Bahia Honda State Park

It’s state park that you can visit all year round and pay an entrance fee. It’s nice, quiet and very family friendly and has bathrooms and showers for removing your sand and salt water. I would recommend if you are visiting this beautiful area!

The beach was great! It was clean, snorkeling was fun and easy, and there's a chair rental in the concession building. The trail to the old railroad bridge was a nice walk, and there's lots to see along the way. Picnic areas, bathrooms we're clean, and there's a foot wash station. No dogs on the beach. Would definitely recommend!

This is a great state park with very nice beaches for swimming, shelling, or just relaxing. We went tent camping here and it was very peaceful except for the raccoons that stole some of our food right behind us while we were cooking on the grill. They are apparently very well-versed in this, so if you camp, keep a close eye on your food, even if you are sitting 5 feet away from it!

Wife and I discovered this place when we first vacationed in Key West. Entrance fee is $4.50 a person. There is like 4 beaches there, and there is plenty of room for most. Some beaches here are better than others but they are all good for swimming, snorkeling, and just hanging on the beach to tan. The beaches kinda stink of seaweed but if you hang out in the Keys long enough, you get used to it. All in all it’s a beautiful place to spend the day.

A beautiful state park which is 90% under water. The beach is nice and beautiful. The low tides help you relax in the middle of the shallow water bed with the chairs and umbrella on. Do not forget to carry some snacks, water and sun block as these things are available only at the visitor center and not at every beach in Bahia Honda. There are clean washrooms to change. Carry food with you if you are planning to go for picnic. Carry a hat/cap as it’s too hot. Overall, it’s a pretty place and a must place to stop on the way to the key west.

Extremely well run and managed. Incredible beaches. We tried out the beach near the marina a couple times on our recent trip- great swimming beach, very shallow water for kids with a very gentle slope to deeper water. It was very popular on a Sunday afternoon but we were able to find parking and a spot to lay our blanket. We returned mid week to a much smaller crowd- soaked up the sun and floated around the same ropes off swimming area after a short hike to the old bridge to look at the view and see both the Atlantic and the gulf sides of the beach. Our third visit was to the very far end of the Atlantic side park access- again, phenomenal beach and IMO a better area to swim if the wind and weather conditions are right. They were for us! Many people were snorkeling and we did see some fish and even a ray skittering across the bottom close to shore. It’s also has gentle fade into deeper water and tons of sandy area to swim and relax. Paddle boards and other boats are permitted in this area so there was much to see and as many beaches- great people watching. It was a bucket list beach for me and it did not disappoint

Such a cute park they have a nice beach area to swim and you can walk around pretty much every side. Beachfront camping spots available as well. We tent camping in May and it was pretty hot. They also have a unique mosquito out here (all over the keys you can’t avoid it, but just beware. They come out at sunset and are very aggressive.)

Definitely one of my favorite beaches I've ever visited. We went to Sandspur Beach and saw a shipwreck on the way. The water here is so clear and it's just a beautiful beach with lots of conch shells where some endangered snails live. I probably found close to ten shells but let them all go as there were still snails inside. That was a unique experience. Parking was easy and admission to the state park for 2 people was around $9 and you could stay all day. Great value and there were 2 other beaches we didn't get to check out but the area is beautiful and we would definitely go back to explore and check out the other beaches. Highly recommend!

Bahia Honda State Park was a fantastic place to take our keys to experience some Florida Keys beaches. We swam at the Sandspur Beach (Atlantic side) and Calusa Beach (Gulf side). Both beaches weren't too crowded and had beautiful clear water. There is also a third beach there called Loggerhead Beach that we didn't have time to visit. We parked in between Calusa and Sandspur beaches near the bathroom/rinsing showers. The park was reasonable priced to get in ($10 I believe). The beaches seemed really clean but had some seaweed and sea grass to navigate around. Sandspur Beach was great for the kids as the water was very shallow for a significant portion. Would for sure bring your family here if you're in the keys and looking for a low key beach to relax at.

