Bahia Honda, a Key's Gem

 We stayed at Bahia Honda State Park (pronounced Bay) four nights of our trip. We had only planned to stay for the first two nights but we loved it so much we changed our whole vacation around to go back for the end of our trip. Bahia Honda is about sixty miles down Route 1 in the Keys, or coming from Key West, thirty eight miles north. 

  The park has shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean to the south and the protected Florida Bay on its northern shore. There are two campgrounds separated by the low clearance of the Route 1 bridge above. The campground we stayed at is called Bayside Campground. It only has a few tent sites. The cost to rent a site is $40 plus a seven dollar reservation fee. Fifty dollars is a lot for a campsite, especially a state owned tent site, but still, cheap lodging for the Keys. 

   We spent time in three different sites. All of them are on the water. The sites are so close to the water that one of them floods on a moon tide. The view from the campground and other parts of the park are awesome. 

Yellow flags mean to use caution while 
in the water. Overseas Highway in the 
background

   You can snorkel/swim in both the Atlantic and the Bay. There are buoy's a couple hundred feet out that keep boats from running over snorkelers on the ocean side. On the bayside, there are ropes you have to stay inside. The snorkeling is far better on the ocean side. There is a distinct line where the tan sand meets the green eelgrass. The water is only about 4-7 feet and in many places you can touch bottom.  Once you snorkel out to the eelgrass, you never know what you will see. I snorkeled in the eelgrass for an hour one day. I found a huge live Conch, Schoolmaster Snapper, a Pipefish (which is basically an elongated seahorse with Seahorse face), and a bunch of other colorful small fish. 

   I wanted to snorkel the ocean again the following day but it was too rough. So I snorkeled the bayside. The eelgrass did not have as much life. However the jetty had a lot of fish around the rocks including a big school of Yellowtail Snapper. 

 

Barracuda twenty feet from our tent!

     If you want to see fish but are afraid to snorkel, not to worry. The water right along our campsite was loaded with small to medium size fish. There were two small Barracuda living there. Also around were Sargent Majors, Parrotfish, and Porkfish. There were other fish that we could not identify. These fish were in ten inches of water and easy to see from the shoreline. 

   Whether you are a camper or their for a daytrip, there is plenty to do. as I said, you can swim and snorkel on both sides of the park. Fishing is also allowed. I saw multiple people fish especially during the night. There is a marina where you can rent snorkel equipment. You can also take a boat ride out to Looe Key, the premier snorkeling spot on the coral reef (the weather never lined up with me to do that). You can also buy food at the marina along with clothes and gift shop stuff. 

Bahia Honda is close to other cool spots. The Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge is a few minutes to the south. To the north past the Seven Mile Bridge is the town of Marathon. all of the touristy things are there from restaurants to expensive golf courses. There are places to rent an do all sorts of water acrivities like rent a boat, deep sea fishing, jet skis, and many more. 

  Lastly, Key West is only an hour away. You can easily do a daytrip or more to KW without any trouble. 

 

   I should also point out  I did a little birding at BH. I got a photo upgrade of a Kestrel that seems to live there. I saw my first ever Magnificent Frigatebird that flew over from the bay to the ocean. I saw and got photo upgrades of Yellow Throated Warbler which is very rare to see in Rhode Island. I also looked for a couple of hours for White Winged Doves which were spotted in between the beginning of the trip and the end, but I couldn't find them. 

   All in all, Bahia Honda is one of the best places I have ever been. There is a lot to do  if you like water or fish. The campground is awesome (though, if the wind wasn't blowing, we did get bit by no-seeums). The rangers were really nice. Basically, it is paradise.