two sandy, swimming beaches, and a visitor center (8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily) featuring saltwater aquariums and natural history exhibits. Although bird-watchers and licensed anglers also appreciate this park, most people come for the underwater coral reefs, where you'll likely spot parrotfish, yellow cherubfish, brain and staghorn coral, spotted spiny lobster, sea hermit crabs, sand sharks, and other amazing sealife, all of which are even more vibrant on a sunny, cloudless day.

Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park
Address: Mile Marker 84.9 Bayside U.S. 1, Islamorada
Phone number: 305/664-2540
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs.-Mon., education center 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sun.
Fees: $2.50 per person, children under 6 free
Once two separate islands, known as the Umbrella Keys, Windley Key is one of the highest islands in the Florida Keys archipelago – which was formed of Key Largo limestone (fossilized coral) over 125,000 years ago. In the mid-1800s, the Russell family homesteaded the easterly Umbrella Key, until it was sold to the Florida East Coast Railway in 1908. Soon afterward, railroad workers filled in the gap between the two Umbrella Keys, forming the Windley Key of today. From 1908 until the completion of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad in 1912, the three coral rock quarries on the eastern end of Windley Key were used to supply thousands of tons of limestone for the railbed and bridges that eventually stretched all the way to Key West.

Today, the Windley Key state park invites visitors to walk along self-guided trails through the former quarries: the Windley Quarry, the Flagler Quarry, and the Russell Quarry. Here, you can view old mining equipment and walk along eight-foot-high quarry walls to view cross-sections of the ancient coral. In addition, the Alison Fahrer Environmental Education Center features informative exhibits about the connection between the quarry complex and the ill-fated railroad, which was destroyed by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. One-hour guided tours ($1 per person, children under 6 free) are available Friday-Sunday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., though reservations are suggested.

Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park
Address: Mile Marker 78.5 Bayside U.S. 1, Islamorada
Phone number: 305/664-2540 (via Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park)
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thurs.-Mon.
Fee: free
Located on the bay side of Islamorada and only accessible via boat, canoe, or kayak, this wooded offshore island features the kind of virgin tropical hardwood hammock that once thrived in the Upper Keys. Formerly known as Jenkinson Island, Lignumvitae (meaning "tree of life") has been home to various individuals since at least the 1830s – including William J. Matheson, a wealthy Miami chemist who bought the island in 1919 and, soon afterward, built a caretaker's home, which now serves as the park's visitor center. While here, you can take a one-hour, ranger-guided tour ($1 per person) amid the peaceful foliage or inside the Matheson house. The tours, which are offered twice daily (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) from Friday to Sunday, enable you to access trails through the preserve that would normally be off-limits to visitors. To reach the island, you can rent a kayak or powerboat from Robbie's of Islamorada (77522 Overseas Hwy., Lower Matecumbe Key, 305/664-8070 or 877/664-8498, 7 a.m.-sunset daily) or opt for a 1.5-hour state park tour (800/979-3370, $20 adults, $15 children under 13), which, when available, includes the hourlong, ranger-led walking tour and transportation to and from the island. Just remember, pets (save for service animals) are not allowed in this remote park, and wheelchair accessibility is limited on the island.

Indian Key Historic State Park
Address: Mile Marker 78.5 Oceanside U.S. 1, Islamorada
Phone number: 305/664-2540 (via Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park)
Hours: 8 a.m.-sunset daily
Fee: free
Allegedly, the earliest Upper Keys community existed on this 11-acre island, which lies on the ocean side of Islamorada and, in 1830, became site of John Jacob Housman's lucrative cargo-salvaging business. In 1836, it was designated the first county seat of Dade County, and in 1840, during the Second Seminole War, Seminole Indians invaded the island, plundered the buildings, and supposedly killed several settlers. Since the early 1900s, Indian Key remained uninhabited, until becoming a state park in the second half of the 20th century.

Today, this lovely island, which is only accessible via canoe, kayak, or boat, lures hikers, swimmers, sunbathers, bird-watchers, and anglers alike. In addition, the park offers an interpretive trail through a re-created street system and also features a close-to-shore area where snorkelers and scuba divers can explore living coral. While visitors have access to an observation tower and a boat dock, there are no restrooms or picnic facilities on-site, and most facilities are not wheelchair-accessible. To reach the island, you can rent a kayak or powerboat from Robbie's (as mentioned above) or opt for a 2.5-hour historic island tour (800/979-3370, 9 a.m. daily, $35 adults, $20 children) aboard the Happy Cat snorkeling catamaran. Just remember, pets (save for service animals) are not allowed on the island. Also, if you head to Indian Key via your own vessel and plan to dive or snorkel in the offshore waters, you must use a red-and-white, diver-down flag whenever anchored.

For more information about these unique parks, consult the Florida State Parks Information Center (3900 Commonwealth Blvd., Tallahassee, FL 32399, 850/245-2157) or pre-order my Moon Florida Keys guide. In the meantime, be sure to check out my next post for a tour of the other five state parks in the Florida Keys.

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As always, I’m open to ideas for future posts. If you have any suggestions, burning questions, or destinations that you’d like me to explore in greater detail, please comment below or contact me via laura [at] wanderingsoles [dot] com.

Disclosure: While I occasionally accept free or discounted travel assistance when it coincides with my editorial goals, my opinion is never for sale, which means that everything written in my American Nomad blog and my Moon travel guides is my unbiased reflection of the things that I see, do, and experience while traveling across the United States.

Photo of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park / Text © 2010 Laura Martone