Had a wonderful day at the beach. Much shoreline for swimming in warm waters. Two areas offer gentler sandy beach areas which are better for children. These areas had bathroom facilities, water for de- sanding, gift shop, with food available. No alcohol allowed. We had some of our lunch in a Coors box and he stopped and inspected. Noticed a camping lot as well and boat dock. Entry fee per person. Enjoyed a

Nice big park. Could only visit for a short time though. Very crowded and limited parking except by the marina/store.

Beautiful spot and not very crowded. The beaches are managed be the state and kept in great condition. Baths and one snack bar. Worth the trip.

The beaches of Bahia Honda State Park are Loggerhead, Sandspur, and Calusa. Loggerhead and Sandspur are oceanside and Calusa is gulfside (view of the bridge). We spent most of our time at Sandspur. It appears to have the biggest spread of beach. The photos I've posted have no filter. There were restrooms and a wash off station. We enjoyed some shore snorkeling. We saw tons of fish, mostly in the darker parts with seaweed on the ground. I could walk a significant amount of way from the shore and still touch the floor (I'm 5 feet tall). Sand is soft and white. Waves are nonexistent and water is very gentle for being oceanside. We attempted to spend time at Loggerhead but the small strip of sand was absolutely covered in sand fleas so we decided to leave right away. The pro of Loggerhead is that it has picnic tables nearby and the concessions building. Calusa is right across from Loggerhead. We drove by and honestly just went back to Sandspur. We were charged per person and not per car as we expected. Our 5 year old was considered free. Crowds were minimal. We visited on a Wednesday in May when schools aren't on break.

Bahia Honda is stunning. We stopped here for a hour on our way down to Key West. Wish we had more time to stay for a little longer because it's absolutely beautiful. We came in May so the water felt amazing and is crystal clear.

Nice beach, Loved the history Bahia Honda is located at Big Pine Key at mile marker 37 in the Florida Keys. We visited the park in February. Entrance fee to the park was $4.50/person. The beach is nice and clean and the soft sand was pleasant to walk on... the water so clear and shallow. We followed the Old Bridge Trail which was a short walk towards the bridge until we reached the safety barricades. The park services preserved this iconic piece of Florida Keys history and was worth seeing. There were two sections to this bridge: The East Coast railway built by an oil mogul, Henry Flagler, and on top of the railway bridge was the road which was part of the original Overseas Highway. The bridge spans across the Bahia Honda Channel. We had amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean as well as the Gulf of Mexico where the new Overseas Highway was built. There were plenty of educational interpretive signs to read about the history of the bridge and the park. We then "tested" the waters and walked on the shallow surface... the water was at low tide when we went and even from walking at a far distance from the shore the water only went up to our knees. The park offered kayak rentals, paddle boards, and snorkel boat trips. There is a message board sign in the front entrance to the park with tide information as well as water temps and time of sunset. We didn't stay long at the beach portion, just enough to enjoy the refreshing water... the weather was pretty warm and humid at 79° We missed stopping at this state park the first time we were at the Keys last year (Nov 2022)... we made it a point to check it out this last visit. We enjoyed exploring and walking on the short trails. Review #2880

This park is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. Yes it's under repair a little bit thanks to hurricane Ian and past other hurricanes. I'm talking about the stairs that goes down the beach. The park use be part of the 7 mile bridge or at least from what my understanding. This old bridge was initially a train trestle that goes right through Bahia Honda keys they added the top deck cars . Eventually this bridge deteriorated and was expensive to maintain. That's one of them. You go around this park you'll find white sand beach . Shallow all the way about 100 yards from the shorelines and it's clear . The sand is so pure it felt good walking on it. About knee deep. The water was warm. The keys are Near the equator so yes the water should be warm. Anyway Bahia Honda state park is a just visit for anyone exploring the keys.

One of my favorite Florida state parks. I have great memories of camping here in the '80's. Came back for a beach day at Sandspur. The crowds were there on a Saturday for sure. Had to walk east a bit to find some space. There's lots of washed up sargasso at this time, so you might have to walk around to find the least smelly place. Lots of cool fish and conch to see while snorkeling. You can go out very far to the sandbars where the boaters pull up to have day parties.

Absolutely amazing beach. The water was clear like a swimming pool, could look down and see fish. There are also really nice facilities including a little cafeteria, store, changing rooms, and rentals (chairs, wetsuits, kayaks, etc...)

