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Molasses Reef

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Molasses Reef, the most accessible living coral reef in the United States, is the reason that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park exists in the Florida Keys.

Key Largo      ( 25.1270, -80.4092 )      

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Six miles offshore, the view is beneath the waves. It’s Molasses Reef, the most accessible living coral reef in the United States, a slice of the Caribbean in the Florida Keys.

And it’s the main reason that John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park exists.

Molasses Reef
View from a dive boat on Molasses Reef, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Resources

Resources for exploring the area

South Florida Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in South Florida book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: Key Largo
Trailhead: 25.1270, -80.4092
Address: MM 102.5 Overseas Highway, Key Largo
Fees: $2.50 cyclist or hiker, $4.50 individual in vehicle, $8.50 per vehicle (2-8 people). Includes per-person Monroe County surcharge
Restroom: At the concession area
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 305-451-1202

Open 8 AM until sunset daily. Leashed dogs welcome but not at beach. Both campsites and docking slips are available for overnight stays. Reserve online.

12/2021 update: The Mangrove Trail boardwalk remains closed as it will be rebuilt.


Directions

 
Located at MM 102.5 along the ocean side of the Overseas Highway (US 1) in Key Largo.

About the Park

Established in 1960 to protect the reef – with onshore lands added after 1963 – it’s a 70-square-nautical-mile wonderland of corals, sponges, and tropical fish.

Molasses Reef is easily visited on a dive or snorkeling trip with a park-sanctioned outfitter or via glass-bottomed boat. See our images of a glass-bottomed boat trip below.

Not up for the open ocean? A small beach and snorkeling trail serve up a place to splash near shore.

Beachfront at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Beachfront at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

The park offers landlubbers fun as well. Start off at the visitors’ center to see the saltwater aquariums, including a 30,000-gallon tank, that orient you to the sea life found on the reef.

Pennekamp aquarium
Residents of one of the saltwater aquariums in the visitor center

Then explore the park’s nature trails to look for tree snails in the tropical hammock and (non-native but huge) iguanas hanging out in the mangrove forests.

Liguus snail
Liguus snail in the tropical hammock along the Grove Trail

A small native plant and butterfly garden adjoins the visitor center, with identified trees and plants.

You’ll find a picnic area on the north side of the parking area, close to the mangrove forest.

Native Plant Garden at Pennekamp
Entrance to the Native Plant Garden at Pennekamp
Ligum vitae
Ligum vitae in bloom in June.

Park Map

Pennekamp park map trail map
ORANGE line is the Grove Trail, RED line is the Wild Tamarind Trail. The Mangrove Trail remains closed pending rebuilding of the boardwalk.

Explore More!

Learn more about Pennekamp State Park and its trails

Bike path under shade of tropical trees

Overseas Heritage Trail, Upper Keys

26.8 miles. Through the most heavily populated part of the Florida Keys, the trail quickly leaves water views behind for tropical forests between residential and commercial areas.

Grove Trail at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Grove Trail

If you’ve ever wondered where Key limes came from, take a walk on the 0.5-mile Grove Trail at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park to see of one of the historic groves of Key Largo.

Wild Tamarind Trail at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park

Wild Tamarind Trail

Tunneling into the deep shade of the Key Largo Hammock, a tropical forest that once covered most of the uplands of this island, the Wild Tamarind Trail provides you a close-up look at the trees and shrubs that make up this not-so-common forest.

Mangrove Trail

Mangrove Trail

At John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the Mangrove Trail is an accessible boardwalk that gets you right into the heart of a mangrove tunnel along a tidal creek

Students watching the reef

Spirit of Pennekamp

Cruising on the Spirit of Pennekamp is how landlubbers – and snorklers uncomfortable with ocean swells – get to experience the living coral reefs of the Florida Keys


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Informational kiosk at Crocodile Lake NWR

Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Protecting more than 6,700 acres of Key Largo to provide prime habitat for the endangered American crocodile, Crocodile Lake NWR has a small visitor complex where you can learn about species conservation at the refuge.

Tropical hammock

Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park

A botanical treasure rescued from developers, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park has the highest concentration of National Champion trees in the United States

Shallow water with mangrove-lined islands beyond

Eastern Continental Trail

A hiking route spanning more than 4,800 miles along the East Coast, the Eastern Continental Trail spends nearly 1,300 miles crossing Florida from its southern terminus at the Southernmost Point in Key West.

Cyclists standing next to mountain bikes in dirt parking area

Biking the Southern Glades Trail

Taking a ride through the Everglades on one of Miami-Dade’s most remote offroad bike trails made for “Bill and John’s Most Excellent Adventure.”

Trail Map (PDF) Reserve Campsite Official Website

Category: Beaches, Canoe & Kayak Rentals, Florida State Parks, Nature Centers, Paddling, Parks, Southeast FloridaTag: Accessible, Birding, Boating, Botanical, Car Camping, Developed Camping, Family-Friendly, Fishing, Florida Keys, Guided Tours, Homestead, Key Largo, Mangroves, Overseas Heritage Trail, Picnic, Playgrounds, Scuba, Snorkeling, Swimming, Tropical Forests, Wildlife Viewing

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Well worn path through a wet pine flatwoods landscape

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Gomez Preserve

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