Facility Activities

Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge and State Park is an island opened to the public but with very limited visitor facilities. There are no existing restrooms due to the challenges associated with the island’s off-shore location.  Some of the facilities include year-round opened trails.  Egmont Key benefits from the daily presence of state park employees who roam the island and are willing to assist visitors on a day to day basis.  There are several beaches that are well marked and designated as year-round bird sanctuaries and are off-limits (closed) to any public entry.  There is no drinking water available on the island, so please be sure to bring plenty of water.  Other recommended items are:  insect repellent, sunscreen, hat and closed shoes when hiking inland trails. 

Wildlife watching

Egmont Key NWR provides excellent habitat for the endangered gopher tortoise. Between 1000 - 1500 tortoises roam the interior of the island but can often be seen foraging on vegetation near the beach. Florida box turtles can sometimes be seen as you walk the six miles of historic paths....

Birding

From April to August, Egmont Key’s beaches are colonized by the sights and sounds of thousands of birds nesting and roosting together within the wildlife sanctuaries. Egmont Key supports more than 35,000 pairs of colonial beach-nesting birds. Royal and sandwich terns, brown pelicans, and...

Boating - motorized

The island is only accessible by boat. A vessel exclusion zone has been established around the seagrass beds on the east side of the island to protect them from propeller damage.

Fishing

The island has designated fishing areas where seatrout, tarpon, snook, grouper and flounder are often found. County and state commercial / sport fishing regulations apply. Consult Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for current regulations.

Hiking

Walk through the historic ruins of Fort Dade or along the carriage paths that remain from the days when Fort Dade was an active community with 300 residents.

Scuba diving

Snorkeling around Egmont presents visitors with an underwater experience of its own, including underwater explorations of the submerged historical structures, batteries Burchstead and Page, that once were on dry ground. These structures often host corals, tunicates, sponges and many...

Photography

Most wildlife photographers who visit Egmont Key focus their camera lenses on the seabirds and shorebirds along the island shores. But Egmont Key has much to offer to photographers throughout most of the island. Several historical gun batteries may serve photographers as elevated platforms when...

Beach combing

Many varieties of shells wash ashore on the beaches of Egmont Key. Sharks teeth are often found on the western shores. Collection of LIVE shells is prohibited.