My family and I (2 adults, 2 kids 12 & under) did the snorkeling tour to Looe Key Reef yesterday. We've been coming to the Keys as a family since 2018 and this is one of the best things we've done. I feel the pricing for the event was more than reasonable, though you do have to pay entry to the park as well. The beaches are the best in the Keys so arrive early and spend some time there as well. The crew on our boat was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and ready to help with anything we needed. I saw 3 sharks, 2 barracuda, and countless reef fish on the trip. We will definitely make this a regular event for our trips going forward!!

As we come to the close of our several week stay here at both Sandspur and Buttonwood campgrounds - we would like to give a HUGE thank you to the volunteers. This review is for them as they are a key component adding to a beautiful state park and campground. Tom, Heidi, Nancy, Randy, Sam and many others were very kind, engaging and helpful. The volunteers work hard to keep the restrooms clean and the sites well maintained making Bajia Honda a beautifully polished natural gem to appreciate and enjoy.

A very cool state park in the lower Keys.... This park has all the things that the lower Keys have to offer except the bars..... Basically beach and water.... Came here and rented a camp site on the beach... The sites are open and clean.. Offering electric and water only.. The park itself is not that big... Maybe a half mile or so from east(north) to west(south) end... The whole south(east) exposure right on the ocean side.. The opposite side on the Gulf... Quite a few different sandy beaches to choose from... The most popular being on the west(south) end... Very pretty and quiet but hot during the summer... Not a lot of things to do close by but if your willing to travel a bit, lets just say Key West is only 30 miles away...

Amazing sunsets, very clean bathrooms and showers. Exceptionally nice staff. Just an amazing state park must be one of the best in the country. Wonderful boat, dock and ramp with power and water.

An essential stop on one of America's greatest road trips, Bahia Honda lets you get up close and personal with some of the bluest water you'll see without having to fly to the Caribbean. We made what we thought would be a quick stop on the way from Marathon to Key West, and ended up staying well over an hour. The park's highlight is the old Bahia Honda Bridge, a span of the long-abandoned Henry Flagler railway that offers exceptional views in exchange for a short uphill walk. But the 525-acre state park offers so much more, from kayaking and snorkeling to bird watching and hiking. Swimmers have miles of beautiful beaches to explore, with clean facilities and changing rooms a short walk away. I wish we'd had more time to explore the park during our visit -- Sandspur Beach was closed for reconstruction, and we didn't bring swimsuits or snorkeling gear. But we'll be more prepared on our next trip to take full advantage of the rich lineup of amenities at this fantastic state park. Bahia Honda is truly one of the best spots to soak in the incredible beauty of the Florida Keys, and a MUST for anyone making the scenic drive down U.S. 1.

My favorite place on the keys. A paradise and want to rate it one star so nobody goes here and I can keep it to myself! In 2hrs drive from South Miami, this state park can be found after the seven mile bridge on the left hand side. It had a campground too. And they are expanding the park again, rebuilding the park on the North east side. Great beach, kept natural, so sometimes there is sea weed and sometimes its cleaned up. Convenience store and enough parking. A historical bridge you can walk up to and see the island from a 'birds-view'. Bring your snorkel/goggles, a umbrella (some tables have shade) and enjoy a beautiful beach day away from the busy city. Family friendly, entrance fee is $10.50 for 5 people. Opens at 8 am and closes just after sunset. Toilets are on site too, and plenty of grills. Remember to take home your trash and respect the park!

Such a beautiful State Park! You pay by the person to get it, and it's pretty affordable for what you get out of it. There are a few parking areas and two main beaches you can swim from. There is also a snack/gift shop building as well. Get here early, though, as when parking runs out, they close the park!!

Nice place to go, I'm a local, have never been before. ALWAYS ASK IF THEY'RE RENTING KAYAKS, before buying anything. Their employees are incompetent. I asked a lady where we rent them from, she said "right over there" (points 20' away) so I buy over $1 worth of stuff for the kayak trip, get over to the counter, then they tell me "we're not renting kayaks today, the water is too choppy" (it wasn't) They even had the green flags up, which means "calm water" that's really all we wanted to do there is kayak. Lots of kayaks out. Buy your own kayak, or rent one elsewhere, then go.

