Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Botanical state park in Key Largo, Florida, US.
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park is a protected natural area in Key Largo, Florida, containing one of the largest surviving tropical hardwood hammocks in the continental United States. Walking trails wind under a dense canopy where many native tree species grow close together.
The land was slated for a large residential development in the 1970s before conservationists pushed back and the area became a protected state park in 1982. It was named after Dagny Johnson, an activist who spent years campaigning to keep this land undeveloped.
Along the trails, small signs name the native trees, shrubs, and animals that share this patch of tropical forest. Visitors often slow down to read them, which gives the walk a different rhythm than a typical nature hike.
The park sits just off US-1 in Key Largo and is easy to spot from the road. Morning visits tend to be cooler and less humid, so arriving early makes the walk more comfortable; closed shoes and water are worth bringing.
The Key Largo woodrat, a small rodent found almost nowhere else on earth, lives in the dense undergrowth of this park. Its survival is so closely tied to this one patch of forest that the fate of the species depends on this land staying intact.
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