Marathon

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.

Adderly House at Crane Point Hammock

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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.

Fred the Tree on the Old Seven Mile Bridge from the new Seven Mile Bridge

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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.

Roadside art at an outfitter’s shop in Marathon

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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.

Overseas Heritage Trail on Grassy Key

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Trails and Parks in Marathon

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 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 A former coconut plantation and angler's destination, Long Key State Park is now a natural oceanfront outpost in the Florida Keys.

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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.