We visited here Monday Februrary 1, 2026. Located at mile marker 102.5 Key Largo near the northern…read moreend of the Florida Keys (mile marker 0 is on Key West). This is a multi-use Florida State Park. There is a visitor center w/ a 30,000 gallon aquarium & other educational resources. The park has a concession stand, general store (picnic, watersports, ice, etc), restrooms, dive shop, a swim beach, snorkeling tours & rentals, scuba tours, kayaking & rentals, paddleboarding & canoe rentals, & glass bottom boat tours. Also short hikes. Handicap/wheelchair access is available on tours. Open everyday 8am-sunset, visitor center & concessions 8am-5pm. Lots to do here for a family day adventure. Thank you to the staff. Nick & Liz, Albany, NY, USA

Admission fee $4.50 ea, things to do for free - picnic, swim in the lagoon and walk on the nature…read moretrails. There is canoe, kayak and paddleboard rentals in the park next to the public restroom. Double kayak for $55/4hours. It's fun to kayak in the mangrove jungle with clear water. We saw lot of fish while kayaking. There are two kayak routes, each about 1.5 to 2 hours, we were given the laminated map and kayak follow the route. remember to wear hat and bring water, as some of the routes are pretty hot.

I'd say bulldoze it down, but they already are…read more Limited parking, homeless people gathering there, crazy people singing to themselves and probably gators in the water. Skip it.

Looks like the renovations are almost complete, plenty of green space I saw a few dogs and their…read moreowners playing catch, the grassy areas are luscious and there is a small sea wall along the water's edge with a few access points that allows you to enter the water. Once you approach the water the parking is perpendicular to the road and all grass, there are some low areas throughout the park that holds water so I'd recommend wearing footwear that can get wet and still protect your feet, the sand is rocky and the concrete has sharp edges. Unless you have some pre-planned activities you probably won't hang out after getting some step in and enjoying the view, there are a few picnic tables scattered around without shelter...

We were driving around the area looking for a spot by the water to sit in the sunshine. Driving…read moredown US 1 we passed a sign that said Harry Harris park. Just a small road sign that you could easily miss unless you were paying attention. We turned around and followed the road back to the park, maybe 1/2 mile back off US1. The park has a attendant to pay for access, but no one was there so we were glad to save a bit of money. Parked the car and we went out to the beach and sat in the sun for a couple hours. Park has restrooms, picnic tables, grills, basketball hoops, playground area and a walkway to the water. Nice little park and was exactly what we were looking for. Saw several people stop and eat lunch and I'm sure they were as happy as we were to find this park. We were there on February 6, 2026.

A nice place to picnic, walk your dog, or just relax by the water. It was a bit run down, and the…read morenormal admission fee wasn't collected. The beach is small and the water protected, making it a fun place for children to play in the water. However, it's not ideal for swimming. Definitely worth the trip.

If hindsight were a thing, I'd probably want to redo my 1st experience of Molasses Reef as a…read moresnorkeling trip.  Unfortunately, I actually went there initiallly via a glass-bottom boat tour, and as a result we saw virtually no fish :-( Maybe it wasn't the boat but the time of day we went - regardless, I expected to see tons of different fish, but I actually saw less than a hundred of maybe three different species... It also might have been the fact that the boat's engines were so loud that they scared off a majority of the fish we might have seen.  Whatever the actual cause, I suggest that you skip the boat tour and come here to snorkel instead.

My buddy and my best night dive ever - multiple sharks and eels, including a free-swimming one…read more Just about everything else you'd want in a dive - a ray and octopus, an 1887 wreck. The reef has fantastical shapes which provide ledges, holes and lots of growth for the fish. In addition, the water had bioluminescence (turn your lights off)

The Good: a good length of flat paved pathway that would accommodate those with wheelchairs, mostly…read moreshady, fresh air, lots of benches along yellow path. Good place for dogs and baby buggies. The Meh: the only thing to see is a rock wall. We saw 1 small bird, one small lizard in the parking lot, some berries & deer poop. Yeah there's plenty of botanical specimens if that means trees. If you're looking for flowers or wildlife, you might be disappointed.

Nice trails to walk, no bugs in February, small parking lot, an employee in a truck told us to pay…read morea fee with an envelope, put it in the box, so we did, just $2.50, we had the cash. He left. So we walk in and look at the map, there's trails to walk, a river to see. We didn't know what to expect, but we weren't seeing much of anything to write home about, so we decided to go off trail to get a closer look at a pretty little stream nearby. Just then a woman in a yellow vest comes walking out of the brush calling out, "Don't worry, I'm a human, not an animal!" She was the most interesting thing we'd seen so far, so we asked her if she worked at the park and she told us the most fascinating story. She's a python hunter! She catches invasive python snakes with her bare hands and puts them in the bags she had tied around her waist, takes them back to a place where they humanely euthanize them, and then the hunter has the option to collect the skins, which she does and makes jewelry out of it. She gets more money catching pythons in the Keys rather than the Everglades because the Keys are harder to get to and find the snakes. She told us more about her life and story to go into here, but I just want to say that while I was polite and listened to her, I am animal rights activist so I am 100% against catching even invasive animals and killing them. Hopefully one day we'll come up with a better solution to this problem. We didn't see any snakes while we were in the park, but just know that they are there. She said they'll probably scurry away from you, but some are big enough to take down and eat whole deer and gators. If you run into her there and she finds a gigantic snake, she may call on you to help her catch it. At least, that's what she told us.

