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Bahia Honda State Park
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Location	Monroe County, Florida, USA
Nearest city	Marathon, Florida
Coordinates	24°39′47″N 81°15′50″W / 24.66306, -81.26389
Area	524 acres
Established	1961
Governing body	Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Bahia Honda (meaning deep bay, in Spanish, locally pronounced: BAY-ah HON-da (just like the car)), is an island in the lower Florida Keys.

U.S. Route 1 (the Overseas Highway) crosses the key at approximately mile markers 36-38.5, between Ohio Key and Spanish Harbor Key 12 miles (19 km) west of Marathon, close to the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge.

The island is virtually uninhabited, being home to 524-acre (2.1 km²) Bahia Honda State Park. Founded in 1961, the park occupies most of the island. The channel at the island's west end is one of the deepest natural channels in the Florida Keys.

Contents 1 Fauna 2 Flora 3 History 4 Recreational activities 5 Hours 6 References and external links

Marine life is quite plentiful in the waters surrounding the island. Just off the beach snorkelers can spot many species of small reef fish, as well as rays, barracuda, and even the occasional small nurse shark.

The only known natural colony of the now rare Miami blue butterfly was discovered in the park in 1999. The butterfly had been thought to have become extinct as a result of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Several rare plants, including yellow satinwood, silver palm (Coccothrinax argentata), key thatch palm (Thrinax morrisii), and the endangered small-flowered lily thorn (Catesbaea parviflora) are found in the park.

Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway once ran through the present parkland to Key West. Built between 1905 and 1912, it was destroyed by the severe Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Later, the railroad bridge foundations were used to build the Overseas Highway, which became U.S. Route 1. Part of the old Bahia Honda Bridge is accessible from the park, and offers a panoramic view of the islands. In 1908, the Florida East Coast Railway Company built two large two-story dormitories there to house workers building the Bahia Honda Bridge.

The 2.5 mile (4 km) natural, white sand beach was at one time named the best in the continental United States, making it popular for swimming. A nature trail near the park’s oceanside beach skirts a tidal lagoon before passing through a coastal hammock. Bicycling and inline skating can be done on the park’s 3.5 mile (5.6 km) paved road, and there are several fishing and picnicking spots in the area.

Kayaks and snorkeling gear can be rented at the park, and boat trips for snorkeling on the reef are available. The park has a marina with boat slips available for overnight rental. Campsites (primitive and full hook-up) and vacation cabins are available, although reservations for the winter months can be very difficult to get.

The park is also a part of the Great Florida Birding Trail.

Florida state parks are open between 8 A.M. and sundown every day of the year (including holidays).

• Bahia Honda State Park at Florida State Parks
• Official park website
• Wikimapia

• Bahia Honda Key is at coordinates 24°39′47″N 81°15′50″W / 24.663, -81.264Coordinates: 24°39′47″N 81°15′50″W / 24.663, -81.264

v • d • e Florida Keys
Biscayne National Park	Soldier Key • Ragged Keys • Boca Chita Key • Sands Key • Elliott Key • Adams Key • Old Rhodes Key • City of Islandia
Upper keys	Key Largo (island) • Key Largo (CDP) • North Key Largo (CDP) • Tavernier (CDP) • Plantation Key (island) • Plantation Key (former CDP) • Windley Key • Upper Matecumbe Key • Indian Key • Lignumvitae Key • Lower Matecumbe Key • Village of Islamorada
Middle keys	Craig Key • Fiesta Key • Long Key • City of Layton • Conch Key • Duck Key (CDP) • Grassy Key, Crawl Key • Long Point Key • Fat Deer Key • Key Vaca • City of Marathon • City of Key Colony Beach • Boot Key • Knight's Key • Pigeon Key
Lower keys	Little Duck Key • Missouri Key • Ohio Key • Sunshine Key • Bahia Honda Key • Spanish Harbor Key • West Summerland Key • No Name Key • Big Pine Key (CDP) • Little Torch Key • Middle Torch Key • Big Torch Key • Ramrod Key • Summerland Key • Knockemdown Key • Cudjoe Key (CDP) • Sugarloaf Key • Park Key • Lower Sugarloaf Key • Saddlebunch Keys • Shark Key • Geiger Key • Big Coppitt Key (CDP) • East Rockland Key • Rockland Key • Boca Chica Key • Key Haven • Stock Island (CDP) • Key West • Sigsbee Park • Fleming Key • Sunset Key • Wisteria Island
Outlying Islands	Mule Keys • Ballast Key • Marquesas Keys • Dry Tortugas • Tortugas Bank
Areas	Florida Bay • Dry Tortugas National Park • Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary • National Key Deer Sanctuary • John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park • Biscayne Bay • Biscayne National Park • Key West National Wildlife Refuge • Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge • Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Other Topics	Monroe County • Conch Republic • Overseas Highway • Overseas Railroad • Card Sound Bridge • Seven Mile Bridge • Bahia Honda Rail Bridge • Theater of the Sea • Hurricane Wilma • Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 • Key Deer • Ocean Reef Club • Key lime pie • Florida Keys Keynoter • Key West Citizen

