Today we begin Island Hopping in the Florida Keys! We begin by driving to the very end – Key West. It’s a beautiful drive through bridges, palm trees, more bridges…. you get the point. It’s beautiful driving so close to the sea. As we enter the town of Key West, we notice something funny as we’re driving along. There are chickens and roosters running around free everywhere! That’s not something we expected at all! We headed to the Southernmost Point of the Continental US. We didn’t stay in Key West for very long after that. Most of the coastline was occupied by resorts, private homes, restaurants, marinas, sports shops, etc.
Island Hopping in the Florida Keys
Cocoa Plum Beach near the Deer Key. This public beach is perfect for a day on the beach. Parking is free, the washrooms are very clean, there’s even an outdoor shower. We enjoyed our time here.
We stopped to cook our lunch at Oceanfront Park in Marathon, Florida. We loved this park by the water. There was a lot of shade, lots of boardwalk paths to explore, and something we always appreciate – clean washrooms!
We went exploring in the Saddlebunch Keys, and found a great hiking trail at the end of Old State Road. It was quite cool, and a good day for a walk.
A popular spot for fishermen is Sammy Creek Landing in the Sugarloaf Keys. A great place also to stop for a little rest.
Our adventures in video!
Travel Distances and Boondock stops
Day 7
Distance Travelled: 107 km
More exploring than driving today.
Boondock stop: We drove to the end of Dorn Road in the Summerland Key. It turned out to be a perfect spot to spend the night. We had a couple of visitors as we were cleaning up our dinner. It’s pretty magical being so close to deer. The sunset was gorgeous, and the stars in the middle of the night were incredible. We loved this spot.
Day 8
Distance Travelled: 170 km
Lots of exploring today. We decided we have had enough of the Keys, so we drive until dusk. There was nowhere suitable for boondocking without invading anyone’s privacy, so we had a quick sleep in a supermarket parking lot.
Tomorrow we head to Miami Beach!
Stick with us on our Florida Road Trip from Toronto, and we’ll tell you about the places we find to sleep, the places we find to picnic and rest, the beaches we relax at, and the cities we visit.
Yours Truly …. Yula
