National Key Deer Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
3,296 acres8.8 mi of trail
Watson TrailMannillo Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Big Pine Key
50% of Big Pine Key’s land is conserved, and virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 50% of Big Pine Key’s land is conserved, about 3,247 acres. 15 miles of mapped trail cross Big Pine Key, 1.5 per square mile of land.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #3 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
50%
3,247 acres · of 10.2 sq mi of land
Trails
15 mi
1.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
373 ac
88 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
9.7 mi
8.6 mi lanes · 1.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
1 beach · 3 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Big Pine Key?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Big Pine Key have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Big Pine Key is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #3 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs put Big Pine Key near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Big Pine Key’s overall grade.
Conserved land50% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails1.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (15 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4APark land88 acres of park per 1,000 residents (373 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13AParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)#3 of 638
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is National Key Deer Refuge, with 8.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;Florida Department of Environmental Protection
142 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Pine Channel Nature Park
Managed by Monroe County
9 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
3,247 conserved acres
50% of Big Pine Key’s land. Who manages Big Pine Key’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service6,033 ac
County206 ac
Other state land17 ac
Private owners3 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 6,033 acLocal Other or Unknown · 195 acState Park · 17 acLocal Park · 14 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Key Deer Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 5,756 | Restricted |
| Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 278 | Restricted |
| Monroe County Managed Areas Local Other or Unknown | County | 195 | Open |
| Florida Keys Overseas Heritage State Trail State Park | Other state land | 17 | Open |
| Big Pine Key Park Local Park | County | 8 | Open |
| Community Park Local Park | Private owners | 3 | Open |
| Blue Heron Park Local Park | County | 2 | Open |
| Palm Villa Park Local Park | County | 1 | Open |
Things to do
9 places to go in Big Pine Key
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Big Pine Key
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Big Pine Key
2 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Big Pine Key
Eden Pines Neighborhood Boat RampIn National Key Deer Refuge
DirectionsPlus 2 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Big Pine Key
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Big Pine Key
Big Pine Key RV Park
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 3.2 mi
Watson Trail0.7 mi
Mannillo Trail0.1 mi
Sandy Circle0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
9.7 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
8.6 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Tennis
2Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Basketball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Big Pine Key
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.8 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 12.7 | 13.3 | 13.7 | 13.5 | 13.0 | 12.3 | 11.5 | 10.9 | 10.6 |
| High (°F) | 76 | 78 | 80 | 83 | 86 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 89 | 86 | 81 | 78 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 5.6 | 7.1 | 5.4 | 1.9 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.7 in) and August the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 7.1 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Big Pine Key →
Questions about parks and trails in Big Pine Key
Where can I hike in Big Pine Key?
The longest trail networks: National Key Deer Refuge, 8.8 miles; Big Pine Key Park, 0.5 miles; Pine Channel Nature Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Big Pine Key is conserved land?
50% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Big Pine Key’s trails?
National Key Deer Refuge and Big Pine Key Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Big Pine Key?
9.7 miles of bike routes are on the map: 8.6 of painted or protected lanes and 1.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Big Pine Key?
1,588 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Big Pine Key or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 373 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Big Pine Key have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #3 of 638 in Florida. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Big Pine Key neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →