One of the hardest National Parks to get to, Dry Tortugas National Park is anything but dry. With 99 percent of the National Park under water, the above water 1 percent of the park is located on a 7 island archipelago far off the shores of Key West, Florida. However, once you’re on Dry Tortugas, you have the pleasure of exploring the white sandy beaches, gazing into the clear blue waters, seeing a huge historic fort and exploring an underwater world ripe for snorkeling. We recently made the long and expensive journey to this island to experience everything that Dry Tortugas National Park has to offer. Keep reading to find out how to get there, what to do when you’re there, what to pack for your trip and more!
About Dry Tortugas National Park
The Dry Tortugas are an archipelago of 7 keys that are technically part of the Florida Keys: Loggerhead Key, Garden Key, Bush Key, Long Key, Hospital Key, Middle Key and East Key. These islands are all much smaller than the Florida Keys that are connected to the mainland by the Overseas Highway. Some islands even disappear at times as the water levels rise.
These islands were named “Tortugas” or turtles by Ponce de León, who caught an abundance of sea turtles here. Sea turtles still nest on these islands in the summer. Additionally, you’ll see tons of migratory birds, including the popular magnificent frigatebird, along with hundreds of other species.
Additionally, the park is 99 percent underwater and was created to protect the very concentrated coral reefs in this section of the Florida Keys. Dry Tortugas National Park, combined with Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Biscayne National Park, protect a large portion of the Florida Reef – the third largest coral reef in the world.
When To Visit Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas experiences pleasant temperatures year round making this a great National Park to visit any time of the year – especially in the winter when you’re looking for a warm weather getaway.
However, if you’re an amateur ornithological enthusiast like us – or you like birds – you’ll want to visit in the Spring (April) when you have the best chance of seeing the most migratory birds. Or if you want to see turtles, May-June is the best time for that.
June-November is technically hurricane season so you may have delightful weather or you may have your trip cancelled by a hurricane.
How To Get To Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park is located 70 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida. These islands are the last islands in the Florida Keys. While the park technically consists of 7 keys, Garden Key is the island that is home to Fort Jefferson and the Garden Key lighthouse. This is the island that all tour providers take you to.
There are two ways to get to Dry Tortugas National Park: by boat or by seaplane.
Boat
The Yankee Freedom leaves from Key West every morning (except on holiday or in extreme weather). The ferry costs $220/person and takes about two and a half hours for a one way journey. If you travel by ferry, this is a full day excursion. The ferry does have an early checkin time of 7:00 AM. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
Additionally, private boats can dock in Dry Tortugas National Park. So if you have a boat or want to charter one, this is also an option. Boats do need a permit to dock or anchor anywhere in the park.
Plane
Seaplane Adventures is the authorized flight provider for Dry Tortugas National Park. The seaplane costs $819/person for a full day excursion (half day excursions are cheaper). The flight time is approximately 40 minutes for a one way trip. The advantage of flying is that flights leave throughout the day.
Both modes of transportation generally require advance reservations – especially in spring time when tourists flock to the Florida Keys and the birdwatchers come out to see all of the best of the migratory birds.
Additionally, whatever way you decide to get to Dry Tortugas, once you are there, it is a lot like being stranded on a deserted island – along with about 200 other people. But it was a cool experience for us. However, if this thought doesn’t appeal to you, you may want to visit a less remote Florida park, like the Everglades.
Top Things To Do On Dry Tortugas
Visit Fort Jefferson
Fort Jefferson is a giant fort that was built in stages over several decades. It is a sprawling and massive fort. In fact, it is the largest brick structure in the Wester Hemisphere. We saw pictures before we went but the size still blew us away. Every visitor to Dry Tortugas should at least dedicate a little bit of time to visiting the fort. It is fascinating! There are plaques throughout the fort explaining the construction, use and some famous historic tidbits.
The fort is also surrounded by a moat which you can walk on. It’s pretty picturesque.
Take The Tour Of Fort Jefferson – Ferry Only
To truly appreciate how interesting Fort Jefferson is, you need to take the guided tour. This is available for folks traveling on the ferry and is generally scheduled for just after the ferry docks. The full tour takes about 2 hours. During that time, you learn about the piecemeal constructions of the fort, a Civil War battle with no shots fired, the conversion of the fort to a prison and the famous Dr. Mudd. We learned a ton and the guide was very engaging.
If you don’t want to stay for the full tour, it is broken into two sections so there is a nice section in the middle when you can detach from the group if you’d rather do something else.
Swimming
There are several beaches on Garden Key with nice swimming beaches. These are all beautiful white sand beaches. The south swim beach is a great place for swimming, even when waves are high, as it is more protected.
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is supposed to be good on Garden Key. When we visited the sea swell was high which meant that the sand was all stirred up so the visibility was terrible. However, we were told by the ferry staff that snorkeling is best along the moat wall and along the coaling dock ruins. The coral grows on the man made structures and there are supposed to be lots of colorful fish here.
If you’d prefer to dive Dry Tortugas, you’ll have to go through the authorized dive company here.
