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Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

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Signs at Vaca Cut waterway

Marathon

Home to an airport, an aquarium attraction, and a natural sandy beach in the Middle Keys, Marathon is a central point for major services between Key Largo and Key West.

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  
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Exploring Marathon

Settled in the 1830s by Bahamian immigrants who began farming on Vaca Key, Marathon is the most urban of the island centers, with department stores and an airport.

Much of the island is developed. But at its heart is Crane Point Hammock, 63 acres of natural tropical habitats owned by the Florida Keys Land & Sea Trust.

Whitewashed small house with wooden hurricane shutters Adderly House at Crane Point Hammock


It is inside this former botanical garden where remnants of the original Bahamian settlement of Adderly Village are preserved, including the first home built in the Florida Keys.

Marathon owes its explosive growth to the building of the Overseas Railroad. Workers camped out here to cross seven miles of open ocean with a railway trestle.

Parallel highways over ocean Fred the Tree on the Old Seven Mile Bridge from the new Seven Mile Bridge


The marathon of work they put in to complete the railroad on time gave this chain of thirteen islands its name.

Then came fishing. The piers of the Seven Mile Bridge created eddies that attracted tarpon, which in turn attracted sportsmen.

Giant fish statue Roadside art at an outfitter’s shop in Marathon


Fishing is big throughout the Keys, but especially throughout Marathon. Numerous outfitters crowd US 1, and dive shops are big as well.

The original Seven Mile Bridge has been supplanted by a modern span with shoulders, but remains in use as a walking / biking trail to Pigeon Key, where the workers lived.

To the north, the natural habitats of Grassy Key are largely protected by Curry Hammock State Park, the Florida Overseas Heritage Trail extending south through Marathon to the bridge.

Bike path in wooded corridor with signage Overseas Heritage Trail on Grassy Key


Trails and Parks in Marathon

Palms along iconic beachfront at Bahia Honda Key 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
Adderly House at Crane Point Hammock Crane Point Hammock Part native, part cultivated, Crane Point Hammock is 63 acres of tropical hammock in the heart of Marathon, with one of the most extensive trail networks in the Florida Keys.
Tropical rockland hammock 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.
Picnic table in shade adjoining waterway Curry Hammock State Park Bring your binoculars for fall birding at Curry Hammock State Park, where migrating raptors cruise overhead by the hundreds following a major flyover route.
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.
Bike lane facing Caribbean blue waters in the Florida Keys 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
Golden Orb Trail 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.
Grassy Key Trail signage 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.
Layton Trail Layton Trail At Long Key State Park, the Layton Trail leads you on a quarter-mile exploration of mangrove forest and tropical hammock on the shores of Florida Bay.
Long Key State Park 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.
Bridge broken in middle above aquamarine water 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
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.
Clumps of coastal vegetation on Bahia Honda Key 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
Sombrero Beach Sombrero Beach At the southern tip of Marathon, Sombrero Beach offers beachgoers a natural strand and an easy beach walk within sight of the Keys' largest lighthouse.

Articles

Key Deer The Future of Florida’s Key Deer (8/21/2019) A public meeting by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on August 22, 2019 is the first step in informing the public of the potential of Key deer being removed from the Endangered Species List.
Overseas Heritage Trail The Florida Keys, Revisited (6/29/2018) Nine months after Hurricane Irma, we headed to the Florida Keys to see how both the infrastructure and the natural areas are healing. Here's an overview of what we found, from Key West to Key Largo.
Curry Hammock Trail Paradise, Palms, & Mosquitoes (9/9/2006) My first exploration on the hiking trails of Marathon lead to thatch palm hammocks: the Curry Hammock Nature Trail at Curry Hammock State Park, and the trails of Crane Point Hammock, including the beautiful Palm Hammock Trail.

NEARBY: Big Pine Key, Islamorada | ALONG: Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay, Overseas Heritage Trail | PART OF: Florida Keys

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Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Boardwalk through a cypress swamp

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary
Footpath in a sand pine scrub forest

Delaware Scrub Natural Area

Delaware Scrub Natural Area
Trail in deep shade of sea grapes

JILONA South Trail

JILONA South Trail
Sand pine scrub with a bark chip path

JILONA North Trails

JILONA North Trails

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