36850 Overseas Highway
Big Pine Key

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There might not be a more beautiful state park in Florida than Bahia Honda. There might not be a more beautiful spot, period. The park is set on a coral reef island in the lower Florida Keys, the waters of the Gulf and the Atlantic lapping its shores.

Bahia Honda offers a mix of habitats, from beach and dune, to tropical hammock and mangrove forest. There's also a tidal lagoon. You can hike it, bike it, canoe or kayak it. Or, you can just relax and take it all in. The park has several beaches for swimming, campgrounds, canoe and kayak rentals, fishing and boating, nature center and a snorkeling tour of the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary, if you're so inclined.

The setting, about 37 miles north of Key West, makes it a haven for shore and migratory birds, including the great white heron and the endangered white crowned pidgeon. Bahia Honda also attracts myriad butterflies, including the extremely rare Miami blue. The nature trails are well-marked with interpretive signs. One leads to the Old Bahia Honda Railroad Bridge and one of the most iconic views in the Keys. Species we spotted include sandpipers, cormorants, red-winged blackbird, mockingbird, warblers, cassius blue, mangrove skipper and gulf fritillary butterflies, bay cedar, beach bean, ocean-blue morning glory, lantana, nickerbean, sea daisy, wild bamboo and a whole lot more.

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