The Lower Keys are home to two national wildlife refuges, a national marine sanctuary and a state park, and are surrounded by a marine environment filled with abundant terrestrial and marine wildlife.
Established in 1957, the National Key Deer Refuge protects the endangered Key deer - a subspecies of the Virginia white-tailed deer, ranging in size between 45 and 80 pounds fully grown - and its habitat. Today the refuge encompasses more than 8,000 acres of prime Key deer territory ranging from Bahia Honda Key to the eastern shores of Sugarloaf Key, out to the edge of the Gulf of Mexico.
In the ocean waters off Big Pine Key, divers and snorkelers explore the spectacular coral and marine life of the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary. Established in 1981, the sanctuary is regarded as one of the best reefs for diving in the world. Each July, the Looe Key Sanctuary hosts a popular underwater music festival that promotes the preservation of the Keys coral reefs.
Since Dec. 5, 1998, divers have been exploring a new artificial reef approximately five miles southwest of Big Pine Key - the intentionally scuttled 210-foot former island freighter, the Adolphus Busch Senior.
Just north of the Lower Keys, the adjacent waters of the Gulf of Mexico offer refuge and breeding areas to great white herons and other migratory birds and wildlife in the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1938. The refuge features more than 375 square miles of open water and islands, and stretches from Key West to just north of the Seven Mile Bridge. White herons are North America's largest wading bird, and are only found in the Florida Keys and the South Florida mainland, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Visitors can access the area by kayaks or shallow-draft fishing boats.
Featuring one of the top 10 beaches in the United States as designated by several travel studies, Bahia Honda State Park on Bahia Honda Key, MM 37, offers camping, picnicking, watersports and beautiful beaches.
Camping is widely popular throughout the Lower Keys, with 14 campground and recreational vehicle parks to chose from. Outdoor activities in the Lower Keys include both inshore and offshore fishing, kayaking throughout the nearby shallow waters, birding, golfing and walking.
Big Pine Key is a half-hour drive from Marathon Airport; islands farther west are approximately the same distance from Key West International Airport. Alternately, Lower Keys visitors may fly into Miami International Airport and experience the beautiful drive across the many Keys bridges that link the island chain. For more information, call the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce at (800) 872-3722 or (305) 872-2411, or write the chamber at P.O. Box 511, Big Pine Key, FL 33043. Or, stop by the chamber offices at MM 31 bayside on Big Pine Key.
