Page Updated: November 08, 2023
Bahia Honda State Park
Bahia Honda Railroad Bridge - Big Pine Key FL
We do a fair amount of research when planning our days. With that comes the onslaught of articles gleaned by Goggle algorithms on whatever it is we’re searching for… That said, this one is a hard one to write up, because I’ve not seen a single negative article about the beloved Bahia Honda State Park. But here goes…
Arriving at the park in mid-May 2022 for an overnight camp, we registered at the ranger station with an amazingly personable and genuinely kind lady working the desk. She chatted about the nesting sea turtles and their sensitivity to lights at campsites as she worked on changing our reservation from Bayside to the newly reopened Sandspur Campground - a campground that had been closed for 4 yrs after sustaining damage from hurricane Irma in 2017. It was the second day of its reopening.
Our first impression of the park was it’s beautiful. And the campsite - #54 - though lacking some shade, was pretty sweet. Power and water on site if you need it, and restrooms with hot showers a short walk away. The only flaw in the site design is the top rail of the perimeter fence sits at horizon level when you’re sitting which blocks the view.
After setting up the tent, we ate a late lunch inside it while brainstorming ways to create shade with materials we had. Still sort of new to the camping game and figuring things out as we go; we decided to pull our tarp from under the tent, replace it with a smaller one, and rig the larger for shade. Worked like a charm.
Early evening we biked to Sandspur Beach to investigate the area for snorkeling the next morning. After a quick look around, we made our way to the opposite end of the park for pics of the old bridge.
Late evening we were back at camp. Lee grilled burgers, and I went to the beach to take a few photos. The beach was blanketed with washed up sea grass, so I didn’t go very far or stay for very long.
After dinner and as sun set, Pterodactyl mosquitoes came out in force and we scrambled to get squared away so we could retreat to the tent for the night. That’s when the real fun began.
It was warm and a little muggy. The forecasted low for the night was 79°. As we lay on top of our sleeping bags gazing up at the sky, the heat really wasn’t the issue…
As I tried to doze off, I still felt as though I was getting bitten. We were in the tent, right? The tent has netting, right? So I concluded I must be itching from bites earlier in the day.
For a couple of hours I dozed and scratched - and dozed and scratched some more. Lee was experiencing the same. Finally around midnight, exasperated and annoyed, I gave up on guessing at what was going on and used my phone’s flashlight to investigate.
That’s when I saw them… teeny-tiny bugs… tiny bugs had made it through the netting and into the tent… they look like fleas... but they’re called Sandflies - some people call them no-see-ums. And they were eating Lee and me alive. Quickly calculating we had 6 more hours to make it through the night, it took all of 30 seconds to discuss and make the decision to bolt.
We broke down camp as quickly and quietly as we could and left Bahia Honda behind.
As I write this, we’re four days out from our escape. I have well over 100 bites. Not only do they itch, but they’ve made me feel sick. I’ve been surviving off regular dosing of oral and topical Benadryl and analgesics.
I’ve noticed the bites have a cycle. They appear and are insanely itchy - think chicken pox itchy. If you manage NOT to scratch them, they form tiny blisters that are even itchier. If left alone they pop on their own and weep. If you scratch them, the ooze. It’s all super gross and disgusting.
“Their small size allows them to get through screens on windows, doors – and yes, your lanai. Also referred to as biting gnats or biting midges, they’re actually smaller than fleas. They are bugs that look like mosquitoes, they’re also blood-suckers.
Their bite hurts much worse than a mosquito bite, due to their saw-like teeth.”
I can’t imagine the shape I’d be in if we hadn’t left Bahia Honda when we did. Others tout about how amazing this state park is. I guess you could say it was amazing for us, too… amazingly awful.
-b&b
Snorkeling Sands Key
Key West
