Put Dry Tortugas On Your

National Parks are a treasure. I enjoy visiting them every chance I get. In 2021, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy one of the least visited National Parks in America, the Dry Tortugas.

My husband and I were visiting Key West, and when we were that close, I thought it would be a shame not to stay an extra day and make the trip to Dry Tortugas.

I’m so glad we stayed and visited this beautiful National Park. Fort Jefferson is the park’s centerpiece. It is an unfinished fortress and the largest brick masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere. It has abundant sea life, colorful coral reefs, tropical bird breeding grounds, and sunken treasures. More than 16 million bricks were used in the creation of the fort.

The Dry Tortugas National Park is located in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 70 miles west of Key West. It is made up of seven isolated islands of the Florida Keys.

Juan Ponce de León visited the Dry Tortugas in 1513, caught 160 sea turtles there, and referred to the islands as the “Tortugas,” meaning turtles. The “Dry” comes from the lack of fresh water on the island.

The Dry Tortugas are also rich in maritime history. There were many shipwrecks near the island over the years. The islands provided a strategic point for controlling the Straits of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

Temperatures range from an average of 91 °F (33 °C) and low temperatures in winter around 65 °F (18 °C) on the Dry Tortugas. It is one of the driest places in Florida, with an annual precipitation of about 38 inches with no large jungle or forest canopy area.

This is the interesting part; the park is accessible only by seaplane or boat, and there are no roads or cars on the island. Boating permits to be within the National Park boundaries are free, but you must register with the National Park Service once you arrive at the Fort. This applies to all types of boats, including Kayaks.

We rode the Yankee Freedom Ferry (Reservations are required), which was a convenient way to get to the Dry Tortugas. The price of your ferry tickets for Dry Tortugas includes National Park admission. If you have a National Parks pass, you can present that upon check-in in Key West to have the cost of entry refunded to you.

The ferry leaves Key West at 8:00 AM. There is seating inside and out on both the upper and lower decks. The ride to the Dry Tortugas takes approximately two hours each way.