By: Capt. Rob Modys
While many places across America are getting ready for the holiday season, those of us here in the Florida Keys are bracing for the influx of wintertime guests. Mind you, it’s not a bad thing. Tourism happens to be the driver of our economy, and after the incredible amount of tropical weather this past hurricane season, we really need them to come on down and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather and spend!
December is a great month to be in the Keys. The summer heat is long gone, and the weather tends to be mild with low temperatures in the upper 60’s and high’s close to 80. Blue cloudless skies coupled with very little rain makes for lots of time for outdoor activities.
I do my best to split my time between fishing, hiking, trail biking and enjoying sitting outside, thankful that the humidity of summer is gone. For my wife and I, it means destinations where we both enjoy footing it along paths in the state parks located in the Keys.
One of our favorites is Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. Long name, but rustic with lots of beautiful trails. The park is located on County Road 905 close to mile marker 106 and boasts one of the largest tropical hardwood hammocks in the U.S. The trails can be biked or walked, whichever you prefer.
This can be a tough place to visit in the wet summer season, but the mosquitoes mostly disappear in the winter months. Still, it’s a good idea to pack the repellent and bring plenty of water. Note: this is a minimal service park. There are restrooms, but no fancy gate or gift shop. The entry fee is an honor box payment of $2.50 per person and the park is open from sunup to sundown, 365 days a year. It’s also a great place to walk your dog.
I can’t tell you how many times we drove past the entrance to the Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park located at mile marker 84.9 on our way south to Islamorada, Marathon and Key West. We finally made the decision to stop and check it out, and I have to say, it was an eye opener.
The park was once a former quarry that supplied stone used to build Henry Flagler’s Over-Sea Railroad. Long after the railroad was completed, the quarry was used to create beautiful pieces called Keystone. What’s that? It’s basically polished layers of fossilized coral stone that were used as facades for buildings and entrance steps throughout the Keys and south Florida.
What I find most interesting about the park is the remaining equipment and machinery that are on display, labeled with signage to show how each piece was used in the process, from cutting to the final polishing of the fossilized coral stone.
There are also many short walking trails, and an educational visitor center that has a timeline of the complete history of the site.
The Keys boasts ten state parks that are all fun to visit, and each one has unique features. Some are even located on or underwater! A complete list of the parks, their hours of operation, entrance fees and amenities can be found at floridastateparks.org.