Spend the Day at Dry Tortugas National Park

Things to See and Do while visiting Dry Tortugas National Park

Garden key

Dry Tortugas consists of seven keys. Garden Key is the most visited and where the ferry and seaplane drop visitors off.

 

Bush Key

Bush Key is a very small island just east of Garden Key. Sometimes you can walk across the sand from Garden Key to Bush Key and other times you must kayak. There is a half mile trail guests can walk along during certain parts of the year. If getting in the water isn’t your idea of fun, this would be a great alternative.

From February to September, sooty terns nest here, and Bush Key is closed to visitors. It was closed when we visited.

 

Fort Jefferson on Garden Key

Fort Jefferson was built to control the Gulf of Mexico and protect the Mississippi River trade route. The fort has three levels and over 16 million bricks, making it one of the largest masonry structures in the world.  Construction began in 1846 and despite being developed for nearly 30 years, it was never completed. The fort was used as a prison during the Civil War and in 1874 the Army abandoned the location.

 

 

HISTORICAL FACT: Dr. Samuel Mudd treated John Wilkes Booth’s leg the morning after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, and also allowed him to sleep in his home. It is still unclear how much Dr. Mudd knew, but he was convicted of conspiracy to assassinate the President and sentenced to life in prison at Fort Jefferson. Four years later, he was pardoned.

 

Tortugas Harbor Light

The original lighthouse was built in 1825, but was not tall enough or bright enough to guide vessels safely. So, a taller lighthouse was built on nearby Loggerhead Key in 1856. Due to hurricane damage, the original Tortugas Harbor Light was rebuilt in 1876. It is made of iron and stands 80 feet off the ground.

 

Walking on Top

A fun feature of the fort is the ability to walk on the top level. In the rare case that you have forgotten you’re on a very remote island on a very large body of water, the 360 degree view from here will quickly remind you. You get a fabulous perspective of the fort, as well as the sandy beaches and aquamarine water.

Please note: There are no railings, so be cautious while taking in the amazing view.

 

 

Visitor Center?

My first stop at any National Park is usually the visitor center. I like to check out the gift shop, talk to a ranger about a particular hike, and of course stamp my National Park passport book. Dry Tortugas doesn’t have a visitor center. There is a small bookstore in Fort Jefferson, but it was only open for maybe an hour when we were there. The passport stamp is right outside the bookstore, though, so you can use it even if the store is closed.

 

Underground Railroad Freedom Network
One of the passport stamps in Fort Jefferson highlights the Underground Railroad Freedom Network. The Network to Freedom program consists of over 800 locations recognizing efforts of enslaved African Americans that tried to gain their freedom by escaping.
Dry Tortugas was not part of the Underground Railroad. However, the stamp is honoring 7 freedom seekers.
Hundreds of slaves were treated horribly while helping to build Fort Jefferson. Being in such a remote location, not many people tried to escape. However, in 1847, seven men escaped on a schooner and weren’t discovered until the next morning.
By evening, a storm began hammering the Keys. The seven men survived the storm, but ended up being picked up and brought to Key West. Two of the men were returned to their owners, and the others were sent back to Fort Jefferson.
Slave labor was discontinued at Fort Jefferson in 1862.

 

Loggerhead Key

Three miles off in the distance is Loggerhead Key, the largest key at Dry Tortugas. The only way to visit is by boat.

 

FUN FACT: Leatherback, Kemp’s ridley, Hawksbill, Loggerhead, and Green sea turtles nest here. In 1513, a Spanish explorer first named the area Las Tortugas (The Turtles).

 

Snorkeling

The thing I was most excited to do at Dry Tortugas was snorkel.

The water had a fairly strong current and I found the experience to be a little less great than I was hoping. We tried three different areas around Garden Key and found the best spot was near the moat wall, on the south side of the fort, as it was the most protected from the elements.

We also snorkeled the ruins of the south coaling pier pilings. The old pilings had a good amount of coral and other sea life, but we were getting pushed around too much to enjoy it. On another day, I think this would be a great spot to snorkel.

The third place we got in the water was at the north swim beach. This area had the most people, so we were hopeful this was the place to be. It wasn’t. The intent was to go around the barrier and snorkel among the north pier piling ruins. But the current wasn’t allowing that to happen. We did see barracuda, though, which was great. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve been in the water with a barracuda.

It wasn’t my favorite snorkeling trip, but a less than superb day in the water is still a good day.

 

 

 

How to get to Dry Tortugas National Park

If you’re local, you can take your boat to Dry Tortugas. For the rest of us, we have the option of a ferry or seaplane ride.

 

The ferry ride is an all day adventure. The boat ride is 2+ hours from Key West to Garden Key. Then, you have 5ish hours at Dry Tortugas before the 2+ hour trek back to Key West. This option is less expensive than taking the seaplane, but it is not cheap.

 

The other transportation method to Garden Key is by seaplane. We chose this experience. This was the first time either of us have been on a seaplane. It was fantastic! The water in the gulf is so clear we could see a shipwreck and sea turtles from above.

We chose the half day excursion – in part because of price, but also because we were trying to see all we could with our limited time in Key West. I would have liked more time on the island, though. Two and a half hours wasn’t enough. When we first arrived, we did a quick self guided tour of the fort – I would have liked to have explored it more. But, I wanted as much snorkel time as possible, so the fort exploring was kept to a minimum. The rest of our time was spent in the water, but I would have preferred even more time in the water.

That being said, if I were to do this same exact trip again I would probably choose the seaplane. Our pilot was great and it was just so cool. If I get the opportunity, though, I would love to take the ferry and camp overnight.

 

 

Optional Items to Bring

• Portable Solar Charger
• Sunscreen
• Mask & Snorkel – the ferry and seaplane companies provide them, but I like using my own
• Swimsuit
• Towel

 

 

Check out the 4 day itinerary that visits all 3 National Parks in South Florida >>>

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