the beach today
Lower Keys Guide

Sugarloaf
Key

Bat Tower

Everything for a day at one of the quietest stops on the Overseas Highway - bat tower history, bay access, backcountry fishing and the last stop before Key West.

Today on the Sand

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Water Temp

84°

warm · gentle surf

UV Index

9

very high · 10am–4pm

Beach Crowd

Busy

holiday weekend

Beach Toolkit

Beach Conditions

Surf, tides & water temp

Parking Finder

Marina & county bay lots

Sugarloaf Shore

Bay scene & live cam

Dining

Lower Keys spots & Key West

Things to Do

Backcountry, bay & Key West

Events

What's on this week

Pick Your Sand

north to south

Sugarloaf Beach

County bay beach access on the bayside

Free county

Sugarloaf Lodge Marina

Marina with bay access and boat launch

Marina

Perky Bat Tower

Historic 1929 bat tower, free to visit

Free landmark

Cudjoe Key

10 min north, county bay access

Free county

Big Coppitt Key

10 min south, bay fishing access

Free

Key West

15 min south, full city beach & Mallory

City beaches

Dolphin Cruises

Open →

Compare daily sails from the marina — wild dolphins on nearly every trip.

Beyond the Beach

day trips

Perky Bat Tower

Sugarloaf Key

The 1929 wooden tower built to house bats that would eat mosquitoes - they never arrived, it still stands

Sugarloaf Lodge

Bayside

The classic Keys motel and marina - a true old-Florida stop with boat rentals and bay access

Key West

15 min south

The end of the road - Duval Street, Mallory Square sunset and the Southernmost Point

Cudjoe Key

10 min north

Square Grouper restaurant and Fat Albert blimp - the most celebrated lower Keys restaurant

see you on the sand

Water temp, surf and UV are live from NOAA & Open-Meteo; sunset is computed locally for Sugarloaf Key. Crowd level is a weekday/weekend estimate.

Right now at Sugarloaf Key, the water is 89°F, surf is running 0–1 ft and the air is 79°F but feels like 87°F. Wind is 4 mph from the WNW and the UV index peaks at 8 (very high) today. Today’s tides: High 12:07 AM, Low 6:21 AM, High 12:59 PM, Low 6:10 PM. Dogs are allowed right now, on a leash.