Seven Mile Bridge Webcam – Florida Keys from Sunset Grille

The Seven Mile Bridge Webcam watches the Marathon end of the best-known bridge in the Florida Keys from the pool deck of Sunset Grille and Raw Bar on Knights Key. A large blue pool runs across the bottom of the frame, with patio tables, red and white umbrellas and tall coconut palms behind it. On the right, the bridge heads out over the water and narrows to a thin line on the horizon. The camera points roughly west along the bridge, so the scene follows the light, from flat silver water under cloud to the evening skies the restaurant is named for. People come and go across the deck, and small boats can sit at anchor beyond the dock.

About the Seven Mile Bridge

There are really two bridges in this view. The one that carries US 1 today was built between 1978 and 1982 and opened on May 24, 1982. It runs 10.93 kilometers (6.79 miles) from Knights Key to Little Duck Key on 440 spans of precast, prestressed concrete, and rises to 20 meters (65 feet) above the water at Moser Channel so boats can pass underneath. Beside it stands the original bridge, built from 1909 to 1912 for Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, the Key West extension of the Florida East Coast Railway. After the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane ended the railroad, the old bridge was turned over to road traffic, and it carried cars until the new bridge took over in 1982. Its swing span was later removed. In the frame, the higher and smoother deck of the modern bridge appears in front, with the heavier, lower piers of the old one showing beneath and behind it.

The first 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) of the old bridge, from Knights Key to Pigeon Key, closed in 2017 for repairs and reopened in January 2022 for walkers, runners and cyclists. Pigeon Key itself was the work camp for Flagler’s railroad crews. The bridge has had a long screen career too, with roles in Licence to Kill, True Lies and 2 Fast 2 Furious, and every April it closes for about two and a half hours on a Saturday for the Seven Mile Bridge Run, held since 1982.

Sunset Grille and Raw Bar, which hosts the camera, sits at the very foot of the bridge at Mile Marker 47, the point where the city of Marathon begins. Mile markers on the Overseas Highway count down to Key West, so this spot is about 76 kilometers (47 miles) from the end of the road. The restaurant opened in February 2010, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and calls its pool one of the largest in the Florida Keys. Marathon, incorporated as a city in 1999, stretches from here to Tom’s Harbor Bridge at Mile Marker 61 and had 9,689 residents at the 2020 census.

Weather and Climate at the Seven Mile Bridge

Marathon stays warm all year. January, the coolest month, averages a high of 24.3 C (75.8 F) and a low of 17.9 C (64.2 F), and by April the average high has climbed to 28.9 C (84.1 F). November to April is the drier half of the year, and its clear days show the bridge sharpest against the sky, with the shallow water around the piers at its most colorful.

Summer is hot and humid. July averages 32.7 C (90.9 F) by day and 26.3 C (79.4 F) at night, and August is a touch warmer at 33.1 C (91.6 F). The wet season runs from May through October and brings most of Marathon’s 1,009 millimeters (39.72 inches) of annual rain, much of it in showers and thunderstorms, and a storm line moving across the bridge is one of the more dramatic things this camera can catch. Those months also cover most of the Atlantic hurricane season, and Hurricane Irma struck the Keys on September 10, 2017. October still averages 30.1 C (86.2 F), with nights around 24.3 C (75.8 F).

Things to Do Near the Seven Mile Bridge

The obvious first stop is the old bridge itself. Its restored stretch runs 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) out to Pigeon Key and is open to walkers, runners and cyclists, starting on Knights Key beside the restaurant. Pigeon Key needs an admission ticket: tours leave the Pigeon Key Visitor Center at 1090 Overseas Highway, Mile Marker 47.5, at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., last about two hours and include the tram ride out and back. Visitors on the island can snorkel off the dock and the beach area if they bring their own gear and a dive flag.

Back in Marathon, The Turtle Hospital at Mile Marker 48.5 is a nonprofit that rescues, rehabilitates and releases sick and injured sea turtles, and it runs tours. Crane Point Museum and Nature Center, at Mile Marker 50.5, protects 25 hectares (63 acres) of tropical hammock with walking trails, and Sombrero Beach lies near Mile Marker 50. Drive across the bridge and Bahia Honda State Park waits at Mile Marker 37, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from the camera, with 212 hectares (524 acres), three beaches and a historic railroad bridge of its own.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More views from the Keys, plus another of North America’s great sea crossings:

• Stock Island Waterfront Webcam
• Key West Harbor Webcam
• Confederation Bridge Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Seven Mile Bridge located?

The Seven Mile Bridge is in the Middle Keys of Florida, in Monroe County, linking Knights Key in Marathon with Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys. The Marathon end, where this camera sits at Mile Marker 47, is about 76 kilometers (47 miles) by road from Key West.

What can you see on the Seven Mile Bridge Webcam?

The camera looks across the pool and dining deck at Sunset Grille and Raw Bar, past palms and red and white umbrellas, to the open water and the bridge running toward the horizon on the right. A wooden dock, a line of utility poles in the water and the lower piers of the old railroad bridge are also in shot.

What is the weather like at the Seven Mile Bridge?

Warm all year. Winter highs sit around 24 C (76 F), while July and August average 33 C (91 F) with humid nights near 26 C (79 F). The wet season runs from May through October.

How long is the Seven Mile Bridge?

Despite the name, the modern bridge measures 10.93 kilometers (6.79 miles). It has 440 concrete spans and a high point of 20 meters (65 feet) above the water at Moser Channel.

Can you walk on the Old Seven Mile Bridge?

Yes. The 3.5 kilometer (2.2 mile) section from Knights Key to Pigeon Key reopened in January 2022 for walkers, runners and cyclists. The bridge itself is open to the public, but going onto Pigeon Key requires admission.

When is the best time to watch the Seven Mile Bridge Webcam?

Late afternoon into sunset. The camera faces roughly west along the bridge, so on clear evenings the sky behind the spans can turn orange and pink.

Source: Seek Florida Keys