Unlike the mainland Florida coast the
Keys are not mile after mile of sandy beach. The coastline instead
is pockmarked by mangrove swamps and rocky reefs. Not that you
can't find a pretty stretch of sand beach - one of the best is
Sombrero Beach in Marathon, on the Atlantic Ocean side at Mile
Marker 50 near the Seven-Mile Bridge. Sombrero Beach is actually
a park with a playground planted in the white sand, picnic tables
and patches of groomed grass. Admission is free and your dog
is welcome on the beach and in the water.
The wide beach is framed by palm trees
whose only downside is that they don't drop any branches for
your dog to fetch in the clear emerald waters. The soft sands
extend far into the water so you can join your dog in the gentle
surf.
Even the beach sand is special. Pick
up a handful. Looking closely, you'll see it comes in many shapes.
Some grains look like bits of oatmeal, other like miniature deer
antlers. Fashioned by special algae which thrive in Marathon's
warm waters, these specks contribute much of the sea bottom and
beaches surrounding the Keys.
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