Sombrero Key
Sombrero Key Lighthouse has towered above the reef south of Marathon since 1858. The 149-foot iron structure endured generations of hurricanes and isolated keepers, and today it is best seen by boat, plane, or from the shores of Sombrero Beach.
Loggerhead Key
Loggerhead Key Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in the Florida Keys, rising 157 feet above a remote island in Dry Tortugas National Park. Its black-and-white brick tower is visible from Garden Key but requires a separate boat trip to visit.
Sand Key
Sand Key Lighthouse rises from a reef southwest of Key West where earlier buildings were repeatedly swept away by hurricanes. The surviving 1853 iron tower is a familiar snorkeling landmark, but it is inactive and accessible only from the water.
Key West
Key West Lighthouse has watched the city grow around it since the present tower was built in 1848. No longer an active aid, it is now a museum where visitors can climb above Old Town and explore the restored keeper’s quarters.
Garden Key (Tortugas Harbor)
Garden Key Lighthouse rises from a bastion of Fort Jefferson in Dry Tortugas National Park. The compact black iron tower replaced an earlier brick lighthouse in 1876 and remains a prominent part of the fort, though its navigational service ended in 1921.
Carysfort Reef
Carysfort Reef Lighthouse has guarded a notoriously dangerous reef off Key Largo since 1852. Florida’s oldest surviving offshore reef light replaced an unreliable lightship and became the prototype for the great iron towers later built along the Keys.
American Shoal
American Shoal Lighthouse has stood between Sugarloaf Key and the open Gulf Stream since 1880. Its red iron framework filled a dangerous gap in the chain of Florida reef lights and remains a dramatic offshore landmark best seen by boat or plane.
Alligator Reef
Rising from the turquoise water south of Islamorada, Alligator Reef Lighthouse has marked one of the Florida Keys’ most dangerous reefs since 1873. The elegant iron tower is best seen by boat and remains a powerful symbol of Keys maritime history.