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All 75 Islamorada Attractions »

Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park

Mile Marker 84.5, Windley Key, Islamorada, FL 33036
305-664-2540
Ranked #11 of 20 attractions in Islamorada
4.0 of 5 stars 17 Reviews
Type: Geologic Formations, Parks, Nature/ Wildlife Areas
Activities: Hiking
Description: Nature trails and fossilized coral reefs are the highlights of this park.
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17 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    5
    6
    4
    2
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Date Rating
islamorada
Contributor
12 reviews 12 reviews
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 1, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

My kid had wanted to see this for years and we finally made it. What an interesting combination of nature and mankind in one place. The hammocks have nice boardwalks and are well labeled. But the main attraction is the remnants of Flagler's quarry. A few pieces of machinery survive as well as the quarry itself. Again, the self guided... More

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Salem, VA
Top Contributor
56 reviews 56 reviews
Reviews in 22 cities Reviews in 22 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 3, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Another great state park. Little heralded, but most interesting. There are several self-guided walks through the old quarry including one of Flagler's. Lots of old equipment. This is how most homes were first built in the keys, from "key stone" limestone quarried here. Closed Tues/Weds. Guided tours on Sat/Sun. Don't miss this. More

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Paris, France
Senior Contributor
35 reviews 35 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 29, 2012

No beach, but very pleasant trails thru the woods with explanations of plants & fauna etc, cooler than in the sun and educating! More

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Grassy Key, Florida
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 20, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

amazing history and nature, the explanations of the geological formations is very good More

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Lakewood, CO
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed February 19, 2012
3
people found this review helpful

The weather turned a tad cool for water sports on a Sunday, so we set out driving south from Key Largo to see what we might find. My husband spotted the brown sign of Windley Key Fossil Reef around Milemarker 85 and we turned in to see what it might hold. The parking lot held a number of cars, so... More

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PA
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed February 11, 2012
2
people found this review helpful

A lovely stop en route through the Keys, including wooded walks, a nature center and displays and education on the fossils embedded in the coral rock taken from this site. If you need animatronics and cafeterias, skip this. But if you want to get off the beaten path and discover a bit more about the locale, this is a quick... More

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Washington DC, District of Columbia
Senior Contributor
38 reviews 38 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
42 helpful votes 42 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 27, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We enjoyed this area much more than we thought we would. Plan to spend a couple of hours here wandering around. As of January 2012 the cost to hike the trails and see the fossils is a mere $2 per person. We spent about 2 1/2 hours wandering the trails and then looking at all the neat coral that’s fossilized... More

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rome ga
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
21 helpful votes 21 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed January 22, 2012

A great day visit to enjoy the nature and natural flora and fauna of the Keys. Spend several hours hiking and looking at the history of this Quarry and state park. More

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Washington DC, District of Columbia
Senior Contributor
24 reviews 24 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed January 3, 2012

No beach views but interesting look at how Florida Keys infrastructure developed. More

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Bethesda, MD
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed December 26, 2011

We were coming down from Miami and it was about 3:30 PM. I knew we wouldnt make any other tours/sites, so when I saw the sign for this park, and took one look inside the visitor center at the view of the quarry, I knew my 3 y.o., a budding geologist perhaps, would love it, so we stopped and ended... More

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