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Key deer at Blue Hole

Big Pine Key

The largest of the Lower Keys, most of Big Pine Key is protected as part of National Key Deer Refuge, home to the endangered and diminutive Key deer.

Bahia Honda State Park

Palms along iconic beachfront at Bahia Honda Key

Florida Keys      ( 24.660205,-81.273654 )      

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

Blue Hole

Blue Hole at National Key Deer Refuge

National Key Deer Refuge  |  Big Pine Key
( 24.7060, -81.3800 )      0.3 miles

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.

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail

Bike lane facing Caribbean blue waters in the Florida Keys

East Coast Greenway  |  Florida Keys
( 24.5467, -81.7977 )      108.3 miles

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

Mannillo Trail

Mannillo Trail, National Key Deer Refuge

National Key Deer Refuge  |  Big Pine Key
( 24.7094, -81.3824 )      0.3 miles

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.

National Key Deer Refuge

Key deer

Big Pine Key      ( 24.672134, -81.356846 )      

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

Old Bahia Honda Bridge Trail

Bridge broken in middle above aquamarine water

Bahia Honda State Park  |  Florida Keys
( 24.6554, -81.2792 )      0.4 miles

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, Lower Keys

1943 carved in concrete railroad bridge over mangroves

Overseas Heritage Trail   |  Florida Keys
( 24.5467, -81.7977 )      38.0 miles

38.0 miles. Between Key West and Bahia Honda Key, this segment of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail crosses many historic railroad bridges in view of mangrove-lined shores.

The Florida Keys, Revisited

Overseas Heritage Trail

June 29, 2018    Sandra Friend

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.

The Future of Florida’s Key Deer

Key Deer

August 21, 2019    Sandra Friend

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.

Watson Trail

Watson Trail, National Key Deer Refuge

National Key Deer Refuge  |  Big Pine Key
( 24.7060, -81.3800 )      0.8 miles

At National Key Deer Refuge, the Jack C. Watson Wildlife Trail loops through rare pine rocklands and rockland tropical hammock edged by rocky freshwater marshes.

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Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

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Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

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