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Bahia Honda State Park Review

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Bahia Honda State Park

Address: 36850 U.S. 1, (MM 37 OS), Bahia Honda Key, FL, 33043 | Map It
Phone: 305/872-2353
www.floridastateparks.org/bahiahonda

Category: Parks
Location: Bahia Honda Key

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Fodor's Review:

Most first-time visitors to the region are dismayed by the lack of beaches—but then they discover sun-soaked Bahia Honda Key. The 524-acre park here sprawls across both sides of the highway, giving it 2½ mi of fabulous sandy coastline—three beaches in all—on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It's regularly declared the best beach in Florida, and you'll be hard pressed to argue. The sand is baby-powder soft, and the aqua water is warm, clear, and shallow. With their mild currents, the beaches are great for swimming, even with small fry. The snorkeling isn't bad, either; there's underwater life (soft coral, queen conchs, random little fish) just a few hundred feet offshore. Although swimming, kayaking, fishing, and boating are the main reasons to visit, you shouldn't miss biking along the 3½ mi of flat roads or hiking the Silver Palm Trail, with rare West Indian plants and several species found nowhere else in the nation. Along the way you'll be treated to a variety of butterflies. Seasonal ranger-led nature programs take place or depart from the Sand and Sea Nature Center. There are rental cabins, a campground, snack bar, gift shop, 19-slip marina, nature center, and facilities for renting kayaks and arranging snorkeling tours. Get a panoramic view of the island from what's left of the railroad—the Bahia Honda Bridge.

Cost: $3.50 for 1 person, $6 for 2 people, plus 50¢ per additional person
Open: Daily 8-sunset
In-room: no phone, kitchen, no TV.
In-hotel: beachfront, water sports, bicycles. dump station.
Credit Cards: AE, D, MC, V