Hi all,
Since you were SO helpful on my last KW post, I thought I'd ask this too. Friends and I are going to KW over President's Day weekend. We're flying into Miami and driving to KW on Friday morning. How long will it take us? Should we expect a crazy amount of traffic/delays? FOr those of you familiar with Boston, is it as frustrating as trying to drive to the Cape on a Friday afternoon in summer? TIA!

Author: miguelgcuadra
Date: 01/11/2005, 10:24 am
Message: 3PM is very busy at Miami Itl. Airport...from the airport to Key West, trip time is about 4 to 4 1/2 hours...once you are on US1 (road to key west) the drive is very nice and relaxing, too bad you will not be able to make trip with sun light, much nicer.
Take 836 (dolphin expressway) west, to florida turnpike south to the end...just continue straight to key west. Be careful driving, nice road but lots of accidents... This was my posting someplace else.

Friday morning traffic should be not that bad.

Thanks! One of the people I'm traveling with wants to leave before sunrise to beat traffic. That seems a bit excessive to me, but I wanted to get opinions from others who've been there. I'd love to hear from others!

While Holiday and weekend traffic into and out of the Keys can be every bit as bad as southern New England traffic to the Cape, Friday morning should not be too bad. Actually, keep the analogy- it would be a bit like leaving Boston at around 11 am for the Cape. The majority of the traffic happens as people get off work in the afternoon and make thier way down. About 4 hours drive, possibly a half hour more if you are unlucky enough to get caught up in accident-traffic. It is a nice drive (especially if you have not done it before). If you have never been to the Everglades, look around you as you drive the 18 or so miles after Florida City- you'll be going through them.

Listen to your friend and leave that early.

President's Week and President's Weekend is one of the busiest weeks of the year for Florida.

Friday drive to Key West is bad enough but that weekend will be horrible. Remember, it's a two lane road 90% of the drive.

Best case scenerio, 4-41/2 hours from Miami to Key West. I'd leave at sunrise also.

The drive is part of the adventure! Assume 4 1/2 hours of straight driving but plan on some breaks. If you leave Miami at 10:00 or so, stop for lunch at Islamorada Fish Company or Lorelei (also in Islamorada). Sit outside and relax. A little later, stop at Bahia Honda and enjoy the beach. You can shower off before you get back into the car. Arrive in Key West around 5. Plenty of time to check in and change before sunset.

It cracks me up every time someone asks about the drive from mainland FL to Key West. When I was in college we drove non-stop from Oxford, Ohio to Key West (about 22 hours), so the quick jaunt through the Keys seemed like nothing!

It's a lovely drive and really gives you a sense of where you are - enjoy it and don't worry about the time.

On any other weekend I wouldn't give the drive a second thought but President's Weekend is one of the busiest of the year.

If you leave after 10AM, all bets are off. It could take you 4 hours and it could take you 14 hours. I'm not kidding. It once took a girlfriend of mine over 12 hours to drive from FLL to EYW due to rain and a couple of wrecks.

A little background- I work in Miami and live in Key Largo, so I am basically commuting the stretch 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. I have driven home from work on many a Friday on long holiday weekends. I usually leave an hour or so earlier than my usual time (3:30 pm) during these weekends and have never yet had a problem with traffic volume/congestion (I once had a slow down due to an accident, but I have to deal with that from time to time anyway, it has nothing to do with holiday traffic). Most South Floridians headed for the Keys for the weekend have jobs, kids in school, or both. That means most of them simply CAN'T leave until mid to late afternoon. If you leave MIA by the mid-late morning you are "beating the competition". You'll be having lunch in Islamorada while most of them (us) are still sitting behind desks waiting to get on the road!

Larry, I'm not trying to argue with you but Miami-Dade Public Schools and Broward County Schools have Friday February 18th and Monday February 21st off. Monroe County Schools have early dismissal on Friday. That is why President's Weekend is more conjested than many other holidays.

No argument- you make a good point about the schools- but that simply means that those parents w/kids who will take Friday off work will leave Thursday night, those who won't (or can't) take Friday off will leave Friday afternoon. Friday may be a school holiday, but for most of the folks drivin' the cars (the Parents) it isn't. As I said, I have driven home during this Friday quite a few times, and if anything the Dade county portion of my drive is much LIGHTER than normal, because there is no school traffic (which brings up an un-related point- doesn't anyone allow their kids to ride a school bus anymore? Seems like all the parents deliver their kids door to door, increasing congestion. I really notice the difference in my daily commute- when school's out in the summer I get home almost 15 minutes faster!)