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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

Bahia Honda State Park  |  Florida Keys
( 24.664931,-81.257121 )      0.6 miles

Sep 2020 update: Hurricane Irma destroyed the Atlantic side of Bahia Honda State Park, including the tropical hammocks. While during our visit in 2018 we were heartened to see that some silver palms still rise above the shredded forest, this trail is no longer accessible. We will still keep the details and links below in hopes it will be re-established in the future, since it was by far the best hike in the park.

Bahia Honda State Park is blessed with a profusion of rare and unique tropical vegetation.

Botanists have discovered hundreds of rare and unusual species of plants on this island, ranging from Geiger tree to small-flowered lilythorn.

Birders will want to spend some time along the lagoon, as roseate spoonbills are often sighted here.

Along the park’s Silver Palm Trail, you’ll meander through the largest grove of silver palms (Coccothrinax argentata) in the United States, just yards away from the strumming waves.


Resources

Resources for exploring the area

South Florida: An Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in South Florida Exploring Florida's Botanical Wonders Hiker's Guide to the Sunshine State

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: Bahia Honda Key
Length: 0.6 mile loop
Trailhead: 24.664931,-81.257121
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 and has natural sandy surfaces.

Silver Palm Trail


Directions

 
Enter the park from MM 37 on US 1 on Bahia Honda Key, on the Atlantic Ocean side. At the T intersection, turn left and drive north on the park road past the Sandspur Camping Area and a beach parking area. After 1.3 miles, you reach the end of the road at another beach parking area. The trailhead is at the northern end of the parking area.

Hike

The Silver Palm Nature Trail starts at the northern end of the parking lot, at the sign.

From the trailhead, look off to your right and you’ll see one of those classic Keys views of the placid aquamarine ocean stretching off into the distance beyond the coconut palms.

Beach at Silver Palm Trail A peek at the beach from the trailhead


Flanked by gumbo limbo and poisonwood, you start down the trail into the tropical hardwood hammock. An unusually diverse variety of tropical plants grow here.

Besides the usual sea grapes, Spanish stopper, Jamaica dogwood, thatch palm, caper tree, and pigeon plum, you’ll find such oddities as Geiger tree, manchineel, and wild allamanda.

Trail past mangroves The salt flats are behind the mangroves


Tall sea oxeye and bay cedar top the salt flats along the bay. Looking off to the left through the screen of mangroves, you see the inner cove.

Mangrove crabs scurry up prop roots at your approach. In the early morning hours, wading birds come to the salt flats to feed.

You’ll see white ibises and colorful pink roseate spoonbills, as well as great white herons stalking the flats.

Interpretive signs Interpretive signs along a coastal berm


Rounding a bend, you walk along a corridor of silver palms, the silvery undersides of their fronds shimmering in the sea breeze.

The silver palms around you represent the largest natural concentration of these rare native plants in the United States.

Tucked in this little forest is the national champion silver palm, topping out at 29 feet tall. Preferring soil with a high salt content, most silver palms grow no more than 20 feet tall.

After losing their clusters of tiny white blossoms, silver palms bear small purple fruits in the fall.

silver palms A grove of diminutive silver palms along the trail


As the trail drops down into the coastal strand, you hear the increasing chatter of people of the beach.

When you reach the dune crossover point at 0.1 mile, continue straight to keep walking along the coastal strand.

View of ocean from bluff View of the Atlantic


The trail enters a corridor between two fences, put in to prevent people wandering off into the coastal strand and destroying this fragile habitat.

Silver palms, slender and delicate, rise from the taller dunes.

Silver palms Silver Palms emerge from dense coastal vegetation clumps


Passing through a forest of sea grapes, you continue between another set of fences, where more silver palms grow off to the left.

Curving right, the trail heads out towards the water, ending on the beach after 0.3 mile.

Purple morning glory bloom Morning glory


Turn right and walk up the beach. Notice the many drift seeds captured by tangles of sargassum.

The Gulf Stream continues to strew its gifts across the shore, leaving tropical almonds, sea beans, and sea hearts on these bright white sands.

clear ocean water Calm clear seas of the Atlantic Ocean behind the reefs


When you reach the boardwalk, turn right and cross over the dunes.

Returning back to the beginning of the trail, you’ve walked 0.6 mile.

tunnel under sea grapes Emerging from vegetation at the parking area


Trail Map

Bahia Honda State Park Hiking Trails Map
The Silver Palm Trail is at the upper right

Explore More!

Learn more about Bahia Honda State Park

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

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

Coconut palms in front of aquamarine water with bridge beyond

Bahia Honda Beach Walk

A walk around the southern tip of Bahia Honda Key, this shoreline hike at Bahia Honda State Park provides scenic views and an up-close look at the historic bridge

Video

See our video walkthrough of the Silver Palm Trail

Bahia Honda Silver Palm Trail

Slideshow

See our photos of Bahia Honda State Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

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

Key deer

National Key Deer Refuge

Established in 1957 to prevent the extinction of the diminutive Key deer, the National Key Deer Refuge spans 84,351 acres across 25 islands in the Lower Keys

Blue Hole at National Key Deer Refuge

Blue Hole

For the easiest wildlife watching opportunity inside National Key Deer Refuge, head for the trail and observation deck at Blue Hole, a cenote-like pond that is the largest body of fresh water in the Florida Keys.

Mannillo Trail, National Key Deer Refuge

Mannillo Trail

An accessible interpretive trail providing an easy round-trip to a freshwater wetland, the Mannillo Trail gives an overview of the importance of National Key Deer Refuge in protecting both habitat and wildlife in the Lower Keys.

Trail Map (PDF) Reserve Campsite Official Website

Category: Beach Hikes, Hikes, Loop Hikes, Nature Trails, Southeast Florida, TrailsTag: Atlantic Ocean, Bahia Honda State Park, Birding, Botanical, Florida Keys, Florida State Parks, Mangroves, Marathon, Tropical Forests, Wildlife Viewing

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