Dry Tortugas National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park is located about 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. The park is only accessible by boat or sea plane. It consists of nearly 100 square miles, most of which are open water. There are seven small islands, including Garden Key, which is where you’ll find Fort Jefferson. Fort Jefferson is the largest masonry fort in the western hemisphere. Most of the other islands are highly protected wildlife refuges.

We took the ferry, the Yankee Freedom, from Key West to the Dry Tortugas. The trip there takes a little over two hours. The boat is comfortable and air-conditioned. Breakfast and lunch are provided on the ferry. They provide snorkel equipment as well. You can find more details here: https://www.drytortugas.com/

You’ll have to forgive the birdy photo dump, but I couldn’t help myself. We were very fortunate to be able to visit Bush Key to see the nesting magnificent frigatebirds, sooty terns, and brown noddies before it closed for the season. Near Ft. Jefferson, there’s a little fountain that attracts a lot of warblers that stop by for a little fresh water before continuing on their migratory way.

Fort Jefferson was cool, but I have to admit, I didn’t spend as much time there as maybe I should have, because I was more excited to see the birds. The fort was built between 1846 and 1875 to protect the U.S.’s gateway to the Gulf of Mexico. The fort was never fully completed due to supply problems related to the Civil War, structural settling, and advancements in military technology that made the fort essentially obsolete.

The water at the Dry Tortugas is, without question, the most incredible shade of turquoise! We were lucky enough to see several green sea turtles swimming around too!

We’re planning to go back to camp on Garden Key sometime! Apparently, it’s very difficult to obtain transport for camping gear to the island, and logistics need to be figured out six months in advance. We had plans to camp this time, but we were unable to secure our tickets, despite being at the computer and ready to hit “buy” the moment the tickets went on sale. They sold out immediately! We’ll keep trying because I’m sure it’s an amazing experience!