Bahia Honda State Park — Attraction in Stock Island

My wife and I stopped here late in the morning on July 18, 2025 for about 90 minutes, in conjunction with our leisurely drive down the Overseas Highway to Key West. We had first camped here (on the southeast beach side of the park) as young teenagers back in 1975 when we were 8th graders on a chaperoned one-week camping trip with student parents escorting our Junior High School Marine Science Class. At that time, this was a PRISTINE place, and the Atlantic Ocean water just off the beach was almost as crystal clear as the Bahamas'. I went back again the following year (in 1976), on the same chaperoned trip and had a similarly awesome time. During those years, we were even allowed to snorkel out off shore and spear fish for our campfire cooked dinners, and the reef and fish life was abundant. I went back again in the early 1980s while on college breaks, and it was almost as nice as I remembered in Junior High. The next time I went back was in the early 2000s after retiring from the Navy, and I definitely noticed that overpopulation pressures and over-tourism in the lower Keys had really made a negative impact on this once idyllic place, particularly in terms of the offshore reefs and water clarity. During this most recent visit, we drove up to the beach side campsite area were we'd camped as 8th graders and drove around. This camping area had been closed for about the previous seven years we'd stopped at the park during our annual trip to Key West because of massive storm surge and wind damage it received from Hurricane Irma in 2017. It was great to see that the State of Florida had finally gotten the infrastructure repaired and the campsites and bathrooms restored and re-opened, however, the beach side campsites, which used to have lots of shade from "invasive" Australian Pine trees and coconut palms, are now much smaller. They barely have enough space for a tent or a small travel trailer and a car on each site, and there is no privacy between each of the campsites. Additionally, the beautiful (25 yards wide) natural sandy beach that once existed here along the southeast side of Bahia Honda Key has mostly been washed away. During our most recent stop here, there was also a massive amount of seaweed washed ashore along the entire south side of the Key, which we also observed up and down the entire length of the Florida Keys during this visit. I would not want to camp here now because this seaweed and the small crustaceans that live in it stinks quite a bit as it rots in the sun. The Park Rangers don't clean it up, and according to a sign we read, they claim its a natural phenomenon and it helps to fertilize the soil in the "dunes". I don't buy that lame excuse at all, because the sight and smell of this massive amount of decaying seaweed REALLY detracts from the beauty and pleasant experience you would otherwise have when visiting this place for a hike, picnic, or a camping trip. The park itself is still worth visiting and has a few nice hiking trails, but we only did the trail up to the base of the Old Railroad Bridge. There is a nice concession store here, but the Marina is closed to boats as they appear to be putting in a new seawall and launch ramp. It's worth a stop to have a look around here for an hour or so, but if you go during the main tourist season (December to April), get there early in the morning when they first open. They will close the park once the car limit is reached because there is not a great deal of parking spaces for...

We visited on a Wednesday in late December 2024 (Christmas Day). They were open. We arrived around 10AM and there were 3 cars waiting in front of us at the gate and plenty of parking in the parking lot by Calusa Beach (facing Florida Bay/to the North). We heard this was the best place to snorkel.

They weren't wrong. While we didn't try the other beaches, there were plenty of small fish in the rocks by what I think is a small jetty. Many people were walking on top of it to take pictures but there were enough fish here to keep my kids entertained for the better part of an hour. There were a lot of hermit crabs as well. If you went to the end of the jetty you have to be more carful as it gets pretty deep pretty quick 8-10 ft. Also boats and coming in and out of the marina and not all are following the rules.

The Calusa Beach was great with great sand and relatively flat. They have a number of picnic benches with pergolas. Some have seen better days however. There was shade available too with trees. We had a great day here. The water was a little colder than we would've liked but the sun was out. Younger kids didn't stay in water long and mostly played on the beach.

We did take a break to head up to the snack bar/gift store/dive shop. At the time of our visit the bay side was closed due tot renovations and you had to walk around to the other. Not a super short walk either. You had to go around the entire construction area. Inside the store they had multiple areas. Entering from the South or street side you have gift store to the left and snack bar to the right and on the other side of the store to the Bay side was the Dive shop where you could book all your excursions. We did not buy anything from the snack shop. The gift store had a number of good items. We ended getting a clearance sarong and a couple of hiking medallions. Sadly they were sold out of pins. At the dive shop area the one cool thing I saw we that they offered prescription googles of all magnifications but they were not cheap. Luckily i had purchased mine from Amazon for like $30 before our trip. Life changer if you wear glasses and want to snorkel.

We did also hike the old railroad bridge. It was a very short hike with pretty gradual elevation. No bikes are allowed and the trail is gravel at the beginning which makes it difficult for wheelchairs or some strollers with smaller tires. The bridge itself is concrete and is easier to maneuver at the end. The views were amazing from up there. Totally worth the short hike.

The bathrooms were also pretty nice. They had a number of outdoor showers although some worked better than others and access here was all concrete so easier for wheelchairs and strollers.

Overall we enjoyed our trip to this park for the first time. We wish we had more time and would definitely come back. There are other hikes we really wanted to do and also explore the other beaches on the ocean side like Loggerhead Beach and...

The most beautiful place in Florida, by FAR! We lucked into a camping site for a last minute drive from Miami to the keys. We found paradise. Yes, there is sea grass on the beach and about 15’ into the water-it’s a state park where wildlife conservation is the focus, so it is left as a vital part of the ecosystem. Yes, half the island is still recovering from hurricane Irma, and will be for a few more years-category 4 hurricanes wreak havoc on tiny islands. Yes, the no see ums are bad-you’re outdoors, of course there are bugs. The campsite was huge and we just slept in our van, so we didn’t need as much room to begin with. You can wake up about 5 am for the most beautiful sunrises and wait on the old bridge for sunsets that should be postcards. The water was a great temperature at 83 degrees and you could walk out forever and still be in waist deep waters. We tried snorkeling but didn’t find much but shells, still an amazing experience. The gift shop was reasonably priced. Every ranger we met was genuinely kind and passionate about the restoration work, eager to tell you of the progress they’ve made. The next afternoon we were waiting to see if we could get another night when the poor ranger was trying to explain to an irate customer why their campsite had been moved. There are temporary (air conditioned) bath houses on some of the sites, so they moved some to other spots instead of cancelling. This person just couldn’t understand why they had to be moved off site 37. Everyone in the office could tell she was struggling to get this person to understand, plus we all were willing to take their spot if they cancelled. We can’t wait to go back and experience the keys again at home in Bahia Honda State Park...