Wild Tamarind Trail

Wild Tamarind Trail traverses a remarkable tropical hardwood hammock, one of the last intact examples of this globally rare forest type in North America. Named for the wild tamarind trees that tower above the trail, the hammock shelters an extraordinary concentration of tropical tree species at the northernmost extent of their range, including Jamaican dogwood, gumbo limbo, pigeon plum, and the spectacular strangler fig. Many of these species are found nowhere else in the continental United States, making this a destination of genuine botanical significance.

The dense canopy filters sunlight into shifting green patterns on the trail below, creating an otherworldly atmosphere quite unlike any other Florida habitat. White-crowned pigeons, a tropical species dependent on tropical hardwood hammocks for nesting and fruiting trees for food, are commonly encountered along the trail. Mangrove cuckoos call from within the dense vegetation, rarely revealing themselves but filling the hammock with their distinctive low calls. Tree snails of the Liguus genus cling to smooth-barked trunks in spectacular color variations unique to individual hammock islands throughout the Keys. The loop is well-shaded throughout and remains comfortable even during the hottest months, making it an excellent midday activity when the reef activities are paused.