Overview: As the name more than suggests, the main attractions of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park are to be found in the water. It is, after all, the first underwater park in the United States and as such holds a place on the National Historic Register. It covers about 70 nautical square miles of ocean along the only living reef in the U.S. It's famous for the snorkeling and scuba diving along its coral reef.
But Pennekamp has attractions for land lubbers (and bird lovers) as well, enough to rate it a stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail. There are three nature trails, including one that cuts through a tropical hardwood hammock and terminates at a historic fruit grove maintained as an homage to the first settlers of the area.
History: In the 1950s, environmentalists saw the coral reefs of the Florida Keys as endangered because of excess collecting of coral, conch and tropical fish. John D. Pennekamp, a Miami newspaper editor and colleague of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, led the charge to create a state park to protect the reef. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was established in 1959 and opened in 1960, as noted the first underwater park in the country. It's now within and bordering on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Unfortunately, the reef is still under threat, this time by climate change and warming waters that are increasingly inhospitable to the coral species that live here.
What You'll See: If you see the park by sea, you'll encounter one of Florida's greatest natural treasures, the only living coral reef in North America and the third largest such reef in the world. It's a product of 5,000 years. Within the reef, there are 32 species of stony coral, plus 14 species of octocoral or flexible coral. There are tropical fish and crabs that use the reef as their home. The shallows off shore attract hungry waders and shore birds. If you take one of the tour boats, keep an eye out for pelagic bird species.
The land within the park is as much a treasure as the coral reefs offshore. There are mangroves, tropical forests and barrens that provide shelter for a multitude of bird and plant species, some rare. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a mangrove cuckoo, white-crowned pigeon or great white heron. There poisonwood trees, satinleaf trees, strangler figs and gumbo limbo trees. In the understory, there is wild bamboo along the Grove and Wild Tamarind trails. Look carefully and you might spot one of the rare orchids or cacti that grow within the park.
Amenities: Pretty much everything and anything to deal with the surrounding waters. If you don't have the equipment, there are rentals. Boat tours are available for divers; there are glass-bottom boat tours for those who prefer to stay dry. There are camping sites, hiking trails, boat launches, a paddling trail, a visitors center with aquariums and more. Check the website, link above, for a full list.
Nearby: The Dagne Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botantical State Park sits several miles to the north along County Road 905. Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is also nearby but offers limited access.
Links: The Great Florida Birding Trail's page on Pennekamp State Park is here. The Institute for Regional Conservation's plant inventory for Pennekamp State Park is here.
Of Note: Pennekamp State Park is open 8 a.m. until sunset every day of the year. There is an entrance fee, $8 per vehicle, plus 50 cents per person as of this writing (June 2024). Check the website for updates.
Cover Photo: A little blue heron forages along the shoreline. Second photo: Juvenile white ibises feeding among the mangroves.
But Pennekamp has attractions for land lubbers (and bird lovers) as well, enough to rate it a stop on the Great Florida Birding Trail. There are three nature trails, including one that cuts through a tropical hardwood hammock and terminates at a historic fruit grove maintained as an homage to the first settlers of the area.
History: In the 1950s, environmentalists saw the coral reefs of the Florida Keys as endangered because of excess collecting of coral, conch and tropical fish. John D. Pennekamp, a Miami newspaper editor and colleague of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, led the charge to create a state park to protect the reef. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park was established in 1959 and opened in 1960, as noted the first underwater park in the country. It's now within and bordering on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Unfortunately, the reef is still under threat, this time by climate change and warming waters that are increasingly inhospitable to the coral species that live here.
What You'll See: If you see the park by sea, you'll encounter one of Florida's greatest natural treasures, the only living coral reef in North America and the third largest such reef in the world. It's a product of 5,000 years. Within the reef, there are 32 species of stony coral, plus 14 species of octocoral or flexible coral. There are tropical fish and crabs that use the reef as their home. The shallows off shore attract hungry waders and shore birds. If you take one of the tour boats, keep an eye out for pelagic bird species.
The land within the park is as much a treasure as the coral reefs offshore. There are mangroves, tropical forests and barrens that provide shelter for a multitude of bird and plant species, some rare. If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a mangrove cuckoo, white-crowned pigeon or great white heron. There poisonwood trees, satinleaf trees, strangler figs and gumbo limbo trees. In the understory, there is wild bamboo along the Grove and Wild Tamarind trails. Look carefully and you might spot one of the rare orchids or cacti that grow within the park.
Amenities: Pretty much everything and anything to deal with the surrounding waters. If you don't have the equipment, there are rentals. Boat tours are available for divers; there are glass-bottom boat tours for those who prefer to stay dry. There are camping sites, hiking trails, boat launches, a paddling trail, a visitors center with aquariums and more. Check the website, link above, for a full list.
Nearby: The Dagne Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botantical State Park sits several miles to the north along County Road 905. Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is also nearby but offers limited access.
Links: The Great Florida Birding Trail's page on Pennekamp State Park is here. The Institute for Regional Conservation's plant inventory for Pennekamp State Park is here.
Of Note: Pennekamp State Park is open 8 a.m. until sunset every day of the year. There is an entrance fee, $8 per vehicle, plus 50 cents per person as of this writing (June 2024). Check the website for updates.
Cover Photo: A little blue heron forages along the shoreline. Second photo: Juvenile white ibises feeding among the mangroves.
