Exploring The Ket: A Drive And Time Commitment

Driving through the Florida Keys offers a unique experience, with its stunning coastal views, deep blue waters, and unforgettable sunsets. The 110-mile stretch of road can be covered in about two hours without stops, but why rush when there is so much to explore? From Key Largo to Key West, the route is dotted with interesting destinations and natural wonders. The journey can take anywhere from three to five hours with stops, depending on traffic and the number of detours you choose to make. So, get ready to put the top down, cue some tunes, and enjoy the ride as you cruise through this tropical paradise.

Driving from Key Largo to Key West takes around 2.5 hours

The Florida Keys feature beautiful island resorts, deep blue waters, and unforgettable sunsets. The archipelago stretches for miles and miles south of the Florida coast, all the way down to Cuba. The Overseas Highway, which runs from Key Largo to Key West, offers one of the most scenic driving experiences in the world. It takes you over the Seven-Mile Bridge and past endless coral reefs and small islands.

If you're looking for a quick road trip, you could make it to Key West and back in one day. But if you want to take your time and enjoy everything the Florida Keys have to offer, you might want to spend a few days exploring the area. There are plenty of great stops along the way, including:

• Alabama Jack's, a waterside seafood shack serving some of the best conch fritters around.
• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, where you can explore the marine life and go snorkelling or kayaking.
• Islamorada, a series of six small islands with great restaurants serving fresh seafood and shellfish.
• Marathon, home to the Dolphin Research Centre, an aquarium where you can feed stingrays, and the Crane Point Museum and Nature Centre, which includes a wild bird sanctuary.
• Bahia Honda State Park, a 524-acre nature reserve tucked between the Atlantic and the Gulf.

So if you're planning a trip to the Florida Keys, give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the drive and take in the sights. It's definitely worth the journey!

The Overseas Highway is the only road to span the entire chain

Driving through the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West, the southernmost point in the continental United States, takes about two hours. However, a proper Florida Keys tour should take longer, allowing for stops at interesting destinations along the way.

The Overseas Highway is the only road that spans the entire chain of the Florida Keys. This 113-mile (181.9 km) scenic highway is a section of U.S. Route 1 and includes 42 bridges over the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. The route is known for its exotic roadway through a tropical savanna environment, providing access to the largest area of coral reefs on the U.S. mainland.

The Overseas Highway was built on the former right-of-way of the Overseas Railroad, also known as the Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railway, which was completed in 1912. After the Labor Day hurricane in 1935, the railroad was heavily damaged, and the Florida East Coast Railway lacked the funds to rebuild it. As a result, the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the state of Florida, which constructed the Overseas Highway.

The Overseas Highway offers a unique driving experience, with the road becoming more bridge than highway in some sections. The route is characterised by the Keys' ubiquitous kitsch, including a giant spiny lobster presiding over a local arts village, lipsticked manatees clutching mailboxes, and hand-painted mermaids. The highway also passes through charming communities, offering a blend of eccentric bohemia and chic joie de vivre.

The drive from Key Largo to Key West can be done in a little over three hours, but it is recommended to take a more leisurely pace and make stops along the way to enjoy the unique attractions and natural beauty of the Florida Keys.

The drive from Miami to Key West takes around 4 hours

The drive from Miami to Key West can be done in less than 4 hours if you don't make any stops along the way. However, there are many interesting places to visit along the route, so you may want to allow for longer. The Florida Keys are a major tourist destination, known for their beautiful beaches and stunning coastal views. The islands offer island resorts, deep blue waters, unforgettable sunsets, and unique wildlife.

If you're planning to make a few stops along the way, it's recommended that you set aside 8 to 10 hours for the drive. This will give you enough time to explore some of the attractions and take advantage of the beautiful scenery. The drive can be done in a day, but if you want to take your time and make a few days of it, there are hotels and other accommodations available on the bigger islands.

• Key Largo: Known for its world-class snorkelling and diving, as well as parasailing, kayaking, and paddleboarding. It's also a great place to visit if you want to stay above water, with glass-bottom boat tours and wildlife centres.
• Islamorada: A series of six small islands with a reputation for great food and stunning views. It's also known for its sport fishing, and many restaurants will be happy to cook your catch for you.
• Marathon: This island is a haven for animal lovers, boasting a Dolphin Research Centre, an aquarium where you can feed stingrays, and the Crane Point Museum and Nature Centre, which includes a wild bird sanctuary. The highlight of Marathon is the Turtle Hospital, which rescues, rehabilitates, and releases sea turtles.