Bird Watching
Dry Tortugas is a popular place for serious bird watchers. It was rare for us to see a visitor there without binoculars around their necks. There are around 300 different species of birds that visit Dry Tortugas in the course of a year. We were on the lookout for magnificient frigate birds (which we saw) and masked boobies (which we didn’t see).
Visit Bush Key
In the winter, Bush Key is open to humans but the rest of the year it is closed for nesting birds. Bush Key is connected to Garden Key by a small strip of sand. If it is open, there is a short 1-mile trail that loops the more wild key and makes a great way to end your day on the island.
Bonus: Camping
Camping on the island could potentially be awesome. There are limited campsites and the only overnight visitors are campers and rangers. However, campsites fill up fast. So if you are interested in camping on the island, make sure to plan ahead. If you camp, you do need to bring all of your own gear on the ferry.
Double Bonus: Kayaking
If you can get a camping spot, see if you also can get a kayak spot on the ferry. There are limited kayak spots on the ferry and they book out up to a year in advance. However, if you can snag both a camping and a kayak spot, you can take the 3-mile paddle to the extra secluded Loggerhead Key. There is snorkeling here, in addition to even more secluded swimming beaches. If this is something you are interested in doing, it’s best to have flexible travel dates or plan far ahead as this is a coveted ticket to snag.
How To Spend Your Time On Dry Tortugas
Here we’ve provided three short sample itineraries based on how you’re traveling to the island.
Half Day Seaplane
With the half day seaplane ticket, you only have 2.5 hours on the island. First, explore Fort Jefferson on your own. This will be a bit rushed so don’t linger. Next, pick one snorkeling spot and explore the water.
Ferry – Our Personal Recommendation
With the ferry ticket, you have 4.5 hours on the island. First, take the guided tour of Fort Jefferson. This guided tour is the reason we recommend the ferry over the other modes of transportation. The tour is great but it does take about 2 hours. Next, choose one beach to snorkel/swim at. End your day with a fast walk around Garden/Bush Key.
Full Day Seaplane
With the full day seaplane ticket, you have 6.5 hours to explore the island. Start your day exploring Fort Jefferson. Next, pick two areas to snorkel/swim. End your day with a full walk around Garden/Bush Key (this isn’t possible during bird nesting season as Bush Key is closed during nesting).
How Much Does It Cost To Visit Dry Tortugas?
At a minimum of $220/person, a visit to Dry Tortugas National Park is not cheap. You’ll need to budget based on your transportation. Prices for each transportation option are listed above. These tickets include your admission in to the National Park. If you have a National Parks pass, make sure to bring it and the vendor will lower your ticket price a bit.
Additionally, you’ll need to park in Key West for the day as neither the seaplane nor the ferry offer free parking. You’ll want to budget $40 for parking for a full day.
However, beyond parking and transportation, you’ll won’t need to budget for anything else! This is because there isn’t anything else to buy in the park. There is a gift shop selling souvenirs, but there is no food for sale or additional tours to pay for.
What To Pack For Dry Tortugas
You need to pack dramamine or other motion sickness medicine if you are taking the ferry. Don’t bother with the non-drowsy stuff – it doesn’t work. If you regularly get motion sickness, like me, I also swear by these amazing pressure point wristbands. Also, if you’re reading this and thinking “I don’t get motion sick” be warned. There were two such people vomiting on our boat ride and the waves weren’t even that terrible.
Additionally, if you are visiting for more than one day or via the seaplane, you’ll need to pack food. The ferry tickets include lunch for their passengers. However, there are no concessions on Dry Tortugas.
If you are visiting on a day trip, you are allowed to bring a backpack. We packed our dry bag. In it we included:
- snorkeling gear (the ferry also provides it but we like our own gear)
- swimsuit
- quick dry towels
- reef-safe sunscreen
- sunglasses/hat
- GoPro
- Snacks
- Plenty of water!!! 2 liters/person is our standard for a day trip.
- Cards (for the boat ride)
When you get dressed, make sure to dress in layers. It was really windy and cloudy at the start of our day and we were bundled up. However, the sun came out and we spent the rest of the day in our swimsuits. So layers!
Dry Tortugas FAQs
Can you bring dogs to Dry Tortugas?
No, only service animals are allowed.
Is there running water on Dry Tortugas?
No, you have to bring enough drinking water with you. There are hoses with salt water for rinsing off sand but no fresh water is available.
Are there restrooms on Dry Tortugas?
Kind of. There are composting toilets in the campground area. There are changing rooms on the dock. However, the only flushing toilets on the island are on the Yankee Freedom ferry when it is docked. Everyone is welcome to use these toilets – even people who came on the seaplane.
Can you rent equipment at Dry Tortugas?
You can rent snorkel equipment for the day – for free if you came on the ferry. However, kayaks, SUPs or boats are not available.
Are there bugs on Dry Tortugas?
There aren’t very many bugs on the island – so no need to pack bug spray. We didn’t see any mosquitos. The only things we saw were really small flies when we were on the sandy beaches.
Is there cell service or WiFi on Dry Tortugas?
No. You are completely disconnected here, which we think is a good thing.
If you have any other questions about getting to Dry Tortugas or if you want to share your experience camping on the island, please leave it in the comments section below.
