Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park

Wow! Windley totally blew me away. I had known about the Flagler railroad, but I guess never really thought about how the actually quarried the rock to build said railway over the miles and miles of water.
The visitor center was small but had some really neat info. There’s a small system of trails, since hey– it’s a small park on a small key. But! There’s some of the best guide books that I’ve seen in any State park in the area. The Rangers were super helpful, handed us the books and we were on our way. The trails go through a natural Hammock, down to the Bay side, through some mangroves, then out to the old quarries. The Flagler quarry is fascinating and allows you to see the Keys’ geological history preserved in the old coral right in front of you. There’s also some of the old machinery left in the park, so you can see how they cut the rock, pulled it out and got it to the trains. I’m always totally blown away by this kindof stuff and appreciate a bit of cultural history– especially when it comes to feats like creating an overseas railway about 100 years ago.
The natural history of this site is also impressive and well preserved. It’s a dense Hammock and has lots of native plants. The trees and plants are marked throughout the trail, so plant nerds– gear up, this park is for you. There’s numbered markers on each trail that correlate to your guide book, so you can easily id plants as you go. Yes, we were actually going through the whole list as we walked the trails! There’s just a wealth of interpretive info at this park, that’s why I’m dropping the 5 stars.
Just a note: I think folks have a certain expectation on what the Keys are/​should be and expect to see ocean views and turquoise waters at every turn and not what is actually factually, the natural history of the Keys. That said, if you’re planning your trip to a state park where it’s their job to preserve the natural and cultural history of place, be prepared for just that and not what the tourist magazines sell you on.

Very nice and helpful park ranger. He lent us a number book which gave us loads of information as we walked through the trails. It was fun looking for all the numbers and guessing what the information might be about.
It was nice and wooded.
I would suggest going if you have some extra time in the Florida Keys. I believe it was free when we went.

This is totally not the tropical landscape that you typically associate with the Keys. The trails are heavily wooded and they offer you a very helpful guide to help decipher the plants that are there. It’s a great place to stop to see the coral and take a shaded stroll.

Nice trails and welcome center and a good place to find a couple geo caches!
The history lessons and trail guide are a great way to get the kids involved with learning while outdoors. there is lots of shade but if you go when bugs might be around, make sure to bring your spray.

This state park was a pretty neat place to visit while we were in the keys. Nice trails and lots of coral fossils. We even found a couple geocaches out there.

Somewhat disappointing. It feels a bit unfinished or something. They had three maps, each a bit different. The walk along the sea shows no sea. OTOH, the trail guidebook is superb for trees and geology. Worth a visit, but it could have been much better.

One day, James said to Jesse, «Did you know that to date, more than 20% of the world’s coral reefs have been totally destroyed?» Jesse, shocked, replied, «Oh, good greef!»
Key Takeaways:
Decent Visitor’s Center: If you are at all interested in Florida’s geology or learning about the Florida East Coast Railway this visitors center can provide a sufficient overview.
Fossils, Topography & Machinery: Tall walls of unique corals and reef structure with some shortish (1.5M) hiking trails. Interesting steampunkish coral block moving machinery abounds.
If you happen to like fossils and history this is a good quickish stop to make on your way down to, or back from, the Keys