Anchorage

Indian Key Anchorage

Shelter: NW, N, NE
Seabed: algae
Anchoring: Allowed

Anchorage off Indian Key, an 11-acre historic island in the Florida Keys near Islamorada, lying just inside the Hawk Channel passage south-east of U.S. 1.

Water
Mooring buoys
Visitor buoys
Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Anchor north of the key on a weed bottom, protected from north-west through north-east winds and open to the south. Holding over seagrass is unreliable, so set the anchor with care. The island sits in shallow water, so approach slowly and watch the depth.

Practical

Indian Key Historic State Park is a day-use site with no overnight facilities. The state park dock is closed for reconstruction through 2026, so landing is by tender on the shore only. Marina berths and fuel are at Islamorada, about 2.7 miles to the north-east.

Ashore

The island carries the ruins of a 19th-century wrecking settlement: cisterns, foundations and a street grid, with interpretive signs and an observation tower.

History

Jacob Housman bought Indian Key in 1831 and built a ship-salvage settlement with a store, hotel and warehouses. It became the first seat of Dade County in 1836. On 7 August 1840 a Seminole party led by Chief Chekika attacked the island, killing thirteen residents including the botanist Henry Perrine, and the settlement was burned.