Connecting Calusa Beach to the Atlantic Ocean, this easy walk along Bahia Honda’s shoreline takes you up and around the tip of the peninsula.
It goes underneath the massive historic Bahia Honda Channel Bridge for a closer look at its infrastructure.
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Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: Bahia Honda Key
Length: 0.7 mile loop
Trailhead: 24.6561, -81.2792
Address: 36850 Overseas Highway
Fees: $8.50 per vehicle (includes county sales tax)
Restroom: Across from Calusa Beach
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 305-872-2353
No dogs are allowed on the beaches. Bicycles not permitted.
This is not an accessible walk as it follows the beach. You must climb two staircases along this loop.
Directions
The entrance to Bahia Honda State Park is along the oceanside of US 1 at the south end of Bahia Honda Key. Once inside the park gate, follow the park road to where it now ends at the parking area. Park in the main parking area near the marina.
Hike
Start your walk from the parking area by heading over towards where the channel leading to the marina defines the end of Calusa Beach.
This sandy strand is sheltered by the sweep of the island, and although it overlooks US 1, it didn’t used to be that way.
When we were kids, US 1 went right through the middle of the park on what’s now the park road, and up and over the old Bahia Honda Channel Bridge, balanced atop the railroad bridge.
Looking at the condition of that old highway now (which closed in the 1970s) from afar, it’s a terrifying thought that it WAS the highway.
But as you walk up Calusa Beach to the old bridge, you can admire its simplicity and complexity.
The old Bahia Honda Channel BridgeCalusa Beach is often bustling. Stay near the edge and join the sidewalk that comes in from the parking area past the nature center.
Follow the sidewalk towards the old bridge. A staircase leads up to a flat area beneath the bridge.
1930 survey markerFrom this flat grassy space, you can walk right up to the bridge and look through the fence to see the girders up close.
The old, rotting pipe is the original aqueduct that the Florida Keys relied upon back in the day for fresh water from the mainland. There is a new one in place under the new route of US 1.
Looking into the girders of the bridgeWalk down the stairs on the Atlantic Ocean side of the bridge, where picnic tables afford a place to stop and sit in the sun.
The crushed rock berm above the natural shore makes for a nice place to enjoy the sea breeze and look out over a swale of thriving bay cedars. However, there is no longer a beach here for swimmers.
Picnic table by the breakwaterContinue along the crushed rock path as it parallels the ocean, enjoying the views. Look closely at the berm of the old highway for the new growth of wildflowers and salt-loving shrubs sprouting.
When the path comes up to the showers and restrooms, take a left to close the loop back around to the parking area.
Bay cedars near the shorelineTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Bahia Honda State Park
Bahia Honda State Park
Long known for its natural beaches, Bahia Honda State Park continues to heal after the ravages of Hurricane Irma stripped much of its tropical vegetation
Old Bahia Honda Bridge Trail
Stand above Bahia Honda State Park and take in a sweeping view from one of the highest points in the Florida Keys: atop the Old Bahia Honda Bridge, built in the early 1900s
Silver Palm Trail
CURRENTLY CLOSED. Along the Silver Palm Trail at Bahia Honda State Park, you’ll meander through the largest grove of silver palms (Coccothrinax argentata) in the United States
Slideshow
See our photos of Bahia Honda State Park
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
Spanning from Key West to Key Largo, this 108-mile linear state park corridor is an island-hopping slice of tropical paradise along the former route of the Florida Overseas Railroad
National Key Deer Refuge
Established in 1957 to prevent the extinction of the diminutive Key deer, National Key Deer Refuge spans 84,351 acres across 25 islands in the Lower Keys.
Long Key State Park
A former coconut plantation and angler’s destination, Long Key State Park is now a natural oceanfront outpost in the Florida Keys.
Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
With boardwalks and natural footpaths winding amid curated collections against a backdrop of natural Florida Keys habitats, the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden is a delightful natural destination.