# The Overseas Highway *Flagler's railroad that went to sea* The Overseas Highway is a ~165-mile back-roads route from Miami to Key West on US 1 and Card Sound Rd, driven in 2–3 days, that stays off nothing (there is only one road) through the Florida Peninsula. - **Drive:** Miami → Key West - **Distance:** ~165 mi - **Days:** 2–3 - **Highways:** US 1, Card Sound Rd - **Avoids:** nothing (there is only one road) - **Region:** Florida Peninsula - **Themes:** History & Markers, Natural Beauty, Eats & Institutions, Honky-Tonks & Dives Henry Flagler spent his last fortune running a railroad across the ocean to Key West in 1912; the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, the strongest landfall ever recorded in the US, tore it apart and killed hundreds of veteran workers. The state paved the surviving bridges, and the result is the only road trip in America measured in mile markers to zero. Take Card Sound Road in, walk the old Seven Mile Bridge, and mind the tiny deer. Markers: Mile markers are the route's own numbering system; the Islamorada hurricane monument is the one that matters. ## The drive, segment by segment ### The 18-Mile Stretch *Miami → Key Largo · ~60 mi* Out of the city, through the mangrove causeway or the Card Sound alternate, into the dive capital of the upper Keys. Stops: - **Alabama Jack's** (Card Sound) · Honky-Tonks & Dives — An open-air conch shack on the old smugglers' road, serving conch fritters to bikers and boaters since the 1950s. The correct way to enter the Keys. - **The African Queen** (Key Largo) · Cult Classics & Pop Lore — The actual 1912 steam launch from the Bogart-Hepburn film, rescued and running canal cruises. Bogie never came to Key Largo for the movie; the boat did, eventually. ### The Purple Isles *Key Largo → Marathon · ~55 mi* Islamorada's fishing fleet and hurricane monument, tarpon at Robbie's, and the turtle hospital at Marathon. Stops: - **1935 Hurricane Monument** (Islamorada) · History & Markers — A WPA crypt holding victims of the Labor Day storm, the most intense US landfall on record. It killed hundreds of WWI veteran bonus-army workers and finished Flagler's railroad for good. - **The Turtle Hospital** (Marathon) · Natural Beauty — A working sea-turtle hospital in a converted motel, running rescue, surgery and release since 1986. Book the tour; you will meet the patients. ### The Lower Keys *Marathon → Key West · ~50 mi* The Seven Mile Bridge, Bahia Honda's broken span, Key deer at dusk, and Mile Marker 0 at the end of the map. Stops: - **Pigeon Key & the Old Seven** (Marathon) · History & Markers — The railroad workers' island village sits under the original Seven Mile Bridge; the restored old span is now a two-mile walk over open ocean. Golden hour here beats any postcard. - **Bahia Honda State Park** (Big Pine Key) · State Parks — The Keys' best natural beach beside the dramatic broken arch of Flagler's Bahia Honda bridge. Swim where the ocean and the Gulf trade water. - **No Name Pub & the Key Deer** (Big Pine Key) · Honky-Tonks & Dives — A dollar-bill-papered pub hiding down a back road since the 1930s, in the middle of the National Key Deer Refuge. The knee-high deer own the right of way at dusk. - **Mile Marker 0** (Key West) · Welcome Signs & State Lines — The end of US 1 at Whitehead and Fleming. The sign gets stolen constantly, the photo line never shortens, and the atlas officially runs out of South here. ## Tips and best time to go - Leave Miami before 8am or after 7pm; the 18-Mile Stretch decides your whole day. - Sunset: skip Mallory Square's crowds once and walk the Old Seven at golden hour instead. - Lodging is the budget-killer; Marathon sleeps cheaper than Key West and splits the drive. ## Worth a detour - **John Pennekamp reef trip** — America's first undersea park; snorkel boats run to the reef and the Christ of the Abyss statue from Key Largo. - **Robbie's of Islamorada** — Hand-feed the resident tarpon off the dock, a bucket of baitfish at a time. Pelicans run interference; hold on to your hat. ## Spurs & side-roads - Card Sound Road & Alabama Jack's ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is The Overseas Highway and how many days does it take? The Overseas Highway is about 165 miles and takes 2–3 days at a back-roads pace. ### Where does The Overseas Highway start and end? It runs from Miami to Key West. ### Which highways does The Overseas Highway follow? It follows US 1 and Card Sound Rd. ### Which interstate does The Overseas Highway replace? It avoids nothing (there is only one road), using US 1 and Card Sound Rd instead. ### How many stops are on The Overseas Highway, and what are the highlights? 8 stops are mapped, including Alabama Jack's, The African Queen, 1935 Hurricane Monument, The Turtle Hospital and Pigeon Key & the Old Seven. ### Which ready-made itineraries include The Overseas Highway? The Overseas Highway (3 days) and A1A End to End: St. Augustine to Key West (6 days). ## Ready-made itineraries using this route - [The Overseas Highway](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/keys-overseas) — 3 days, ~210 mi - [A1A End to End: St. Augustine to Key West](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/a1a-end-to-end) — 6 days, ~520 mi ## Connects with - [The Tamiami Trail](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/tamiami) — Naples → Miami - [The Space & Treasure Coast](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/space-treasure) — Titusville → Jupiter - [US 41: The Tamiami Trail North, Tampa to Naples](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/tamiami-north) — Tampa → Naples --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/overseas-hwy Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-05