Beautiful state park in the Florida keys. Love the views. Even with seaweed the water is so clear. Definitely a place to check out the sites and enjoy

Great spot for a minimal cost to enter the park. The beach and water are great and it's not too busy. We also did a snorkel tour and I highly recommend it, very fun with a professional staff. We saw tons of fish and 2 giant eagle rays.

The sunset was beautiful and the water was clean. They had a volleyball net and a tether ball pole. They had options for parasailing. The reason why it's not 5 stars is because of the horrendous parking.

Solid four or more, really a five but since Irma so many years ago, so much of the park is closed. Not just closed due to Irma, but if you're not a registered camper a lot of the park's off limits which is sort of a bummer. Hell, even half of the half of the bridge is closed. Was fun to explore what's open, took us about 20 minutes to walk about the whole of the park. There's some really cool picnic areas if you're early enough to score one. And plenty of typical Keys beaches, if you know what I'm talking about. Seagrass. Bayside Beach looks manicured which is why I imagine a lot of people come here. Great place to play. Really, sort of a quintessential Keys park. Everybody should visit here once or twice in their life. Gift shop's open. There's plenty of parking. Clean bathrooms. And lots of photo ops.

Beautiful park. Fun to explore and swim in. Great views, great water and clean facilities. You can shower and they also have outdoor dressing rooms so you can go about your evening or drive home without being salty lol I highly recommend to relax you can come alone or with friends or family. Some photos attached, I came in the middle of July it was hot and I was able to cool off in the blue waters. Bring snorkel gear there's plenty to see below the surface!

Beautiful stop on the way to key west. Plenty of nice scenery and great spots to take pictures. Water was beautiful. Clean bathrooms and plenty of parking. It was a little crowded with tons of kids if you are looking for quiet.

5 stars. Bahia Honda is my favorite beach in the Keys. The price of admission is $4.50 per person. You can come here to snorkel, swim, kayak, fish, camp. Btw, it is apparently one of the best spots to birdwatch. Anyway, there are many recreational activities. The water is crystal clear; it is truly beautiful. There are actually three beaches in this park. All are pretty white sand beaches. There is one that is rockier than the others. But I read that Hurricane Irma washed away a lot of the shoreline, exposing the rocks. There are a few trails. The popular one is The Old Bahia Honda Bridge. It offers a panoramic view. It's pretty amazing during sunset. I think the other trails are closed. In fact, the kayak rentals, the concession stand, and the gift shop are currently closed due to the pandemic. It's spectacular. If you are in the area, go ahead and visit this park.

Very nice state park. Was clean and peaceful. It's nice to go as a family or a couple and enjoy the day. It also had restrooms and changing rooms as well. We didn't explore all that it had to offer we just went to the beach part.

Pleasant surprise to say the least. More like obsessed. Went looking for a place to enjoy the beach and wanted to find clear, gorgeous water!!! This was the perfect location!!!!! Absolutely beautiful beaches. Not too busy or crowded. Lots to do at this park. Next time we are in the keys I will definitely go back!!!

Great place to swim, layout, kayak, snorkel, bike, walk, everything fun and outdoorsy that you want to do on the beach!

Great state park! Did some snorkeling with our toddler and had a great beach day. Water was gorgeous. The beach when you first drive in to the left had lots of seaweed so we went past the restrooms to the beach on the right. The views were beautiful. Clean bathrooms & awesome showers.

If you're looking for camping in the keys, this park is decent. If you're looking for camping in Florida, I wouldn't visit the keys. The public beach portion of this beach is underwhelming. There was a ton of seaweed and brush covering the sand, possibly residual from the hurricane a few months ago? If it's always there I definitely wouldn't recommend this beach. But if the beach was clear, it's a decent beach for the keys but there are much nicer beaches overall in Florida. If you're camping here, there are pretty decent amenities. There's a shower house, bathrooms, dock with a place to clean fish, a designated swimming area, boat launch, and a decent size camping spot. The camping spots that are on the water in the buttonwood camping area are close to the main road. You can hear the cars all night long. It's really not that serene. Overall it wasn't bad but there really are nicer places in Florida, the keys are overrated.

