/ / / / /

Blue Water, Bikinis and Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys

August 18, 2011 at 3:35 PM | by | Comments (0)

If you’re driving to the Florida Keys from pretty much anywhere else in the Sunshine State, you’re going to navigate the final stretch of US-1 for around two hours. Once you’re outside of Key Largo the turquoise waters start to show their true colors, but with your eye on a final destination at the end of the road you’re usually too focused to stop. However, if you’re going to pull off for a little time to splish and splash we have to recommend Bahia Honda State Park. Just pay attention to the mile markers, because if you blink you just might miss the entrance to the beach.

This state park sits at around mile marker 37 in the Florida Keys, and from what we saw on our recent stop, it might just be the best place to take a break between Key Largo and Key West. The park is open each and every day of the week form 8am until sunset, and admission will set you back $8 per vehicle under the assumption that your car is filled with passengers—it’s just $4 if you’re venturing in all by yourself.

There’s a couple different swimming spots from which to choose, but we’d recommend Sandspur Beach to the left and to the north of the park’s entrance. It’s at least a mile of some of the clearest water you can find in the continental United States, and the sand isn’t too bad either. Don’t get us wrong, Calusa Beach next to the Bahia Honda Bridge isn’t a poor choice, but on our visit the water here was a little too shallow and a little too warm—that’s what you get for visiting Florida in August!

If you’re spending the day you might is well shell out $30 for a snorkeling tour of Looe Key at either 9:30am or 1:30pm. Park officials will take you offshore for around 90 minutes of exploring the underwater world. For those that would rather stay above the water, no problem, as they have plenty of opportunities to take a kayak for a spin.

Definitely add this park and its beach as a must-see on your Florida Keys trip, and even if you’re just headed down for the day be sure to swing in for at least a couple of hours. With so many pristine beaches and expanses of crystal clear water in the Florida Keys it’s tempting to stop every five miles, but if you can only stop once on the way to Key West, stop here.

[Photos: Jaunted]

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

Return to » Blue Water, Bikinis and Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys

Join the conversation!

Not a member? .
Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12). © Condé Nast. Your California Privacy Rights. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.
Ad Choices