Bahia Honda is Spanish for “deep water” and was named because of the deep waters surrounding the Key. The area was operated as a county park starting in 1950, during that time it was known as a nice stop along the way to Key West. In 1961 the park transitioned into a State Park and became the recreation destination that we know today. Bahia Honda State Park consists of over 500 acres of natural beauty, and the rare Miami Blue Butterfly calls it home.
Bahia Honda State Park is the perfect place to visit on your Florida Keys vacation. Surrounded by turquoise waters, with stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, the Florida Bay, and one picturesque railroad bridge. Bahia Honda offers camping, beaches, kayaking, snorkeling, and more! Whether you visit for an afternoon or stay for a week, this is a fantastic stopover on your way through the Keys.
Just on the south side of the infamous Seven Mile Bridge, Bahia Honda State Park is a spectacular place to spend a day or two. Located at mile marker 37 on Bahia Honda Key, it’s the perfect place to stop for a morning or afternoon on your way to Key West. It’s close enough to Marathon that you can explore it for a day. Or, if you plan it right, you can camp or rent one of their cabins for up to two weeks.
Beaches and Swimming at Bahia Honda State Park
There are three official beaches at Bahia Honda, Sandspur, Loggerhead, and Calusa. Sandspur and Loggerhead are on the Atlantic side, while Calusa is on the Florida Bay side. You can swim in the Atlantic Ocean, get out, walk across the street and float in the Florida Bay. Bring your snorkeling gear or be sure to rent some at the concession stand because the snorkeling is awesome right off the beach.
Sandspur Beach
Sandspur is on the north end of the island near the campgrounds of the same name. A long slender run of beach meets the Atlantic. White, surgery sand is your base, and your views go out for miles looking over beautiful turquoise waters. Balmy breezes blow constantly to keep you cool. There are two parking lots for easy parking, but they will fill up when the park gets busy.
Loggerhead Beach
The main road into Bahia Honda State Park leads you right to Loggerhead Beach. There is a large parking lot in front of the beach. The beach is narrow near the parking lot but opens up towards the old bridge. The water is clear, sandy, and shallow, and in the height of the summer it can get a bit warm.
In the water, the sand leads to seagrass which reveals an assorted array of marine life, including what could be mistaken for a conch farm there’s so many. Grunts, angel fish, sting rays, and star fish round out the list.
Calusa Beach at Bahia Honda State Park
Located on the other side of the parking lot from Loggerhead Beach, Calusa faces the Florida Bay side of the water. Shallow water makes it great for the family to hang out at and relax. Views of both the Overseas Highway and the old railroad bridge give it a very Florida Keys vibe. Snorkeling is popular here, so is hanging out on an inflatable, so be sure to bring yours, if not, you can always pick up something at the concession stand.
Kayaking
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There are two boat ramps to launch your kayak if you brought it, or you can rent one at the, you know where, concession stand. The kayaks are stored on Loggerhead Beach on the Atlantic side, you can paddle to the north of the island and that’ll take you to the Sandspur Campgrounds, beach and beyond. The water is amazingly clear and if you brought your fishing gear with the proper license, you could drop a line.
The Florida Bay side of the island is where the boat ramps are, you can launch right into the basin where the local manatee hangs out. Once out in the open, kayak to the old railroad bridge and get a great view that not everybody gets. Just steer clear of the underside, the currents can get sketchy and if you’re not experienced, they’ll take you for a ride. Not only that, but debris has been known to fall from the bridge, how I got conked in the head is not the story that you want to tell about your Florida Keys vacation.
Whichever side that you kayak on, you’ll see plenty of shorebirds, Bahia Honda State Park is located along Florida’s Great Birding Trail. They like to hang out in the shallow areas near the trees along the shore.
Keep your Florida Keys vacation memories close in one of our travel journals. Keep track of your excursions, tickets, and other vacation memorabilia.
Snorkeling and Snorkel Tours at Bahia Honda State Park
Hit up any of the beaches for fantastic snorkeling. Spiny lobster, stingrays, queen conch, grunts, plus colorful coral abound whichever beach you swim from. Leave the lobsters alone, and definitely don’t touch the conchs, they’re protected. Same thing with the coral, even taking a small piece takes years for it to be replaced.
The park also offers a snorkeling tour to Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. There are two tours a day, 9:30 and 1:30, weather permitting. The cost is $49.95/45.95 for adults/children, if you don’t have your own gear rentals are $5.00/5.00/11.95 for mask/fins/snorkel.
