Florida Keys Islands

The Florida Keys are a chain of low-lying islands and islets off the southern tip of Florida stretching roughly 120 miles to Key West. The region includes a mix of developed islands, state parks, and extensive marine habitats tied to a living coral barrier reef.

Attractions include world-class sport fishing, coral reef snorkeling and diving, scenic driving along the Overseas Highway, and island communities with dining and lodging. Notable infrastructure includes long crossing bridges such as the Seven Mile Bridge that link the larger keys by road.

The Keys offer a range of visitor experiences from protected marine parks and dive sites to resort towns and historic neighborhoods, with boating, fishing charters, and water-based recreation widely available. Development is concentrated on a handful of larger keys while many smaller islets remain undeveloped or protected.

Settlement and maritime use date back centuries, with development accelerating in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A major transportation milestone was the Overseas Railroad built in the early 1900s and later damaged by the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, after which sections were converted to highway use and expanded.

Stretching southwest from the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula, the Keys form an arc over coastal waters of the Straits of Florida and are connected to the mainland by the U.S. 1 Overseas Highway.

• Length and count: The chain extends about 120 miles from the southeastern tip of the Florida peninsula to Key West and comprises roughly 1,700 islands and islets, many of which are uninhabited.
• Reef and marine access: The offshore coral reef system is the largest living barrier reef in the continental United States and offers extensive snorkeling and diving opportunities.

The Keys run southwest from the mainland along the Overseas Highway (US-1). Listed from furthest north to furthest south:

• Key Largo - the first key from the mainland and the dive capital, home to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park.
• Tavernier - a small, historic community at the south end of Key Largo.
• Plantation Key & Windley Key - part of the village of Islamorada.
• Islamorada - the self-styled Sport Fishing Capital of the World.
• Long Key - quiet beaches and a popular state park.
• Conch Key & Duck Key - small resort islands (Hawks Cay).
• Grassy Key - home of the Dolphin Research Center.
• Marathon - family beaches, the Turtle Hospital and the Seven Mile Bridge.
• Bahia Honda - a state park with one of the finest beaches in the Keys.
• Big Pine Key - home of the tiny, protected Key deer.
• Sugarloaf Key - backcountry kayaking and the historic Perky Bat Tower.
• Little Torch, Ramrod, Summerland & Cudjoe Keys - quiet residential and fishing keys.
• Big Coppitt & Boca Chica Keys - the final approach to Key West.
• Stock Island - a working, less-touristy island just before Key West.
• Key West - the colourful end of the road, famed for sunsets, the Hemingway House and Duval Street.

National Parks

• Biscayne National Park - a mostly-underwater park whose islands form the northernmost keys, off Miami.
• Dry Tortugas - a remote park 70 miles west of Key West, built around the massive Fort Jefferson and reached only by boat or seaplane.

The Florida Keys are reached by driving the Overseas Highway (U.S.‑1) south from Miami: Key Largo is the first major island about 40-60 minutes from Miami, and Key West is roughly 160 miles (≈260 km) and about a 3.5-4 hour drive from Miami along U.S.‑1. There are also flights to Key West International Airport and various shuttle services and public buses that connect Miami to several Keys.

• Drive the Overseas Highway (U.S.‑1) early in the morning when leaving the mainland to avoid heavy traffic and crowds at popular stops like Key West and the Seven Mile Bridge viewpoints.
• If you want fewer people, skip the day-trip crowds that concentrate in Key West mid-day-either overnight there or focus on less-visited islands such as Marathon, Big Pine Key, or the Lower Keys.
• Consider shoulder seasons (spring or fall) to avoid peak winter visitor numbers and summer weather extremes; many businesses and boat tours run full schedules but with smaller crowds than high winter season.
• For a distinct experience most visitors miss, plan a trip to Dry Tortugas National Park (from Key West by ferry or seaplane) and book those trips well ahead-they offer very different scenery and far fewer people than the main islands.