Known for its hiking trails and large oceanfront campsites (water and electric hookups). Other popular activities include kayaking, snorkeling, birding and fishing. Below is a map of the park.
We began our visit by hiking the Golden Orb Trail (named for a local spider). The 1.2 mile trail leads to the Atlantic Ocean.
Beware of the poisonwood tree...identifiable by its orange bark. Related to poison ivy, contact with its sap will irritate the skin. I don’t think the guy that carved his initials into this tree was aware of this! Birds, however, enjoy the fruit of the poisonwood.
Tree snails were on several trees (we last saw tree snails in Olympic National Park in Washington state). In the sandy, wet areas along the trail are thousands of little fiddler crabs.
We only saw several birds during our visiting, but during winter and spring migration there are thousands here.
White, black, and red mangroves can be seen all along the trail. They grow along the Atlantic, too, and provide breeding grounds and protection for marine life.
The trail continued along the coastline. The orange netting protected plants being grown to attract and re-establish populations of the endangered Miami blue butterfly. Also shown is a spiny lobster trap.
It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our return hike. Boardwalks are built at various wet spots along the trail.
On the bayside of the Long Key State Park is the short Layton Trail. A boardwalk with an observation tower lead to the bay.
Along the bay, platforms for tent camping are under repair due to damage caused by Hurricane Irma.
We drove to the picnic area and relaxed along the Atlantic coast while we ate our lunch. A reddish egret was nearby looking for his lunch.
The park has horseshoe pits (we didn’t bring our shoes, though) and posts to hang hammocks (we don’t have one of them either). But I thought these were nice features!
The state park opened in 1969 and encompasses about 1,000 acres. Originally inhabited by Native Americans, artifacts of tools and shells have been found. Accessible by rail or boat, the upscale Long Fishing Camp was located here and popular with the rich and famous between 1912 and 1935 (when it was destroyed by a devastating hurricane).
Admission is $4.50/1 person; $5.50/2 or more. For additional information about the park, go to www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/long-key-state-park.
On the way home, we saw these iguanas. They are a non-native species that has invaded south Florida and the Keys (and very unpopular with the locals).
We saw these along the side of the road and stopped to snap photos.
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