Bahia Honda State Park is virtually untouched Florida Keys beauty that's easily drivable (inset). And check Bongos Café at The Lagoon on Grassy Key (below), a tropical oasis for all-day eats.
Florida
Roadtrip Series
THE FALL SEASON IS THE TIME TO GO— SMALLER CROWDS AND COOLER WEATHER 1900s. When the railroad and the bridge at the south end of the island officially opened in 1912, the area was considered so beautiful that the trains often stopped on Bahia Honda just to allow passengers to view the picturesque white sand beaches and blue water.
CALL TO TOURISTS AND LOCALS ALIKE The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 destroyed the railroad, and in 1961 Monroe County gave the land to the Florida Park Service, which added hundreds of acres to grow it to its current size. The park is rich with iconic Florida scenery—palm-lined beaches, crystal-clear waters and magnificent sunsets on the Atlantic Ocean and Florida Bay call to tourists and locals alike. It is an excellent spot for wildlife observation, and folks climb the Bahia Honda Bridge ruins to get an amazing view of the huge nurse shark population that frequents the area.
We decided to get some time out on the water while we were in the Lower Keys, so we hooked up with Get Up and Go Kayaking on Sugarloaf Key. We met up with our guide team of Aime and Andrew for an exceptional experience—clear kayaks! Justin, the owner, explained that his novel transparent plastic kayaks are the best way to view our surroundings, as much of the natural beauty of the area is below us as well as around us. Our two-hour guided tour took us out on Florida Bay, through native mangrove tunnels, and throughout the back bay. Over the course of our trip in the blue-green waters off Sugarloaf Key, we looked down through our kayaks and saw starfish, conch, puffer fish, sea turtles, upside down jellyfish, and more. The shores were lined with iguanas and pelicans, and we even spied the friendly resident nurse sharks in the scenic mangroves along the shoreline.
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The Lower Keys—
F L O R I DAC O U N T RY D e c e m b e r 2CAPTURING 0 2 1 | J a n u a r y TRUE 2022
FLORIDA ATTITUDE, FALL IS THE TIME TO GO
PHOTOS BY KRISTINA RODRIGUEZ
Kayaks and snorkeling gear can also be rented, and boat trips can be booked at the park office. Onsite cabins are available for rent year-round, as well. Admission to Bahia Honda State Park is a mere $8 per carload, yet the grounds remain quiet and serene.
