Finding Paradise off the Seven Mile Bridge

Just off Marathon, along the stretch toward Big Pine Key, lies a cluster of tiny islands called the Molasses Keys. From the Seven Mile Bridge, they look like a postcard brought to life: turquoise water, white sand, and a fringe of mangroves ringing the back of the island and sandbar.

From the boat, the view gets better. From barefoot on the beach, you discover a small omission in the postcard.

Some of that lovely pale shoreline is chewed-up coral. Beautiful stuff. Terrible flooring.

The Molasses Keys sit about a quarter mile south of the bridge, roughly four miles west of Marathon. The larger island is thick with vegetation, while the smaller key and surrounding shallows offer the sort of beach you can spend a perfectly good afternoon standing in. Between the islands, pale turquoise gives way to deeper blue. ¹

Anchoring, sandbars, and water worth getting into

On our first visit, we anchored near the sandbar on the Atlantic side. It was early, calm, and surprisingly uncrowded.

You can see the appeal in the video: boats sitting off the shallows, people wading, and that clear water making it very difficult to stay aboard. A cooler and a decent hat go a long way toward organizing the afternoon.

But the part I like best is poking around.

Along the mangrove edges, roots reach into the water in a tangle. Put your mask in and the view changes again: small fish, patches of seagrass, pale rubble, sunlight moving across the bottom. There is plenty going on down there while the people above it stand around holding drinks.

A mask and snorkel earn their space in the boat. So do water shoes. The coral rubble and broken shells make bare feet a poor choice, particularly if you intend to wander farther than the spot where you first climbed out.

The colors can also make it easy to forget that depth and current change here. The owners describe swift tidal channels around the islands. Pick your swimming spot with the conditions in mind; clear water is excellent for seeing into, less useful for judging how hard it is moving. ²

A little island, a long-running habit of sharing it

There is some history behind this particular patch of sand, although I couldn’t turn up a dependable explanation for the name Molasses Keys.

One account worth keeping comes from writer and paddler Whitney Sanford, who spent New Year’s Eve here in 2016 with then-owners Frank and Monica Woll of Florida Bay Outfitters. She described rum, hammocks, Christmas lights, and islands the couple routinely cleaned. They camped on the larger key and heard fireworks welcome 2017. ³

Christmas lights on a tiny offshore island. That seems about right.

The property changed hands in June 2025. Its current website introduces four high-school friends, Chris, Chip, Jeff, and TJ, whose connection to the Keys stretches from childhood vacations to visits with their children and grandchildren. They say they want to share the place with other water lovers while protecting it. ^{2, 4}

I like that there are people behind the place, taking care of it and making room for other people to enjoy it. Keeping a little island welcoming takes more effort than admiring one from the bridge.

Before you point the boat toward it

Our quiet arrival isn’t a promise of what you will find. The owners cite overcrowding and damage as reasons for controlling access.

Check the Molasses Keys reservation page before going. The current policy requires visitors to register their vessel and guests, accept the rules and liability release, and obtain permission. This applies to visits generally, not just busy-season trips. The Big Island is off-limits unless you are personally invited. ²

That is a manageable amount of planning for an afternoon somewhere this good.

Pack for the beach, including the part under your feet

Bring the usual beach provisions, with a little extra attention to footwear:

• Water shoes with a proper sole. The coral rubble is rough. Thin fashion slippers may leave you reconsidering your purchase.
• A hat that stays on, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a sun shirt. There is a reason the hats get so much screen time in our video.
• Plenty of drinking water, snacks, and lunch in a cooler. Pack for the afternoon you hope to have, plus the person who gets hungry on the ride home.
• A mask and snorkel. Much of the interesting stuff is below the surface.
• A small sand sifter, if allowed by the preserve’s current rules. For the person who cannot pass a patch of loose sand without investigating it. Look closely, leave living things and coral alone, and follow the owners' rules about collecting.
• A bag for your rubbish and any stray litter you pick up. Easy enough to fit beside the cooler.

Check the weather and tides, approach slowly around swimmers, and keep your anchor and propeller clear of seagrass and coral.

Then get in the water.

You can spend a long time at Molasses Keys moving a very short distance: over to the mangroves, back across the shallows, a few steps toward something on the bottom that deserves a closer look.

The Seven Mile Bridge is still right there. The road trip can wait while you find out what that thing is.

Watch our Molasses Keys visit