Excellent camping with beautiful beaches. Close to St. Peter's Church. Incredible skies at night. Well kept and friendly staff.

This is a lovely beach park - the water was very calm and clear when we visited - perfect for swimming! The park wasn't crowded and the facilities were clean.

Me, my husband, and our two friends enjoyed one night camping trip at Bahia Mar! We booked last minute so took the last spot at campground #77. On a day with no cloud cover, it will be incredibly hot at #77. We were on the tents only side. If we were to come back on the tent only side we'd choose spot #76 or #75. #76 has a lot of trees for shade, and #75 has a straight view of the marina and might have gotten more wind at night than us. We happened to go on a very hot night. Weather said it felt like 88-90F at night. We had a tent with netting on top and there was almost no wind on top of the hot temperatures. No fault of the campground, but if we were to come back we'd stay on the RV side in spots 18-22, as those are right on the water and look beautiful! We enjoyed riding our bikes around the campground (so highly recommend bringing your bikes!). Other campers were friendly and respectful. The concession store has anything you might need: ice, snorkels, bar food, ice cream, towels, medication, etc. Really, anything that you might need you can find there! Staff was very friendly and helpful. We went over to the Atlantic side for the sunrise in the morning, and went over to the tents only side (our side) for the sunset. Overall, great campground and amenities. Would recommend!

This is one beautiful beach/park with Crystal clear blue waters. It's a pet and family beach and it's kept very clean I had a great time. It was a beautiful day to be here. I did see some seaweed by the shore but it wasn't much. This beach has a dock, concession stand, changing rooms, showers, bathrooms ( it is really hot inside the bathroom) and a big parking area by the beach and in the back. It has an area with tables great for a picnic. It doesn't have to many tables but it is shady. It's located by the concession stand. I found a path. It lead to a bridge that had been closed. The path was nice. It takes you up. You see the park and plants. It is a nice way to see the beach from a higher point. I would advise to wear shoes NOT flip flops if you are thinking about doing this path. The path is uneven and rocky. I had flip flops and I struggled. It seems this place has plenty of options on things to do other then swim. They used to have camping options as in tents. I hope they still do.

This is a beautiful and worthwhile stop on your way home from Key West. It's just south of Marathon. When Henry Flagler was having the railroad built to go down to Key West, Bahia Honda was a challenge because of its depth, but people apparently loved to stop here on the train ride down because of how beautiful it is. Eventually, the infamous 1935 Labor Day hurricane would result in the demise of the railroad, but the Bahia Honda bridge was turned into part of the highway leading to Key West a few years after. Now the bridge is crumbling, but you can still walk a small portion of it. It offers beautiful views of turquoise waters. There are three beaches to choose from, although swimming conditions will vary. Check the flags and seaweed before going in as there are no lifeguards. It really is great to take a dip especially in the summer months. There are camping sites as well, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough for that! Be advised that it does get very busy, so parking can be hard. There's an entrance fee as well, and they accept cards.

Nice campground it looks like from the road. Would not let us in without paying $9.50 at gate to go in and tour facilities. Not nice about it at all.

Best beach spot for that picture-perfect water. Enjoy extremely shallow water, clear sand bottom, and friendly staff.

Absolutely beautiful a must to see the real beaches of the Florida Keys so glad they have reopened Sandspur gate after the hurricane. Wow this place is beautiful.

Seriously one of the prettiest parks ever and thee best bike ride, you can go from one end to the other safely on the side of the road all along the water! You have the gulf side or the Atlantic side. The golf side has a beautiful crystal clear marked off area to swim in. There is an awesome gift store! It has stuff for lunch, freshly cooked or tons of different ice cream and ice cream bars! Beautiful shirts, too! Go early because the line gets long to get in! Take your bikes and ride it! Wonderful!

