Long Key State Park

Infobox_protected_area
name = Long Key State Park
iucn_category = Ib

---

caption =
locator_x = 233
locator_y = 172
location = Monroe County, Florida, USA
nearest_city = Long Key, Florida
lat_degrees = 24
lat_minutes = 49
lat_seconds = 01
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 80
long_minutes = 49
long_seconds = 12
long_direction = W
area = 965 acres
established =
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Long Key State Park is a 965 acre Florida State Park located on Long Key, one of the Florida Keys, at mile marker 67.5 on U.S. 1, 67400 Overseas Highway.

History

Prehistoric coral reefs grew here over the course of millennia, when the sea level was over 20 feet deeper. The remnants came to form Long Key, and the rest of the Florida Keys.

The climate and waters provided abundant plant and aquatic life for the Calusa, who settled in the area long before Spanish explorers arrived.

"Cayo Vivora", or Rattlesnake Key, is what the first Spaniards called the island, since to them it resembled a snake with its jaws open.

By the early twentieth century, Long Key became an important depot for the completed of the Florida East Coast Railroad. The railroad's founder, Henry Flagler, also established the Long Key Fishing Camp, a resort that attracted the greatest saltwater fishermen from around the world. But it did not last for long, when in 1935, the Labor Day hurricane devastated the Club, the railroad, and much of the Keys.

The land that came to comprise the park was acquired between 1961 and 1973, with the official opening in 1969.

Biology

Plant life here originated in the Caribbean or West Indies. There are many types of trees and shrubs, some being mangrove, mahogany, Jamaica dogwood ("Piscidia piscipula"), poisonwood ("Metopium toxiferum"), the gumbo-limbo ("Bursera simaruba") and crabwood ("Gymnanthes lucida").

The shallow waters are a haven for saltwater fish and other marine life. Numerous wading birds can be seen, especially during the winter.

Wildlife gallery

Recreational activities

Activities include swimming, snorkeling, canoeing, and picnicing, as well asfull facility camping, hiking, and wildlife viewing. Amenities include three nature trails (one canoe, two on land), picnic areas, and 60 full-facility campsites.

Hours

The park is open from 8:00 am till sundown year round.

External links

* [http://www.floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm Long Key State Park] at [http://www.floridastateparks.org Florida State Parks]
* [http://www.stateparks.com/long_key.html Long Key State Park] at [http://www.stateparks.com State Parks]
* [http://www.abfla.com/parks/LongKey/longkey.html Long Key State Park] at [http://www.abfla.com Absolutely Florida]
* [http://areas.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaID=FLSPLK&CU_ID=1 Long Key State Park] at [http://www.wildernet.com Wildernet]