This is a nifty little state park that has some nice manicured trails and tons of examples of coral…read morefossils in the stone. They used this area as a quarry for stone to use in construction in the early 20th century. There is an entire guide that the rangers can give you which covers not only the history of the area, but all of the plant species, and the different kinds of fossils you can find. This can be a fun stop on a road trip if you like geology and this kind of thing.

This little noun and yet amazing State Park is definitely worth a visit. I don't know why more…read morepeople don't come here, except maybe because there's a lot of mosquitoes. There's trails to walk, and exhibits related to the flora and Fana, wildlife, and of course the quarry, and the machinery used to mine coral for use in building. You can either take a tour with the guide or you can get a book from the Ranger and walk around with the book and read the descriptions at each of the plaques. There are something like 75 around the park, some have only a paragraph or two about what you're seeing, others have several pages.

What a find!! Just wanted a place to sit near the water and read a book. Decided to check it out so…read moreI went for a drive. Well, if you live in this town or staying at a place here on Islamorada. This place is free. Great place for a walk, sit and yes read a book or even go into the water...FREE. The beach is very clean, sandy and also has some tables. Can't beat free.

AWESOME beach wow. Crystal clear water. Clean bathrooms. Charcoal grills, pavilions, wheel chair…read moreramp right onto the beach. Would be a great spot to have a family gathering or children's birthday party. The actual park is massive. There is a marina, tennis courts, Olympic size pool, soccer field. The beach is a decent size and has ropes with buoys on them at about 5 ft. I saw ppl go under the ropes and swim out. I also saw paddleboarders in the distance. Saw some cool fish. There is seaweed under the water. On the bottom of the ocean. Would be fun to be scuba gear! Sand is soft no water shoes needed. Also an outdoor shower near bathrooms :) if you are staying on islamorada show them your reservation for free access to the park. Otherwise I think it's $8 per adult.

This is a nice stop to stretch your legs, walk to a small beach or go to the Islamorada Visitor's…read moreCenter. The person behind the counter of the Visitor's Center was extremely helpful on the best way to spend 1-2 hours in the area. Next to the beach, they were holding a yoga class with a lot of people in attendance. There is a playground and a swimming pool (not open in February). This is a nice park and would be especially fun for a family with kids.

Went here for the beach area and to walk around the park to get some exercise. Free admission with…read moreproof of stay in the area. Beach area is very nice with shady spots over by picnic tables with bbq grills. Lots of room to sunbathe and even have showers and a restroom by the beach. No alcohol or dogs allowed on beach. The park also has a small and large dog park if bringing your pet with you to the keys and want to let them run around. There is a pool as well but did not check into how much it would be for the day to go to the pool as our hotel had a pool. Pretty nice park to stop and see if staying in islamorada.

We purchased our tickets online for the Glass Bottom Boat Tour which allowed us to pick the day and…read moretime and avoid the check-in lines at the park once we arrived, we also have our Florida State Park annual pass which allows easy entry into Pennekamp Park. We found a seat under the blue tent next to the dock which is used to stage the guess, they start boarding 15 minutes before the departure time and it's really a simple task even though they still manually check-in each guest as you board the vessel verses simply scanning the QR Code on the ticket or app. The 65' Catamaran is clean and spacious and the crew is extremely friendly, the tour guides are very knowledgeable and bubbly so they make every effort to make it fun. You can bring your non-alcoholic beverages on board since they no longer operate the snack bar, they do have (2) heads at the rear of the boat (restrooms). Once the boat leaves the dock it's a slow ride through the mangrove lined canal to the open water, the no wake zone continues until you pass the last navigational buoys, then he kick it up to about 18 knots until he approaches the reef I think that ride was about 25 minutes, it a nice relaxing ride, the interior cabin is air conditioned but the real adventure is on the open air top deck where the breeze is refreshing and you get the real outdoorsy experience. Once the boat arrives at the reef the captain brings the vessel to an idle and the viewing wells turn crystal clear exposing another world, the water depth over the coral reef is between 10' - 25' and the tour guide explains the viewing well numbering system so you know where to look while she explains what the boat is crossing over - she is very knowledgeable and explains everything you see - all the colorful fish and sea-life which is abundant as well as the coral types and objects that rest on the bottom. The tour runs about 2.5 hours and they take no short cuts so you get the total experience. They allow just enough time to get you back to the dock on time and honestly as much as I enjoyed it I was ready for it to be over, the ride back was not as exciting as the ride out and I found myself looking at my watch often - I thought it was a good value and worth the time but once is probably enough for me - the boat was about half filled so it wasn't crowded with about a third being kids and there's no doubt they loved it...

What a nice ride! We were afraid the weather wouldn't let us go! Thanks Mother Nature!…read moreEverything was on time. Clean boat, pleasant guides! In fact, the guide who described the plants & aquatic life while we were cruising over the reef was amazing! Knowledgeable & quick to identify what she saw & its location. They gave lots of info on avoiding seasickness & I didn't see anyone suffering. We took a camera but there wasn't a need. Cell phones are enough. I used my binoculars & only used them a bit to see birds in the mangroves. You can take plastic bottled drinks on board. You might not want to wear a hat. We stood on the front deck & it was perfect. It's with the $36 ticket for a 2.5 hr. excursion. Masks required inside.

Stopped by while waiting for lunch from the Cuban food truck next door. While wrestling my 23-…read moremonth old daughter in the parking lot, Capt. Jack called us in and offered a bunch of toys for my daughter to play with while we wait. What a great business owner!

BAD is the operative word here. It's been a year since I stopped in at Captain Bad Bait and Tackle…read more The guy was so rude and disrespectful with customers. I could hear him cussing up a storm. I got what I needed and left. I don't care what live bait they have. It's not the only place around.