Dry Tortugas National Park — Attraction in Florida

One word- stunning. When in Florida recently I decided to visit each of the Sunshine State’s National Parks. Dry Tortugas was first on our list. Located 70 miles west of Key West, this 100-square mile park is mostly open water with one of the 7 islands- Garden Key, being home to the incredible 19th century Fort Jefferson.

This park is only accessible by ferry or sea plane and we unfortunately did not schedule the more affordable ferry option in time for our desired travel dates so we ended up booking the sea plane option instead, which we were grateful was still available, even if it was more expensive (approx $475/adult) for a half-day excursion. I learned that both options usually book out 6+ months in advance, so planning ahead for this park is required.

That said, the sea plane option ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. The pilot provided an exceptionally in depth history of the area, coupled with fly overs of the sunken ships and treasure hunting sights that the area is known for. The turquoise blue waters and diverse marine life (think sea turtles, sharks and stingrays) were the real stars of the flight, however.

Once our plane landed, our pilot helped us off the 10-seater plane and kindly took photos for anyone interested next to the plane. We were off to explore the island after that.

After exploring all the nooks and crannies of the fort, we enjoyed a few snacks (kept cold in coolers provided by the sea plane company) under the shade of a tree in the inner yard. While there was a small gift shop inside the fort, they did not sell food, so bringing snacks and drinks is a must.

After refueling, we headed out for our next adventure-snorkeling in the Caribbean blue waters adjacent to the fort!

Depending on your skill level, there were several areas designated for snorkeling. Being very inexperienced, we opted to stay in a beginner’s level area, especially considering this area is home to the third largest reef system in the world. The coral, marine life and cultural artifacts that comprise the area could be hazardous if you don’t have the right training or experience to navigate it.

The water must’ve had a high salt content because we floated very easily. We bought cheap waterproof camera cases on lanyards from Amazon before we left for this trip which ended up being such a good idea for some underwater photos and videos (if you don’t own a GoPro).

There were ample changing rooms and restrooms on the dock to help with changing into swimming and snorkeling gear.

There were also plenty of picnic tables near the fort entrance to hold your gear and enjoy snacks and/or a brief rest.

We opted for the 4-hour trip option offered by the Sea Plane company. This option included a 45min flight each way and 2.5 hours total in the park. There were 8-hour options available at a higher cost and overnight camping available, too- but 4 hours was perfect for us.

Some additional tips- bringing reef safe sunscreen and towels is a must. I was grateful to have also brought a little cash as the pilot accepted, and was absolutely worth, a nice tip.

If this park is not on your list of National Parks to visit…...

Bucket list location, but not for the glamping types. You can come here via boat, ferry or airplane. You can camp here too, up to 3 nights, at the time of this post. This is a high-demand / popular destination, you will have to make reservations up to a year or more in advance, due to the limited space. If camping (small $ fee/night), it is very primitive; no electricity or running water, and what you bring in, you have to pack out. There are chemical toilets for use by the campers, but if the ferry is at the dock, they are closed and you are required to use the facilities on the boat, which are much nicer anyway!

There is a minimal, but friendly, helpful and knowledgeable NPS staff. There is a visitor center with interesting artifacts and a gift shop to get your DT souvenirs, and get your NPS Passport stamped. It's airconditioned and usually open for arriving Air Charters and while the Ferry is at the dock, 365 days/year, weather permitting.

The Yankee Freedom III Ferry is comfy and outfitted well with a friendly, hard working crew. It's the 'best' way to get a lot of people to/from the island at the price per person. The ferry has the tour guide, and I believe the tour is open to anyone on the island, it starts at 11am (IIRC (shortly after the Ferry arrival) at the NPS Sign near the entrance to the Fort and takes about 45 min. The guide shares a lot of history and information, so don't miss it!

Depending on the time of year, due to nesting or safety issues, there may be sections you can not access (in addition to the off limits admin areas), but overall, you are pretty much free to explore as you wish.

If you're into Birding, this place is quite diverse, bring your binoculars and pick-up a species checklist and have a go!

Snorkeling is nice and there is a LOT of area to explore (but stay away from the INSIDE of the moat). We found a lot of interesting sights along the outside of the moat wall. The water was warm, visibility wasn't the greatest, maybe 20-ft, but that could be weather/time of year dependent.. it didn't take away from the experience.

In the evening and maybe when the clouds start to provide some protection from the Sun, you'll see a lot of Hermit Crabs start to come out and start scurrying about. All different sizes, and a marvel at the selection of shells they have chosen as their "home". Waking up in the morning is fun to see their tracks in the sand outside your tent, looks like they covered every square inch!

The night sky is awesome, zero light pollution!

You'll also see other crabs near the beach, fun to watch them go about their business. We spent some time watching a larger one excavate it's hole in the sand.. very interesting!

Be sure to visit the NPS and Yankee Freedom III Ferry websites to get a better understanding of what to expect and how to go about getting there, as well as any limitations you'll definitely need to know/follow.

A must see bucket list destination. I'll be going back. Make sure to check up on the best times of year to go, as the summer...

I-I wouldn't go back.

I'm a hesitant about American history and forts because it's complicated. Also this review is mostly for the NPS service at the park, not the Yankee Freedom. The Yankee Freedom is the only way on the island, and they're doing the best they can given the lack of NPS presence at the park.

I did the 25 minute talk that the Yankee Freedom gave about the Fort, it was alright. I'll say this, Yankee Freedom is punctual and I appreciate that.

I agree with the other reviews about the lack of NPS rangers. We had to ask the visitor center where the park rangers were because we couldn't find them, we went into the visitor center two different times and around the fort and two beaches looking for them. The reason why is because in the NPS store you can stamp your passport book.

You can stamp with a 2 lighthouses, the actual Dry Tortugas date stamp, and an additional stamp that says 'the underground freedom railroad trail'. Nobody had explained to us what that meant and we were interested, it was a stamp, and not mentioned in 25 min Yankee Freedom Tour.

The female ranger we saw 20 minutes before boarding stated she was more of a biologist, we asked her about it and she said she wasn't sure.

Then a few minutes later like 15 minutes before boarding, there was an older gentlemen we asked, taller guy who said that he could talk to hours to us about the park - when we asked about the stamp that said freedom trail; he asked if we wanted the pamphlet. We said sure, and he said that he'd been on the island for 12 years and never read the full pamphlet through.

Okay? So he walks us towards where I guess the pamphlet was and then decides to make conversation with a little kid for about 10 minutes (whatever?), I was over it so I went and sat somewhere else - and my partner waited for the pamphlets, where were somewhere hidden?

Eh, it kinda felt funny. Maybe he meant no harm, but it didn't feel great. My thoughts about American history are as complicated as the history itself, and I felt like Dry Tortugas NPS is kinda missing the mark with visitors like myself.

I will saw NATURE wise, the park is beautiful. We were there during bird nesting season and the birds were all around (we love birds), the beach was fun, and the fort itself was interesting. It's still worth a trip to check off the bucket list, maybe consider camping and reading up on some history on your own prior to going. The NPS store was tiny, but staff was very nice. If you want to snorkel and see some amazing fish, some beautiful water go to Biscayne Bay National Park and take the institute day trip. Thank...