When planning your trip, keep in mind that the Overseas Highway can get very crowded, especially during weekends and holidays. The slowest part of the drive will likely be getting out of Miami, where rush hour runs from approximately 7 am to 9:30 am. The speed limits on the bridges and islands are also relatively low, with a maximum speed of 55 mph on the bridges and 45 mph on the islands.

The Florida Keys are also susceptible to tropical storms and hurricanes, especially in August and September. After a hurricane, access to some of the Keys may be temporarily cut off as the bridges are inspected for safety. So, if you're planning your trip during these months, it's a good idea to have a backup plan in case of inclement weather.

The Keys attract thousands of visitors, causing heavy traffic

The Florida Keys attract thousands of visitors, causing heavy traffic congestion, especially in the Upper Keys during the weekends. The Overseas Highway, the only road that connects the 120-mile island chain, is a popular route for tourists. The highway offers breathtaking water views as drivers move from island to island, and the trip can be completed in about two hours. However, heavy traffic and distracted drivers can cause delays, and a crash can bring everything to a standstill. The highway also passes through communities, with shopping centres and pedestrian crossings, and has a speed limit of 55 mph for most of the road.

The trip from Key Largo to Key West can take about 2.5 hours, and getting from Miami to Key Largo takes about two hours. The Overseas Highway includes 43 bridges, and the longest span is the Seven Mile Bridge, which is 6.79 miles long. The highway is filled with distractions, including the giant lobster statue in the Upper Keys, bridges, and clear ocean views. It is recommended that drivers avoid distractions, concentrate on the road, and pull over if they want to take in the sights.

The highway also has heavy traffic congestion during the week, and passing is only allowed in certain spots. Most of the highway is two lanes, and the speed limit varies along the route, with a maximum of 55 mph. In residential areas, such as Cudjoe Key and Big Coppitt in the Lower Keys, the speed limit drops to 45 mph. In the Middle Keys city of Marathon, the speed limit is 35 mph, and there is also a 35 mph limit zone at night on Big Pine Key to protect the endangered Key deer.

The Keys attract a variety of vehicles, including sports cars, rental cars, 18-wheelers, RVs, motorcycles, construction vehicles, and bicycles. Reckless or distracted drivers can be a hazard, and crashes can cause significant delays. It is important for drivers to be patient, obey the speed limits, and be prepared for a long drive, especially if they are towing a boat or travelling with tourists.

The Keys are a string of islands connected by one massive road

The Florida Keys are a string of islands connected by one massive road, the Overseas Highway, which is a 127-mile (204 km) section of U.S. 1. The islands are coral cays, forming an archipelago off the southern coast of Florida. The Keys begin about 15 miles (24 km) south of Miami and extend in a gentle arc south-southwest and then westward to Key West, the westernmost of the inhabited islands. The Overseas Highway runs from Key Largo in the north to Key West in the south, the southernmost point in the continental United States.

The Keys are connected by 42 bridges, including the impressive Seven Mile Bridge, which spans seven miles of open water. The Overseas Highway offers a unique road trip, with turquoise blue water and a subtropical, sometimes kitschy, flavour. The trip from Key Largo to Key West can be completed in about two hours, but a more leisurely drive, taking in some of the interesting destinations along the way, could take three hours or more.

The Keys have a rich history and were originally inhabited by the Calusa and Tequesta tribes. They were first charted by Juan Ponce de León in 1513, who named the islands Los Martires ("The Martyrs") as they looked like suffering men from a distance. The name "Key" is derived from the Spanish word "cayo", meaning small island. For many years, the Keys were only accessible by water, but this changed with the completion of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railway in the early 1910s. Flagler, a major developer of Florida's Atlantic coast, extended his Florida East Coast Railway down to Key West, creating an ambitious series of oversea railroad trestles.

The Keys offer a range of attractions and activities for visitors, including diving and snorkelling on nearby coral reefs, sport fishing, and boat excursions. The islands are also home to unique animal species, such as the American crocodile and the Key deer, protected by the National Key Deer Refuge. The climate and environment of the Keys are closer to that of the Caribbean than the rest of Florida, with a tropical savanna climate.

Frequently asked questions