The quiet, lesser-known side of Long Key State Park is the bay side, a mostly-undisturbed and undeveloped fringe of mangroves and tropical hammocks edging Florida Bay.
The Layton Trail leads you on a quarter-mile exploration of these habitats, emerging at a showy spot on Florida Bay.
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Overview
Length: 0.2 mile loop
Trailhead: 24.823412,-80.817794
Address: 68100 Overseas Highway, Long Key
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 305-664-4815
Open 8 AM until sunset daily. Leashed pets welcome. Expect mosquitoes! Always use insect repellent.
Do not touch oozing tree bark in the tropical hammock: there are poisonwood trees scattered throughout the forest. When in doubt, never touch tree trunks or leaves in a tropical hammock.
Learn more about Florida’s toxic trees.
Directions
From the main entrance to Long Key State Park, drive north on US 1 for 0.6 mile (just past MM 68) for the trailhead on the left at the “Layton Trail” sign. Park on the shoulder.
Hike
The Layton Trail makes a loop through a shady tropical hardwood hammock, past thatch palms, gumbo limbo, pigeon plum, and poisonwood.
Keep to the left at the loop junction to head out to the limestone edge of Florida Bay. Turn right and walk along the shoreline, which is thick in dried grasses and debris.
At an interpretive marker, the trail turns to the right to re-enter the tropical hammock to complete the loop.
You may enjoy a sweeping view of Florida Bay where the trail emerges from the tropical hammock to the shoreline.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Long Key State Park and its trails
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.Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Golden Orb Trail Looping through some of the Florida Keys more rare and unusual habitats, the 1.2 mile Golden Orb Trail at Long Key State Park also provides access to a wild shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean.
Overseas Heritage Trail, Middle Keys 43.6 miles. With the most island-hopping of the ride, the middle portion of the Florida Keys delights with its aquamarine waters and coconut palms, a very tropical vibe.
Grassy Key Trail A pleasant piece of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail that is entirely a paved bike path, the Grassy Key Trail runs 4.4 linear miles through Curry Hammock State Park.
Curry Hammock Nature Trail For an immersion into a tropical rockland hammock and its rare bounty of Florida thatch palms, explore this short but rugged loop at Curry Hammock State Park.