Like the Long Key Bridge, the Seven Mile Bridge links two geographical areas. The Long Key Bridge is the conduit linking the Upper Keys to those islands identified as the Middle Keys. The Seven Mile Bridge connects the islands of the Middle Keys to those that have been labeled as the Lower Keys.
After traveling over the modern marvel that is the Seven Mile Bridge, the first of the Lower Keys touched by the Overseas Highway is Little Duck Key. Before Henry Flagler’s workers arrived and began building bridges, the island had been noted on charts as just Duck Key. The name was changed by railroad workers. Apparently, several of the islands along this short stretch were named (or renamed) by those men building the tracks for Flagler’s train. They changed the name of Duck Key to Little Duck Key.
Blink, and you will have driven across Little Duck Key and over the Missouri Little Duck Key Channel. If you keep your eyes peeled, the island’s two public features will become apparent. If you are towing a boat and looking for a place to launch it, Little Duck Key has a ramp that can be accessed on the Gulf side of the highway. If, instead, you are looking to take a little dip in the warm shallows of the Atlantic, one of Monroe County’s public parks is just around the corner. Veterans Memorial Beach has stunning views, covered picnic tables (not screened-in) and easy wade-in access to the ocean. The key phrase here is “wade-in access.” The water is not very deep, but even walking out, sitting down and looking around is a pretty good way to spend a little time in the Keys.
Driving across those first few islands of the Lower Keys reveals some of the most spectacular views. After crossing the Missouri Little Duck Key Channel, the water, channels and mangrove islands, with their particularly picturesque mix of blues and greens, can be distracting. Sometimes, a tall white egret stands ankle-deep in the water. Sometimes, a line of pelicans comes drifting by like a squadron of fighter pilots in search of a meal.
On the other side of the channel is Missouri Key. Like almost every island in the chain, it has known other names. Navigational charts have identified it as both Little Grassy Key and Grassy Island. I have never come across a story (or even a sentence or two) explaining why. The name Missouri Key was apparently decided upon by railroad workers who hailed from the “Show-Me” state. It isn’t the biggest island in the chain. If you aren’t paying attention, you might not notice it.
With the exception of the bridges and highway, the island is undeveloped and remains a natural habitat supporting some contingent of the local wildlife. Out in the mangroves growing along the edges of the island, crabs the size of a nickel crawl over the red roots like they own some small patch of it. Below the surface, orange sponges, tunicates and maybe a little starfish or two have adhered to the intricate system of prop roots.
Before you know it, you’re driving across the Ohio Missouri Channel Bridge to what used to be known as Ohio Key and is today recognized as Sunshine Key. Like Missouri Key, the Ohio Key name came from railroad workers who had come to the islands to build the Key West Extension of Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railway. The name transformed into Sunshine Key because of the island’s RV Resort and Marina, which occupies the island’s Gulf side.
For me, Ohio Key is an excellent reminder that you never know what you might see while driving along the Overseas Highway. Over the last 23 years, I have lost count of how many times I have driven down the highway. A few years ago, I was driving to Key West to do a talk. After driving across Little Duck Key and Missouri Key, looking out at the water because I find these to be some of the most beautiful views along the stretch between the mainland and Key West, I saw something I’d never seen before.
At Ohio Key, on the ocean side of the highway, is a large, shallow salt pond where wading birds like egrets and herons can sometimes be seen. On this day, I was taken aback when I looked over at the salt pond. Something tall and pink caught my eye. It was a flamingo standing on one leg. It was not the first time I’d seen a wild flamingo in the Keys, but the first time I saw one while driving down the Overseas Highway.
Just ahead is Bahia Honda, home to one of the best natural beaches in the island chain and the iconic railroad bridge. Beyond that, you’ll enter Key deer country, so be on your toes as the “toy” deer like to nibble on the grasses growing at the very edge of the highway and commonly cross the road to get to the other side.
In 2025, I’ll be exploring the Overseas Highway, its history, attractions, and points I find interesting.
