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Florida

When to catch National Key Deer Refugeat its best

National Key Deer Refuge through the year: spring migration (local timing: March and April) and wildlife by season (3 separate phases, from May and June). Each has its own page with spots, sources and the latest reports.

RIGHT NOW · SEP 30

  • Latest reportNo dated report this season; the posters below show each usual window.
  • This weekend (NWS)Sat chance showers and thunderstorms, 90°F · Sun chance showers and thunderstorms, 90°F
  • Park alertsCheck the managing agency before you go

When are you going?

Fall at National Key Deer Refuge

Good in fall

  • Key deer rut (breeding season) begins (September and October)

From each place's own sources; no peak claimed.

Where to go at National Key Deer Refuge

Spots, visitor points and places nearby

Best spots

Where each event's source says to go

Spring migration

  • Blue Hole Observation PlatformA former limestone quarry, now a shaded freshwater pond, three miles north of US 1 on Key Deer Boulevard; a short, shaded paved trail leads from the paved parking lot to the platform, accessible to everyone (no bikes on the trail; racks at the trailhead)U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
  • Watson and Mannillo Nature TrailsTwo interpretive trails a quarter mile north of Blue Hole on Key Deer Boulevard: the 800-foot Mannillo Trail ends at a platform over a freshwater wetland, and the Watson Trail is a two-thirds-mile loop through pine rockland, wetland and hardwood hammock; both are in full sunU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Wildlife by season

  • No Name Key trailsRustic fire-road trails running south from Watson Rd/Old State Rd 4A, east of Big Pine Key, through shaded hardwood hammock and pine rockland; surfaces are uneven, poisonwood may overhang, and bikes are allowed on rough terrain. Big Pine and No Name Keys hold about 75% of the Key deerU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
  • Blue Hole Observation PlatformThree miles north of US 1 on Key Deer Boulevard: a short, shaded paved trail from the parking lot to a platform over a former limestone quarry, now a freshwater pond; accessible to everyone, no bikes on the trailU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗

Next 7 days at National Key Deer Refuge

Forecast: National Weather Service
  • TodayShowers And Thunderstorms Likely89° / 78°79% rain
  • ThuShowers And Thunderstorms90° / 79°79% rain
  • FriChance Showers And Thunderstorms90° / 79°53% rain
  • SatChance Showers And Thunderstorms90° / 79°41% rain
  • SunChance Showers And Thunderstorms90° / 79°32% rain
  • MonSlight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms89° / 78°24% rain
  • TueChance Showers And Thunderstorms88° / 78°47% rain

Today: sunrise 7:18 a.m., sunset 7:15 p.m., light until 7:37 p.m. · moon waning gibbous, 78% lit (our calculation)

Nearby, and when they peak

Straight-line miles; roads are longer

Towns nearby

Straight-line miles; each town page has frost dates and its nature year

National Key Deer Refuge in pictures

Illustrative photos, not current conditions
A small Key deer standing at the edge of a gravel path beside green shrubs
Key deer on No Name Key, Florida (2022). Photo: Dan Chapman/USFWS · public domain · resized

Questions people ask

When are the refuge lands open?

Every day from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. The Nature Center on Big Pine Key (30587 Overseas Highway, by the island's only traffic light) is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is the best place to start.Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge (Seasons of Wildlife) ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Can I bring my dog or my bike?

Dogs are welcome on a leash only. Bikes are allowed on most rustic trails and fire roads, but not at Blue Hole, the Nature Trails or Long Beach. No motorized vehicles of any kind are allowed on refuge lands or trails.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Where and when will I see Key deer, and can I feed them?

They roam freely across refuge land and nearby neighborhoods; early morning and toward sunset are the best times. Please don't feed them, and drive carefully from Big Pine and No Name Keys west to Lower Sugarloaf Key, pulling fully off the road to watch wildlife.Sources: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge (Seasons of Wildlife) ↗ (opens in a new tab)

What should I bring?

Water and sun protection. Parts of trails can be under water in the rainy season, mosquitoes can be a nuisance at times, and on the rustic trails you should know poisonwood, a native plant that irritates skin like poison ivy.Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge: Visit Us ↗ (opens in a new tab)

How we know

Every timing above, from these pages; checked Sep 29