Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park: Where Remarkable Industry Meets Ancient Nature

Winding nature trails, a fascinating history, and fossilized coral are all hallmarks of Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park. Located in Islamorada, part of the beautiful Florida Keys, this park gives you the chance to experience a coral reef—without scuba diving! With a dazzling combination of industrial history and authentic natural beauty, this Florida State Park provides a wonderful and storied getaway.

Flagler’s Florida

The year is 1908. Gas is moving out, electricity is moving in, and trains are connecting the nation. Well, wherever they have rails to run, that is.

Henry Flagler, a keen industrialist and businessman, was well aware of this and saw a grand opportunity for railroad expansion in Florida. He had already been at work building up the Florida East Coast Railway (not to mention the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine), but now he had his most ambitious idea yet: an Overseas Railway.¹

Wishing to expand his hotel system to the Keys (who wouldn’t?), Flagler realized transportation would be just as vital to this business as its premier location. So, in 1908, he purchased the Windley Key property as a place to quarry rock fill for the new railroad.

The limestone was used to raise road beds and provide fill for bridge construction; roughly 17 million cubic yards of fill was used for the project!²

Today at Windley Key State Park you can walk past rock walls that tower 8 feet high—remnants of the quarry days. But look closely—while Flagler just wanted some simple rock fill, he ended up uncovering something truly amazing.

Windley Underwater

Flagler’s quarrying exposed coral fossils embedded in the local limestone. But why were there corals sitting above sea level? Well, a long, long time ago (but not in a galaxy far, far away), the Florida Keys were actually underwater.³ That’s a little crazy to think about!

With its fossilized reef, Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park is like a natural Atlantis, raised from its hidden depths and perfectly preserved in stone. This special geological formation, a combination of coral heads and calcite, has been dubbed Key Largo Limestone.⁴

Eagle-eyed visitors can spot several different types of coral within the stone—boulder star coral, mustard hill coral, finger coral, staghorn coral, and brain corals.⁵ Elkhorn coral is conspicuously absent, leading geologists to believe this was once a giant patch reef (an isolated reef that grows from the open bottom of an island platform).⁶

It’s a rather bittersweet feeling to stand among the coral fossils, bleached of color and of life, only to realize at one time they were vibrant and thriving. Nevertheless, their stony legacy provides amazing insight into Florida’s natural history, as well as a fascinating and tranquil setting for a stroll about the Keys.

Wandering Around Windley

Today, Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park showcases both Flagler’s industrial pursuits and the prehistoric corals, exemplifying how man and nature are forever intertwined in one fashion or another.

You can explore all of the park’s stories via short, well-marked nature trails (1.5 miles of trail system in total). Each hike has its own focus, highlighting a particular piece of the park’s amazing geological and/or industrial history. You’ll even be provided with a guidebook so you can become a Windley Key State Park expert by the end of the afternoon!

Trekking Down the Trails

The Flagler Quarry Trail, which connects to Quarry Station Trail, will take you on a VIP tour of a quarry and abandoned railroad depot. (I bet you couldn’t have guessed that.) You’ll get even more quarry action on the Windley Trail, which leads through a tropical hammock before breaking out into an open space littered with quarry boulders and lined by a towering quarry wall. Even the old quarry equipment is still in place, with channeling machine, slabbing machine, and gin pole motor ready to get back to work. (Well, maybe not…)

Windley Quarry is also a spot that prominently features the famed coral fossils. It’s a fun challenge to see if you can find and identify all of the different corals. You might even find stone-trapped signs of other ancient marine life, too! (Hint: mussels leave behind smooth holes in the limestone!)

If the hammock portion of Windley Trail had you in your element, then definitely try a trek down the half-mile Hammock Trail. This is the longest hike in the park and will take you through a hardwood hammock which includes a wide variety of growth including pigeon plum trees, ironwood, and gumbo-limbo. The dangerous poisonwood tree also grows in this forest, so, definitely stay on the trail to avoid these toxic trees!⁷

Thanks to interpretive signs along the way, you’ll be able to identify all of this remarkable plant life like a botany pro! It makes the walk that much more enjoyable.

With picnic tables scattered around the quarries, you can really make a day of this Florida State Park by sitting down for some lunch or even just a quick snack.

Great (and Affordable) Guided Tours

To maximize your trail experience, you might want to opt for a ranger-led guided tour! These are available December through April, Friday through Sunday, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day. With park admission costing only $2.50 per person, and guided tours just an extra $2.00 a person, it makes for a super inexpensive and fun day trip in the Florida Keys! (You should have plenty left over in your budget for key lime pie.)

Windley’s Wild Friends

This Florida State Park is known for its excellent birding as it’s a prime destination for Caribbean birds like the Bahama mockingbird and western spindalis. From native residents to winter migrants, there’s always a unique feathered friend to be seen chirping away in the hammock! (I still haven’t seen an Orange Bird outside of Orlando, though…)

Because the birds really do change with the seasons here at Windley Key, visiting multiple times a year isn’t a bad idea if you’re serious about birdwatching (you know, if you needed an excuse to come back again). Black-whiskered vireos, white-crowned pigeons, hawks, falcons, and flycatchers all enjoy soaring across the park, so, be sure to bring along your binoculars and a good camera!

Know Before You Go

Keep in mind that during the spring and summer months, the state park can be a little buggy (those darn mosquitoes!) , so come prepared with bug spray! Closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, and a water bottle are also recommended for your hike.

And while all of this cool coral might sound like a great opportunity for fossil hunting in the Florida Keys, it’s actually prohibited to take any fossils out of the park. (I know, sad day.) Still, getting to see the coral fossils—especially those in the 8-foot wall—is truly fascinating, and getting to take that memory home is well worth the trip!

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Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park is an awesome activity for anyone wanting to embrace the more natural side of the Florida Keys. With trails that are both historic and lush, it’s one of the most unique and memorable nature walks in Florida!

Have you been to Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park? Which trail is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

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