Curry Hammock State Park
Park
733 acres1.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin · CC BY 2.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Marathon
24% of Marathon’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. 24% of Marathon’s land is conserved, about 1,316 acres. 1,299 acres are parks and preserves, 131 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns · #21 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
24%
1,316 acres · of 8.4 sq mi of land
Trails
3.7 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
1,299 ac
131 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
15 mi
3.5 mi lanes · 12 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
7 beaches · 11 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Marathon?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Marathon have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Marathon is ahead of 95% of U.S. towns, #21 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, trail miles lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Marathon’s overall grade.
Conserved land24% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%ATrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (4 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land131 acres of park per 1,000 residents (1,299 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)Ahead of 95%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 97%
Water is 9% of Marathon’s area (1 of 9 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 22%.
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 Curry Hammock State Park, with 1.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Marathon Community Park
Park
13 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
Managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;Florida Department of Environmental Protection
546 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 8 parks & preserves
Curry Hammock State Park733 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsMarathon Community Park13 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary546 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;Florida Department of Environmental Protection
DirectionsSombrero Beach8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsCocoa Plum Beach34 acres
DirectionsOceanfront Park12 acres
DirectionsChildren's Rotary Park4 acres
Jesse Hobbs Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,316 conserved acres
24% of Marathon’s land. Water is left out: Marathon has 8.4 square miles of land and 0.8 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Marathon’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State parks753 ac
Other state land167 ac
Town or city131 ac
County116 ac
State fish & wildlife85 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits66 ac
State Park · 920 acLocal Other or Unknown · 116 acState Conservation Area · 85 acLocal Park · 68 acPrivate Conservation · 66 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curry Hammock State Park State Park | State parks | 753 | Open |
| Florida Keys Overseas Heritage State Trail State Park | Other state land | 167 | Open |
| Monroe County Managed Areas Local Other or Unknown | County | 116 | Open |
| Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 85 | Restricted |
| Crane Point Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 65 | Closed |
| City of Marathon Conservation Lands Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 64 | Open |
| Coco Plum Beach Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Marathon Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Marathon Oceanfront Park Local Park | Town or city | 11 | Open |
| Sombrero Beach Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
25 places to go in Marathon
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Marathon
Campground BeachIn Curry Hammock State Park
DirectionsCoca Plum BeachIn Cocoa Plum Beach
DirectionsPublic BeachIn Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
DirectionsSombrero BeachIn Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
DirectionsTranquility Bay Beach House Resort
DirectionsPlus 2 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Marathon
Rotary Children's ParkIn Children's Rotary Park
DirectionsPlus 5 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Marathon
City of Marathon 33rd Street Boat Ramp
DirectionsCoco Plum Yacht Club Pay RampIn Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
DirectionsHarbour Point Marine
DirectionsNorth Marathon Shores Public Boat RampIn Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
DirectionsRoyal Hawaiian Motel-BotelIn Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
DirectionsSilver Palm Marine
DirectionsU.S. Coast Guard - Station Marathon
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Marathon
Curry Hammock State Park CampgroundFee · In Curry Hammock State Park · Florida State Parks
DirectionsTrails & water
2 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
15 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
12 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
17Tennis
4Baseball
3Basketball
3Soccer
2Beach volleyball
1Skate park
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Marathon
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 | 90 | 89 | 85 | 81 | 78 |
| Rain (in) | 1.9 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 3.9 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 2.2 | 2.0 |
February is the driest month (1.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 6.8 inches fall in September, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Marathon →
Next door
Marathon and its neighbors
Marathon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 24% | 0.4 | 131 | 99%+ | A+ |
| Key Colony Beach | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Marathon
Where can I hike in Marathon?
The longest trail networks: Curry Hammock State Park, 1.4 miles; Marathon Community Park, 0.7 miles; Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Marathon is conserved land?
24% 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 Marathon’s trails?
Curry Hammock State Park and Marathon Community Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Marathon?
15 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of painted or protected lanes and 12 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Marathon?
3,472 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Marathon or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,299 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Marathon have?
Ahead of 95% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #21 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 Marathon 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 →