John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park
Key Largo, FL
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park protects the first undersea park in the country, though the two manmade beaches on land, Cannon Beach and Far Beach, are almost an afterthought next to what's offshore. Cannon Beach gets its name from Spanish shipwreck cannons sitting in shallow water just a hundred feet out, visible on a simple wade in snorkel.
Shipwreck snorkeling a hundred feet from the sand is a genuine draw most Keys beaches can't match, though the beaches themselves are secondary to the reef, small and manmade rather than a real destination on their own.
How we score beachesSkip the boat tour if budget's tight and just wade out from Cannon Beach instead, the shipwreck cannons are close enough to see without a guide. Far Beach's shoreline is wheelchair accessible if that matters more than the snorkeling does.
The entrance fee is 8 dollars per vehicle, covering 351 parking spaces inside. Reef snorkeling tours run separately at just under 40 dollars a person on top of the entrance fee.
Far Beach has a wheelchair accessible shoreline, the more level of the park's two beaches. Cannon Beach is a shorter, flatter walk from its lot but without the same accessible shoreline design.
Leashed dogs are welcome throughout most of the park, with free self-service kennels at the entrance for anyone heading out on the water, but pets aren't allowed on either beach or on boats and tours.
Winter through spring is the Keys' driest, clearest stretch for snorkeling visibility. Summer brings warmer water and hurricane season, June through November, with visibility more dependent on recent weather than time of year.
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