Elliott Key

Elliott Key is Biscayne National Park’s largest island, a narrow strip of hardwood hammock and mangrove shore between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic. It is about seven miles long and only 2,500 feet across at its widest. Come for a boat-access day, a night at the campground, or a walk through the island’s history. There is no ferry, so arrange your boat transport before you go.

The north-end harbor has 33 boat slips, but water depth falls to about 2½ feet at low tide; check your draft before heading in. Swimming is not allowed inside boat harbors. In the developed campground and marina area you’ll find picnic tables, barbecue grills, restrooms with sinks, cold-water showers and drinking water. There are no sales facilities, so bring food and backup water, and pack out your trash. Leashed pets are limited to developed areas and cannot be left unattended or taken into buildings.

The roughly one-mile loop starts near the campground and harbor, passes through tropical hardwood hammock and beside mangroves, then reaches an Atlantic-facing boardwalk at Point Adelle before returning through the developed area. Trails can be overgrown in places. For a longer walk, Spite Highway runs down the key, with routes to Atlantic-facing shore and Biscayne Bay viewpoints. Those coastal outlooks take a real hike; the short loop is the easy way to sample the island.

The island separates sheltered bay water from the open Atlantic. The harbor and campground sit on the Biscayne Bay side; the Point Adelle boardwalk looks east across the ocean. Mangrove shoreline and shaded hardwood hammock make the mile between them feel more like a walk through a small forest than a beach stroll. For a clear Atlantic view, continue to the boardwalk rather than stopping at the harbor.

Elliott Key once held a pioneer community whose residents farmed pineapples, worked as spongers and salvaged shipwrecks. In the 1960s, developers cut a six-lane-wide, seven-mile swath through the key in an attempt to damage the land before protection. It became known as Spite Highway. After Biscayne National Monument was established in 1968, tropical hardwoods grew over the cut, turning it into a tunnel-like hiking corridor through the forest.

Mosquitoes and no-see-ums are prevalent year-round, and can be especially troublesome in warm, sheltered areas. Carry repellent, water and everything you need for the day; supplies and trash collection are not available on the island.