Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Managed by Florida State Parks
55 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trail signWebsite ↗
Photo: Radomianin · CC BY-SA 4.0AOutdoors
Outdoors in Key West
Key West has 13 miles of mapped trails, 2.3 for every square mile of land
95% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park (0.8 mi), Harvey Rest Beach Park (0.5 mi). 8% of Key West’s land is conserved, about 304 acres.
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns · #53 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
8%
304 acres · of 5.6 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
2.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
317 ac
12 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
95%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
25 mi
10 mi lanes · 8.6 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Key West?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Key West have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Key West is ahead of 88% of U.S. towns, #53 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Key West’s overall grade.
Conserved land8% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails2.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land12 acres of park per 1,000 residents (317 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home95% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 88%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 92%
Water is 22% of Key West’s area (2 of 7 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to 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 Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Harvey Rest Beach Park
Managed by Monroe County
20 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;Florida Department of Environmental Protection
818 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden
Managed by City of Key West
5 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 19 parks & preserves
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park55 acres · 0.8 mi of trail · Florida State Parks
DirectionsHarvey Rest Beach Park20 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · Monroe County
DirectionsFlorida Keys National Marine Sanctuary818 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;Florida Department of Environmental Protection
DirectionsLittle Hamaca Park14 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsIndigenous Park7 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsKey West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden5 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Key West
DirectionsBayview Park13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsNelson English City Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsTruman Waterfront Park25 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSmathers Beach9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKey West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden7 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMonroe County Parks & Beaches5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCB Harvey Rest Beach Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCozumel Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsKey West National Wildlife Refuge10 acres
Truman Waterfront Park Amphitheater7 acres
DirectionsHeritage Park3 acres
DirectionsPines Park2 acres
DirectionsSimonton Street Beach1 acres · City of Key West
DirectionsWho protects it
304 conserved acres
8% of Key West’s land. Water is left out: Key West has 5.6 square miles of land and 1.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Key West’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
County105 ac
Town or city89 ac
State parks55 ac
Other state land35 ac
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service20 ac
National Park Service1 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 99 acLocal Park · 60 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 55 acState Park · 35 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County Managed Areas Local Other or Unknown | County | 89 | Open |
| Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 55 | Open |
| Florida Keys Overseas Heritage State Trail State Park | Other state land | 35 | Open |
| Little Hamaca Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Key West National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 20 | Open |
| Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden Local Resource Management Area | Town or city | 14 | Open |
| Clarence S Higgs Memorial Park Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| George Smathers Beach Local Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Clarence S Higgs Memorial Beach Local Park | County | 7 | Open |
| Indigenous Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
75 places to go in Key West
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Key West
Dog Beach
DirectionsHiggs BeachIn Harvey Rest Beach Park
DirectionsHiggs BeachIn Harvey Rest Beach Park
DirectionsSouth Beach
DirectionsTruman BeachIn Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
DirectionsPlus 22 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Key West
Astro City PlaygroundIn Harvey Rest Beach Park
DirectionsSplash PadIn Truman Waterfront Park
DirectionsPlus 27 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Key West
Higgs Beach Dog ParkIn Harvey Rest Beach Park
DirectionsPlus 1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Key West
Boat Dock
DirectionsKey West City Marina at Garrison Bight
DirectionsPlus 8 boat launches without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Key West
Picnick AreaIn Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
DirectionsCampgrounds in Key West
Naval Air Station Key West Campground
DirectionsNaval Air Station Key West CampgroundFee · United States Navy MWR
DirectionsBiking & sports
25 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
10 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.6 mi
off-road bike paths
5.8 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
38Tennis
16Basketball
16Baseball
15Pickleball
8Beach volleyball
5Soccer
2Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →19 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 17 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Armory, TheBuilding · listed 1971
About itKey West Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1971
About itMartello Gallery-Key West Art and Historical MuseumBuilding · listed 1972
About itEduardo H. Gato HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itDr. Joseph Y. Porter HouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itOld Post Office and CustomshouseBuilding · listed 1973
About itU.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Key West StationBuilding · listed 1973
About itLittle White HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About it7 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Key West
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 | 13.6 | 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 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 3.9 | 5.7 | 7.5 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
March is the driest month (1.6 in) and August the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 7.5 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Key West →
Next door
Key West and its neighbors
Key West has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key West | 8% | 2.3 | 12 | 95% | A |
| Stock Island | 2% | 1.8 | 2 | 90% | B |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Key West
Where can I hike in Key West?
The longest trail networks: Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, 0.8 miles; Harvey Rest Beach Park, 0.5 miles; Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 0.4 miles; Little Hamaca Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Key West is conserved land?
8% 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 Key West’s trails?
Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park and Harvey Rest Beach Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Key West?
25 miles of bike routes are on the map: 10 of painted or protected lanes, 8.6 of off-road paths and 5.8 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Key West?
1,751 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Key West or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 317 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Key West have?
Ahead of 88% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #53 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 Key West 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 →