The three-hour tour starts with a 35-minute boat ride to Looe Key, once there you’ll get about 1.5 hours to snorkel this awesome reef. Elkhorn and massive star coral are the highlights along with some of the reef marine residents where the depth ranges from 5-15 feet. If you have 2-6 people and want to do a more private tour, ask about their Private Snorkel Experience.
Camping at Bahia Honda
The good news, there are 80 campsites across three campgrounds available to rent plus six cabins, the bad news, they fill up about six months in advance. If you’re flexible, you can check the website everyday as they will get cancellations. Side note: All the campsites are near the Overseas Highway, so you will get road noise at night.
Sandspur Campground
Located on the north side of the park, Sandspur campground has 23 tent and RV sites. If you’ve ever dreamed about camping with the Atlantic Ocean breeze keeping you cool at night, this is your campground. 19 sites are actually right on the ocean and said breeze blows all night.
There are restrooms with running water and showers, and each campsite has water and electricity.
Buttonwood Campground
Buttonwood is the biggest of all the campgrounds with 48 RV and tent campsites. The campsites are big and wooded with water and electricity. There is a centrally located restroom building with showers and flushing toilets. 15 of the sites are located right on
Florida Bay, the rest are interior.
Bayside Campground and Cabins
Considered primitive campsites because there is no electricity, Bayside Campground has running water at each site and a restroom with flushing toilets and sinks, but no showers, you can use the showers at Buttonwood a 1/2 mile away. The campsites are nice and wooded and offer a view of the quarry that was used to make the railway in the early 1900s. The quarry is full of water and leads to the bay. In the morning you can see tarpon thrashing around in the deep water.
On the other side of the quarry are the cabins. Three duplex cabins have A/C, a living room with a futon, two bedrooms, full bath, and a fully stocked kitchen. There’s a wood deck with a grill and picnic table at each site that gives spectacular views of Florida Bay, especially at sunset.
There is a vehicle height restriction for Bayside as you have to drive under the Overseas Highway to get to the campgrounds and cabins. Vehicles over 6’8″ will not fit under the Bahia Honda Bridge.
Boat Camping
There’s a protected manmade bay with 19 spots to dock at and spend the night. The charge is $2.00/foot with a $30 minimum. Included in the price is water, electricity, and full use of the park including bathhouse facilities, showers, trash disposal, and pump out.
Stargazing at Bahia Honda State Park
If you’re camping at Bahia Honda, then you get a bonus feature: stargazing. One of, if not the darkest spots in the Keys, the park offers wonderful opportunities to gaze at the stars. You can climb up to the top of the old bridge or take your lounge chair to the beach and kick back and enjoy the view.
Fishing and Boating
Two boat ramps, no waiting! Fish around both the Overseas Highway and the old railroad bridge for tarpon, snapper, and grouper. Or go deeper for the big fish. If you don’t have a boat, you can fish in designated areas providing that you have the proper license. Sorry spearfishing enthusiasts, no spearfishing allowed in the park.
Hiking
While there aren’t many hiking trails at Bahia Honda State Park, there is one wooded nature trail that takes you to the top of the old railroad bridge where the views are fantastic. You can see the whole island from up here, plus some awesome views of the water surrounding it. It gives you a feel for what it was like to actually travel on the old highway.
The Old Overseas Railway Bridge
Type into any search engine Bahia Honda State Park and click on images. Most of the images that you see will have some part of the old Overseas Railway Bridge in them. Yeah, the bridge is that much a part of the park.
Built by the oil tycoon Henry Flagler and completed in 1912, the Overseas Railway was a feat of modern engineering. The railroad was in use until the 1935 Labor Day hurricane gave it a death blow. The State bought the right of way and constructed the Overseas Highway where the railway used to be.
To save time and money in places they just poured concrete over the old railway. In the case of the Bahia Honda Bridge, the train throughway was too narrow for a road, so they poured concrete on top of the old bridge structure. That’s right, the train used to run on the lower level, but the cars ran on the upper level. The gap that you see in the bridge now is so tall boats can get through.
Bahia Honda Park Concession
The Concession Facility is the hub of the island. If you want to book a boat tour, rent a kayak, or rent snorkel gear, this is where you go. They have everything that you need for a beach outing; reef safe sunscreen, beach toys, underwater cameras, and wide brimmed hats to keep the sun off you.
If you didn’t bring your lunch, they have a snack bar that serves sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, and ice for your cooler.
Souvenirs include ornaments, handmade crafts, jewelry, custom t-shirts, and cabana wear.
If you’re looking for someplace to camp in the Keys or just plan to spend a day at the beach, put Bahia Honda on your to do list.
