Sign in Subscribe

Florida Keys
Overseas Heritage Trail

Exploring the length of the Florida Keys by bike and stopping at natural attractions along the way, spending three days heading north.

After only partially accomplishing our research in the Florida Keys in June, we made plans to return in cooler weather to be able to complete a bike ride along the length of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail.

On the way, we did a loop around Lake Okeechobee to check on current Florida Trail conditions before heading south.

PLANNING: Florida Trail, Okeechobee | Florida Keys & Key West | South Dade

Itinerary

Okeechobee

Florida Trail, Lakeport to Indian Prairie
Florida Trail, Indian Prairie to Okeechobee
Okeechobee Lakefront Recreation Area
Scott Driver Recreation Area

Florida Trail, Lakeport to Indian Prairie
In the sweep of the Herbert Hoover Dike past Lakeport, the Florida Trail overlooks the vast western marshes of Lake Okeechobee north of Moore Haven on this 11.9 mile hike.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
Florida Trail, Indian Prairie to Okee-Tantie
Walking a windswept dike on the Florida Trail for 10.4 miles past Buckhead Ridge, enjoy views of Indian Prairie and the mouth of the Kissimmee River near Okeechobee.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
Florida Trail, Okeechobee to Okee-Tantie
On the sweep of Lake Okeechobee shoreline between Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River, expect some of the best birding along the lake as you walk an easy 3.8 miles along the dike.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
Clif J. Betts Jr. Lakeside Recreation Area
At the lakeshore end of Parrott Ave in Okeechobee, Clif J. Betts Jr. Lakeside Recreation Area has a paved section of the Florida Trail passing through it.
Florida HikesSandra Friend
Scott Driver Recreation Area
Providing access to the Kissimmee River, C. Scott Driver Recreation Area is also an important trailhead for the Florida Trail along Lake Okeechobee.
Florida HikesSandra Friend

Fort Lauderdale-Miami

Chapel Trail Park, Pembroke Pines
Farmer's Market Restaurant, Homestead
Robert is Here, Homestead

Chapel Trail Park Nature Preserve
Preserving 450 acres on the edge of Pembroke Pines, Chapel Trail Park Nature Preserve makes an excellent birding destination as well as an easy-to-reach sampler of Everglades flora and fauna.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley

Middle Keys

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
Bahia Honda State Park
Crane Point Museum & Nature Center
Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters
Sombrero Beach
DINING: Island Fish Company, Marathon; S.S. Wreck Galley & Grill, Grassy Key
LODGING: Bayview Inn, Conch Key

Biking the Middle Keys on the Overseas Heritage Trail
Hopping from island to island for over 43 miles, the Middle Keys section of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail offers coconut palms and ocean views from long historic bridges.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
Hiking Bahia Honda Beach
A walk around the southern tip of Bahia Honda Key, this short shoreline hike at Bahia Honda State Park provides scenic views and an up-close look at the historic Bahia Honda Channel Bridge.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
Crane Point Hammock
Part native, part cultivated, Crane Point Hammock is 63 acres of tropical hammock in the heart of Marathon, with one of the most extensive trail networks in the Florida Keys.
Florida HikesSandra Friend
Sombrero Beach
At the southern tip of Marathon, Sombrero Beach offers beachgoers a natural strand and an easy beach walk within sight of the Keys’ largest lighthouse.
Florida HikesSandra Friend

Upper Keys

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
Green Turtle Hammock Nature Preserve
Theater of the Sea
Plantation Tropical Preserve
Laura Quinn Wild Bird Sanctuary
Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
DINING: Keys Bite, Hobo's Cafe, Harriette's Restaurant
LODGING: Drift Hotel, Key Largo

Biking the Upper Keys on the Overseas Heritage Trail
From Islamorada to Key Largo, the 26.8 mile route of the Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail leaves water views behind for tropical forests between residential and commercial areas.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
Green Turtle Hammock Nature Preserve
On a wild sliver of Upper Matecumbe Key, footpaths wind through a rockland tropical hammock where a rocky crevice emits sulfur fumes and signs warn of crocodiles.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park
A botanical treasure rescued from developers, Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park has the highest concentration of National Champion trees in the United States.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley

South Dade

Southern Glades Trail
Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park
Gumbo Limbo Trail, Everglades National Park
The Deering Estate
DINING: Golden Rule Seafood, Palmetto Bay
Shorty's BBQ, Dadeland

Biking the Southern Glades Trail
Taking a ride through the Everglades on one of Miami-Dade’s most remote offroad bike trails made for “Bill and John’s Most Excellent Adventure.”
Florida HikesJohn Keatley
Hiking Everglades National Park
In 1.5 million acres sweeping across South Florida, Everglades National Park offers outdoor experiences ranging from accessible boardwalks and paved trails to rugged adventures in harsh wilderness.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley
The Deering Estate
The Deering Estate at Cutler, a Miami-Dade county park, preserves both the historic buildings and a remnant of the Addison Hammock, a pine rockland along the old road following Cutler Ridge.
Florida HikesSandra Friend & John Keatley