These rocky piles, which are typically 2 to 4 feet tall, were most likely built by the Caloosa tribe. Houses cover part of Upper Sugarloaf, but in the wilderness beyond, hidden amongst the trees and bogs, lie numerous Indian mounds, remnants of an ancient civilization. Hidden islands in the Florida Keys: Satellite view of Sugarloaf Keys (Wikipedia) But you can get a great view of it from the water, on the way to the sandbar hangout off Woman Key. Soon to be officially renamed David Wolkowsky Key, it’s currently being used as research station for scientists studying its many imperiled and native species of plants, animals and habitats. When he died in 2018, he willed the island back to nature, or rather to the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. He also helped cultivate Key West’s art and literary scene, and thus entertained the likes of Truman Capote, Leonard Bernstein, Tennessee Williams and countless others on Ballast Key. Wolkowsky purchased it in the ‘70s from the Navy, who had been using it as a bombing target, then set to work revegetating the island and building a house there.
That designation falls on a 14-acre island nine miles west of Key West, which used to be owned by beloved developer David Wolkowsky - Ballast Key. Spoiler alert: the famous cement buoy in Key West isn’t technically the southernmost point in the country. One of the most beautiful of the hidden islands of the Florida Keys is Ballast Key, and it is strictly off-limits to visitors. Hidden islands in the Florida Keys you can visit Indian Key Here are six of our favorites, not necessarily in any particular order. A few have remarkable stories.įor the rest, the tales of those who once roamed these tiny swaths of land are lost to time, the faint traces of their existence serving as silent sentinels to speculation and imagination. Then, there are the lesser-known ruins of the Keys. Original wooden buildings dot the 5-acre island, which can be reached by ferry. The ever-iconic Pigeon Key, an aerial shot of which graces nearly every tourist brochure, is an historic railroad work camp along the Seven Mile Bridge. With pristine reefs and unusual birds, it is an excellent place to spend the day, or even camp for a few. It is contained in one of the least-visited national parks, Dry Tortugas. Two famous abandonments steal most of the headlines, so we’ll get the need to mention those out of the way now: Civil War-era Fort Jefferson, which lies 70 miles west of Key West, is the largest masonry structure in the Americas. Hurricanes reclaimed some of those as well. Workers set up camps from which to build lighthouses and a railroad.
Hurricanes reclaimed more than a few of those. Pirates stalked Spanish treasure fleets, British warships pursued illegal slave ships, and wreckers waited for all of their misfortunes along the shallow reefs.Īll the while, farmers, fishermen and outcasts claimed keys for themselves, setting up homesteads and villages. Soon after, legions of ships departing the New World would catch the trade winds along the Florida Straits. Spanish explorer and conquistador Ponce de León became the first European to lay eyes on them in 1513. Humans may have called them home since at least the height of Greek civilization, some 3,600 years ago. With more than 1,700 islands, it is not surprising that today’s Keys have ample abandoned history to explore. On a few of the hidden islands in the Florida Keys, some of these tales are actually true. The grandest of adventures are born on isolated islands.įrom pirate gold to giant apes, the mystery of what might be found on a speck of land peeking up through a vast sea has captivated imaginations for millennia.
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