Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park
Location:1 mile west of US 1 at Mile Marker 78.5; accessible only by private or charter boat.
Facilities:Visitor center (the Matheson house, built in 1919), restrooms.
Activities:Boating, canoeing, fishing, snorkeling, wildlife viewing, guided boat tours, guided walking tours.
Special Features:Island was acquired in 1919 by William J. Matheson, a wealthy chemist
who lived in Miami. The virgin tropical hardwood hammock that thrives
here is typical of the kind that once covered most of the Upper Keys.
The site preserves the lignumvitae, a tree that produces an especially
hard wood, and other native trees.
Address:PO Box 1052
Islamorada, FL 33036
Phone:305-664-2540
Web: www.floridastateparks.org/lignumvitaekey
Size: 846 acres land; 9,971 acres water.
See other parks in
Florida.