I came here on my day trip to Key West. This beach is often listed as one of the top beaches in Florida. I am absolutely bewildered at this. Don't get me wrong. It is a great beach but I don't consider this worthy of being on a top 10 beach list. Parking is $4 and change for a two-axle vehicle. You can pay by cash but the park rangers don't give change and you stick your money in a wooden box. Fortunately, they take charge cards and the reader also accepts contactless NFC payments so your Apple and Google Pay devices will work here. 5/5 for convenience The beach sucks. Why? There is barely a beach to begin with. It essentially starts off the first parking lot and is literally only a couple feet of sand before the water. There is seaweed EVERYWHERE. You can walk down to the other end and there is a lot of sand there. However, at this end the seaweed is so close to the shoreline and you would have to move over to have a good area of clean water. The "clean" part of the water is shallow and if you choose to go deeper you encounter dense seaweed. The water is nice but the experience with the lack of shore and small water area makes this a place I will not come back to. There is no way this place is better than Miami Beach. Parking is easier here but if you aren't close to this place then don't bother visiting.

The ongoing pandemic has definitely taken a toll on a lot of businesses and public places since a consumer's mindset to buy anything outside of essentials or to visit a public place like a park or beach, has crippled down significantly. Now by living with what has become the new normal, it is commendable on how these businesses and public places continue to remain open and cater to the general public by following the safety standards. It is now all the more important that we as customers, support these heroes during these dark hours to mankind. Visiting this park was never on the list until the last minute and what started as a quick stop by turned out to be more than a 3 hour stay at the park. The entrance fee was a nominal $8 per vehicle. We drove to the beach parking area and then walked into the visitor center that had some nice helping staff who voluntarily walked us through the places to see at the park. We started off spotting some beautiful ibis and then took a hike to the iconic railway bridge. The beach has some lovely views and clear water but the sea weeds on the beach were a bit of a huddle to get across to the sand and water, but they also have a board that explains why they are important to the ecosystem. This is a beautiful park and is a must visit if you are visiting the Key West or going out of it.

It was a weekday and the most perfect weather. Late after snorkel adventure in the works and here we are. Bahia Honda State Park. From the very first ranger we spoke with to the staff inside for snorkeling information, this place was great! It was our first visit but didn't take us long to feel right at home. A bit of a walk from the parking if you are carrying a larger load, otherwise it's great because it doesn't interfere with the atmosphere. We were on the southwest side.... Well it's all kind of southwest isn't it? The snorkeling was different because it's very shallow. The current actual was beginning to pick up, but even a beginner should not have had an issue with the depth so shallow. The array of sea-life was impressive for such a shallow beach front. The sting rays were huge!! I would highly recommend a visit!

Bahia Honda State Park is probably a great place at times. When we visited wasn't one of those times. The weather was cold and windy. The beaches which look nice to bath on were just sources for sand to be pelted with by the wind. There are definitely nice trails including one which allows you to climb the old train bridge and get a great view. They have campsite and cabins for rent. They have a cove where you can tie up your boat. They have an educational building with activities for all ages. They have a scuba diving boat and equipment rentals. They have a gift shop. They have miles of beach that your not allowed to access since the last hurricane. Do not rush to Bahia Honda State Park. The longer you wait the more you will find opened when you visit.

Part of the park is closed due to Hurricane Irma several years ago. There's an entry fee. There was a lot of seaweed & it rained. Nice park, but was kinda crowded.

Beautiful and quiet beach. The water is really calm. It is truly an untouched beach with not a lot of traffic.

We spent a couple hours here and would say that if you are looking for a nice relaxing beach day, this is a real place to do it. There aren't really a ton of activities to do outside of that.

What a lovely state park!! We had to wait a day to go in because their water supply was off. It was worth the wait and the weather cooperated. We saw skates, little fish, & bonefish. The beach wasn't crowded and the water was nice to swim in. Bring or rent snorkeling stuff, and/or paddle boards. The staff is super helpful and friendly. We were day use. Definitely recommend visiting if you are looking for a family friendly spot or a relaxing beach, or both.

It's really hard to find a tent camping reservation here, as it's a beautiful place to camp(with the exception for the no see ums). With the right tent and some serious wind you should be fine. Sunsets on the bay side are dreamy. The ocean side camping is my favorite less mosquitoes with the ocean breeze.

One of the most beautiful places I visited while exploring the keys! All the different colors of the ocean water here was sensational & I loved that you could walk up the old bridge and for a great view point. Easy to walk into the ocean & swim here - not very rocky on the beach side. So beautiful - plus there are bathroom facilities.