Long Key State Park

Day One • Day Two

Civil twilight came a little after 6am. What a tranquil, beautiful way to start the day.

Soon the sun was rising over the horizon as seabirds flew over the water and past the lone mangrove tree.

Clouds and the mangrove tree silhouette the rising sun.

The sailboat we could see during the night prepares to makeway under a "red sky at morning."

A mangrove seedling clings to life just offshore in the morning light.

Fish can be seen everywhere in the clear, warm water.

And where there are fish there are fishermen, such as this Little Blue Heron.

Willets are also looking for a morning meal.

White Ibises foraging among the shore plants.

Broad-wing Hawk perched on a dead tree, probably looking for lunch.


An elevated boardwalk allows visitors to walk though a mangrove swamp.

Tidal lagoon located off the boardwalk. The mangroves provide a critical protective habitat for young gamefish.

Canoes are a popular way to explore Long Key.

The Gulfstream as viewed from a break in the Golden Orb Trail.