Page Updated: September 21, 2023
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State
State Park
Cannon Beach - Key Largo FL
Established in 1963 as the first undersea park in the United States to help protect Florida’s living coral reef, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park encompasses miles of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove islands. Glass bottom boat tours allow visitors to witness the colorful coral reefs and aquatic wildlife first hand, or get up close and personal by snorkeling or scuba diving.
We had high hopes for some amazing snorkeling at John Pennekamp but it wasn’t meant to happen this trip. Even though we had to cancel our plans, we still made time to drop by the park and see it.
The Visitor Center and Aquarium had a few tanks with creatures we could expect to see living in the coral reefs. They also make it a point to convey the value of leaving artifacts found while snorkeling.
Roaming the park, we spotted several dolphin in the area. We especially enjoyed one passing under the bridge followed by a large school of fish.
We spent two hours in the park and didn’t explore the reefs or do the glass-bottom boat tour, but we had plenty of time to check out what the park had to offer and take a quick walk down Grove Trail.
We saw enough to know we’ll be back!
-b&b
Islamorada
Grove Trail
