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Overseas Highway

Key Largo, FL

Island-hopping over open water down to Key West.

113Miles
about 3.5 hoursRide time
US-1's Overseas Highway covers 113 miles from Key Largo to Key West on 42 bridges over open water. The road is famously almost straight and carries an All-American Road designation, one of only 31 in the country. Pavement stays smooth and lanes are wide, but this isn't a technical ride — it's bridge after bridge, including the roughly 6.8-mile Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon. Weekend traffic backs up fast; weekday mornings run clearer. Services cluster in the towns, with quieter gaps on the smaller keys between. Ride southbound out of Key Largo for the open-water view. Islamorada and Marathon are the natural fuel stops; Big Pine Key drops speed limits for Key deer, 45 mph by day, 35 at night. Pair it with Card Sound Road or Everglades National Park for a longer Keys-and-Glades trip.

The Route

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  1. Key Largo, FLStart
  2. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
  3. Robbie's Marina
  4. Seven Mile Bridge
  5. Bahia Honda State Park
  6. Southernmost Point Buoy

The Ride

The highway is documented as famously almost straight and incorporates 42 bridges leapfrogging between islands over open water.

Rider Stops Near This Route

Dealers, bars and campgrounds from our atlas near this route's home base — real distances, not ads.

Campgrounds

John Pennekamp Campground

Key Largo, FL0.7 mi
Campgrounds

Campers Cove

Key Largo, FL0.7 mi
Campgrounds

Key Largo Campground

Key Largo, FL0.7 mi
Campgrounds

Key Largo Kampground & Marina

Key Largo, FL0.8 mi
Bars & Saloons

The Penalty Box

Key Largo, FL1 mi
Campgrounds

Calusa Camp Resort

Key Largo, FL1.2 mi
Campgrounds

Calusa Campground

Key Largo, FL1.2 mi
Campgrounds

Kings Kamp

Key Largo, FL1.4 mi
Campgrounds

Kingskamp RV Park and Marina

Key Largo, FL1.4 mi

Common Questions

How long does it take to ride the Overseas Highway?

Riding the full 113 miles from Key Largo to Key West takes about 3.5 hours nonstop, but plan for longer with stops in Islamorada and Marathon and slower going through weekend traffic.

What's the best time of day to ride it?

Early morning avoids the worst of the tourist traffic and the midday heat; a southbound run also lines up the light with the water for most of the trip.

Where should I fuel up along the way?

Stations cluster in the towns — Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and Big Pine Key — so top off in one of those before crossing the quieter stretches of smaller keys in between.

How technical is the riding?

Not very — the highway is famously almost straight, so the challenge is traffic and bridge crossings rather than curves, plus an enforced speed drop around Big Pine Key to protect Key deer.

What should I pair it with?

A detour up Card Sound Road out of Florida City, or a stop in Everglades National Park on the way down, extends the trip into a longer South Florida loop.

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