Beach · Overseas Highway
A tiny mangrove-creek beach for a quick wade or kayak launch.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Overseas Highway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Overseas Highway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Overseas Highway audio tourRecorded for this area
Florida Keys Memorial: The Hurricane Monument“The Florida Keys Memorial is ahead in Islamorada, a short stop with a heavy story. Allow about ten minutes to read the dedication and look closely at the limestone monument, carved with a wave and wind-bent palms.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from Library Beach Park in the Parkwolf Overseas Highway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Library Beach Park is a small public beach and neighborhood park on the bayside at Mile Marker 81.5, behind the Helen Wadley Branch Library. It’s best as a playground-and-picnic break with a little water time; the sandy edge is narrow, so skip it if you want a roomy stretch of open beach. Turn onto Johnston Road from U.S. 1 to reach the entrance.
The sand faces a mangrove-lined creek channel rather than open surf. Visitors report wading and launching kayaks or paddleboards, but reports on swimming vary. Swimming is at your own risk, so treat the water as a bonus rather than the reason for a beach day. For a photo, put the sand and mangroves in the same frame to show the creekside setting.
A playground, shaded pavilion with grills, picnic tables and public restrooms make the park useful even if you skip a swim. If you want to eat, plan on the picnic setup. Dogs and fishing are prohibited, as are motor boats and personal watercraft.
Wildlife
18 sightingsCrocodileMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
255 sightingsAlligatorMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
55 sightingsManateeMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
70 sightingsCommon Bottlenose DolphinMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
51 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
1,120 sightingsKey DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Overseas Highway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyWindley Trail0.3 mi · 18 min · 3.4 mi awayA short loop pairs mangrove roots with a walk through fossil reef.
EasyFlagler Quarry Trail0.2 mi · 20 min · 3.4 mi awayA short loop through fossil coral and railroad history.
EasyQuarry Station Trail0.1 mi · 12 min · 3.4 mi awayRailroad ruins tucked into a quarry of fossil coral.EasyQuarry Walls Walk0.2 mi · 20 min · 3.4 mi awayA tiny loop through fossil coral and old quarry walls.
EasyGreen Hammock Trail0.5 mi · 36 min · 3.5 mi awayAn old quarry hides inside this half-mile hammock loop.
Sight · 0.1 mi awayFlorida Keys Memorial (Hurricane Monument)A short, sobering pause at the site of the Keys’ 1935 catastrophe.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayFlorida Keys Brewing CompanyA tasting flight and leafy beer garden make an easy Keys pause.
Restaurant · 0.4 mi awayLorelei Restaurant & Cabana BarA Florida Keys landmark for bayfront seafood and sunset views.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayFlorida Keys History & Discovery CenterKeys history, reef tanks and films about the railroad and hurricane.
Sight · 0.7 mi awaySouthwinds ParkA brief stop for Islamorada’s fishing heritage.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayGreen Turtle Hammock Nature PreserveA cottage, a hammock loop, and a kayak launch in one stop.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayHistory of Diving MuseumOld helmets and underwater machines make diving history tangible.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayTheater of the SeaA few hours of close-range shows, a lagoon beach, and railroad history.Parkwolf’s Overseas Highway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