v • d • e Protected Areas of Florida
National Park Service	Biscayne National Park • Dry Tortugas National Park • Everglades National Park • Castillo de San Marcos National Monument • Fort Matanzas National Monument • Big Cypress National Preserve • Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve • De Soto National Memorial • Fort Caroline National Memorial • Canaveral National Seashore • Gulf Islands National Seashore
National Forests	Apalachicola • Choctawhatchee • Ocala • Osceola
State Parks	Amelia Island • Anastasia • Avalon • Bahia Honda • Bald Point • Big Lagoon • Big Talbot Island • Bill Baggs Cape Florida • Bulow Creek • Caladesi Island • Camp Helen • Cayo Costa • Collier-Seminole • Curry Hammock • Delnor-Wiggins Pass • Devil's Millhopper • Don Pedro Island • Eden Gardens • Egmont Key • Falling Waters • Faver-Dykes • Florida Caverns • Fort Clinch • Fort Cooper • Fort George Island • Fort Pierce Inlet • Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou • Gasparilla Island • George Crady Bridge Fishing Pier • Highlands Hammock • Hontoon Island • Hugh Taylor Birch • John D. MacArthur Beach • John Pennekamp Coral Reef • John U. Lloyd Beach • Jonathan Dickinson • Little Talbot Island • Long Key • Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson • Mike Roess Gold Head Branch • Navarre Beach • North Peninsula • O'Leno • Oscar Scherer • Ravine Gardens • River Bluff Picnic Site • Sebastian Inlet • Skyway Fishing Pier • St. George Island • St. Joseph Peninsula • Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center • Stump Pass Beach • Tomoka • Torreya • Windley Key Fossil Reef
Botanical	Alfred B. Maclay Gardens • Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock • Lignumvitae Key • Washington Oaks State Gardens
Lakes, Rivers and Springs	Deer Lake • Lake Griffin • Lake June in Winter Scrub • Lake Kissimmee • Lake Louisa • Lake Manatee • Lake Talquin • Alafia River • Blackwater River • Econfina River • Guana River • Hillsborough River • Little Manatee River • Myakka River • Ochlockonee River • Silver River • Suwannee River • Blue Spring • De Leon Springs • Edward Ball Wakulla Springs • Fanning Springs • Homosassa Springs Wildlife • Ichetucknee Springs • Lafayette Blue Springs • Madison Blue Springs • Manatee Springs • Peacock Springs • Rainbow Springs • Troy Springs • Wekiwa Springs • Werner-Boyce Salt Springs
Recreation areas	Allen David Broussard Catfish Creek • Dead Lakes • Dunns Creek • Gamble Rogers Memorial • Grayton Beach • Henderson Beach • Honeymoon Island • Oleta River • Perdido Key • Ponce de Leon Springs • St. Andrews • Three Rivers
Museums, Historic sites, and Archaeological sites	Cedar Key Museum • Constitution Convention Museum • Forest Capital Museum • John Gorrie State Museum • Ybor City Museum • The Barnacle • Bulow Plantation Ruins • Dade Battlefield • DeSoto Site • Dudley Farm • Fort Foster • Fort Mose • Fort Zachary Taylor • Gamble Plantation • Indian Key • Koreshan • Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Homestead • Natural Bridge Battlefield • Olustee Battlefield • Orman House • Paynes Creek • San Marcos de Apalache • Yellow Bluff Fort • Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins • Crystal River • Lake Jackson Mounds • Letchworth Mounds • Madira Bickel Mound • Mound Key • San Pedro Underwater
Preserves and reserves	Anclote Key • Cedar Key Scrub • Charlotte Harbor • Crystal River • Estero Bay • Fakahatchee Strand • Kissimmee Prairie • Lower Wekiva River • Paynes Prairie • Pumpkin Hill Creek • River Rise • Rock Springs Run • San Felasco Hammock • Savannas • Seabranch • St. Lucie Inlet • St. Sebastian River • Tarkiln Bayou • Topsail Hill • Tosohatchee • Waccasassa Bay • Yellow River Marsh
Trails	Gainesville-Hawthorne • General James A. Van Fleet • Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail • Withlacoochee
State Forests	Belmore • Big Shoals Public Lands • Blackwater River • Carl Duval Moore • Cary • Cottage Hill • Deep Creek • Etoniah Creek • Four Creeks • Goethe • Holopaw • Jennings • John Bethea • Lake George • Lake Talquin • Lake Wales Ridge • Little-Big Econ • Matanzas • Myakka • Okaloacoochee Slough • Picayune Strand • Pine Log • Point Washington • Ralph E. Simmons Memorial • Ross Prairie • Seminole • Tate's Hell • Tiger Bay • Twin Rivers • Wakulla • Watson Island • Welaka • Withlacoochee
Florida Department of Environmental Protection