Destination Key Largo Guide

Enjoy the Nature Surrounding Key Largo and The Florida Keys

Largo. For more, call the park office at 305-451-1202 or visit www.floridastateparks.org/park/ Pennekamp. Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock State Park The park includes the largest contiguous tract of West Indian Mahogany tropical hardwood hammock in the U.S. and offers approximately 6 miles of trails to explore. The tropical hardwood hammock is critical habitat for the Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly, the Key Largo woodrat, and other protected animals and plants. Some park trails are paved, making them accessible to bicyclists and wheelchairs. To reach the park’s entrance, travel north on County Road 905, one-half mile beyond the intersection of CR905 and the scenic highway (US 1) at mm 106.5. For more information, call the park office at 305-451-1202 or visit www.floridastateparks.org/ park/Key-Largo-Hammock. (Entrance fee required.) Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Located in North Key Largo, the

refuge protects approximately 6700 acres of tropical hardwood hammock, mangrove forest, salt marsh and shallow open waters. Refuge habitats support several threatened and endangered species, including the American crocodile, Key Largo woodrat, and the Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly. Although the refuge is closed to the public, a public visitor station with a butterfly garden is located at its headquarters on County Road 905, 1.8 miles north of the intersection of the scenic highway at mm 106.5 and CR 905. Visit www.fws.gov/ nationalkeydeer/crocodilelake for more information. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary The sanctuary protects 2900 square nautical miles of marine waters surrounding the Florida Keys island chain. Designated by Congress and administered by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and is jointly managed with the State of Florida. The sanctuary protects an extensive coral reef ecosystem and a variety of historic shipwrecks

and other archaeological resources. Views of sanctuary waters can be seen from bridges and overlooks throughout the entire length of the Florida Keys Scenic Highway from Manatee Bay at mile marker 108 to mile marker 1 in Key West. The sanctuary’s main office and the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center are located at the Dr. Nancy Foster Florida Keys Environmental Complex in Key West. For more information, visit floridakeys.noaa.gov or call 305-809-4700. Dry Tortugas National Park Located in the Gulf of Mexico about 70 miles west off Key West, the park consists of a cluster of seven islands and surrounding shallow corals reefs, sandy shoals and seagrass beds. Fort Jefferson, a civil war brick fort, and the park’s visitor center are located on Garden Key. The 100-square mile park is accessible only by boat or seaplane through concession operators. For more info call the park’s headquarters 305-242-7700 or visit www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm.

Key Largo Everglades National Park The park encompasses the freshwater wetlands at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula and the shallow waters of Florida Bay. Visitors enjoy a view of Everglades National Park on the west side of the Florida Keys Scenic Highway (US highway1) in the vicinity of mile marker 110. Here, where freshwater from the Everglades wetlands mixes with the marine waters of the Florida Keys, mangrove forests line shorelines and form islands. Guided boat tours into Florida Bay are available through the Key Largo Chamber at 305-451-1414 or www.keylargochamber.org John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park The renown attraction is 70-square-nautical-miles of coral reefs, mangrove islands, and shallow waters. The park’s side of the Florida Keys Scenic Highway. Glass-bottom boat/ dive/snorkel tours are available from the Park’s concessionaire and local operators in Key land base is located at mile marker 102.5 on the ocean

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Destination Key Largo