Florida Keys Road Trip: 3 Days by Bridge
113 miles of bridges over turquoise water.
The Florida road trip most people mean: three days down the Overseas Highway from Miami to Key West, with bridge stops and the truth on hurricane season.
If there is one Florida road trip that justifies the car, it is this one: 113 miles of the Overseas Highway hopping 44 bridges from the mainland to Key West, with water on both sides for most of it. Everything on the Keys is addressed by mile marker, counting down from MM 106 at Key Largo to MM 0 in Key West, and locals give directions that way: worth knowing before someone tells you the restaurant is at MM 81 bayside.
Three days is the right length. The driving is only three hours in total, but the road is a single lane each way for long stretches with nowhere to overtake, and the point is to stop: at Bahia Honda, at the old Seven Mile Bridge, at whichever key you decide to swim off.
You trade Miami traffic for sawgrass and coral: gators by morning, glass-bottom reef views by afternoon.
A 15 km detour off US-1 brings you into the park entrance before continuing to the Keys.
Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center · Homestead
A short detour into the northern Everglades gives you sawgrass prairie views and a real taste of the park without a long hike.
💡 Stop at the visitor center for a quick boardwalk trail — Anhinga Trail is flat and easy, great for gators and birds.
Everglades National Park Outstanding Florida Water, 40001 State Hwy 9336, Homestead
You're now in Key Largo itself, and the park sits right along the highway.
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
The first undersea park in the US — glass-bottom boat tours reveal coral reef and marine life without diving.
💡 Book the glass-bottom boat tour ahead — afternoon slots sell out in high season.
Key Largo
Alabama Jacks
A classic waterside seafood shack on Card Sound Road, known for conch fritters and open-air Keys atmosphere.
58000 Card Sound Rd, Key Largo
Overnight in Key Largo, FL
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Key Largo, FL · $$
Booking happens on the partner's site.
- Book Pennekamp's glass-bottom boat tour online in advance, especially in winter season.
- Fill up on gas in Florida City — stations thin out once you're deep in the Keys.
- No toll roads on this route, but Card Sound Road is a scenic free alternative to US-1.
- Robert Is Here+3 mi
Famous fruit stand near Florida City with legendary milkshakes and exotic fruit — a fun roadside stop.
- Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge+6 mi
Quiet, little-visited refuge near Key Largo good for birding and a peaceful walk.
Bridges and wildlife carry the day — tarpon at the docks by late morning, the ocean-spanning Seven Mile Bridge by dusk.
Anne's Beach · Florida Keys Outstanding Florida Water
A quiet mangrove-lined beach with a boardwalk — a lovely easy stop for shallow water views.
💡 Best visited near low tide when the sandbar is exposed.
Florida Keys Outstanding Florida Water
Robbie's of Islamorada · Islamorada
Famous for hand-feeding the huge tarpon that gather at the docks — a memorable, easy wildlife encounter.
💡 Buy a small bucket of bait fish at the dock to feed the tarpon.
77522 Overseas Hwy, Islamorada
The bridge comes into view right as you leave Marathon proper — impossible to miss.
Seven Mile Bridge
One of the most iconic bridges in the US, spanning open ocean between Marathon and the Lower Keys — a defining Keys image.
💡 Pull over at the Pigeon Key side for the best photo of the bridge's full length.
Florida Keys Outstanding Florida Water, Seven Mile Bridge
Turtle Hospital
A working sea turtle rehabilitation center offering guided tours — a genuine, low-impact wildlife experience.
💡 Book the guided tour ahead — group sizes are limited and slots fill early in the day.
2396 Overseas Hwy, Marathon
Overnight in Marathon, FL
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Marathon, FL · $$
Booking happens on the partner's site.
- Marathon hotels along US-1 have their own parking — no restricted zones to worry about.
- Fuel up before Seven Mile Bridge — no stations on the bridge itself.
- Anne's Beach and Robbie's Marina are both free/cheap easy stops, good for stretching legs.
- Curry Hammock State Park+5 mi
Uncrowded beach and mangrove trails, good for kite-surfers and a quiet nature walk.
- Sombrero Beach+3 mi
Local favorite beach in Marathon with calm water and picnic areas, less crowded than Keys hotspots.
Deer at dawn, then the road runs out at the Southernmost Point — you end the trip with your feet in the sand.
National Key Deer Refuge Nature Center · Big Pine Key
Home to the endangered Key deer, a tiny subspecies found nowhere else — an easy drive-through nature stop.
💡 Drive slowly at dawn or dusk when deer are most active near the road.
30587 Overseas Hwy, Big Pine Key
Southernmost Point of the Continental U.S.A.
The iconic marker at the edge of the continental US — the trip's natural finish line.
💡 Go early morning to avoid the long photo line that forms by mid-day.
1400 Whitehead St, Key West
Just a short drive from the buoy to the park's entrance at the island's western edge.
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park Beach
A quiet beach and shaded park at Key West's tip, with clear water and a calm, uncrowded shoreline.
💡 Best swimming beach in Key West — bring your own umbrella, shade is limited.
601 Howard England Way, Key West
Half Shell Raw Bar
A casual, no-frills seafood spot on the historic waterfront, known for fresh local catch.
231 Margaret St, Key West
- Key West's Old Town has limited parking — many hotels offer free lots, check before booking.
- Mallory Square gets busy at sunset — Fort Zachary Taylor is a calmer beach alternative.
- Key Deer Refuge roads have low speed limits strictly enforced — go slow.
- Bahia Honda State Park+2 mi
Some of the best beaches in the Keys with turquoise water, right along the route before Key West.
- Blue Hole+1 mi
A former quarry turned freshwater pond where alligators sometimes appear, an easy stop in the Key Deer Refuge area.
Make this trip your own
Plan your own road trip →This route was drafted with AI. Please double-check roads, opening hours and local conditions before you go.
Made with Roadanza
What will the fuel cost?
This route covers 168 mi. Put your own car's consumption and local fuel price in and you'll have the number in a few seconds.
Work it out for this route →Questions, answered
- How long does it take to drive the Overseas Highway?
- About three and a half hours non-stop from Miami to Key West, and a full day if you stop the way you should. Traffic on a winter weekend, or roadworks on one of the bridges, can add an hour with no warning and no way around it.
- When is the best time for a Florida Keys road trip?
- March to May, and November into early December: warm water, dry weather, and prices below the winter peak. Hurricane season runs June to November with the real risk concentrated in August to October, and January to March is the busiest and most expensive stretch of the year.
- Where should I stop between Miami and Key West?
- Bahia Honda State Park for the best beach on the chain, the Seven Mile Bridge for the drive itself, Islamorada for the fishing towns, and Big Pine Key for the Key deer, which are the size of a large dog and wander onto the road at dusk.
- Do I need to book accommodation in the Keys?
- Yes. The islands are narrow, the room count is fixed, and Key West sells out weeks ahead in the winter season and on any holiday weekend. Camping at Bahia Honda opens 11 months in advance and goes almost immediately.
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