The only way into Florida’s wildest national park is by boat or seaplane

It’s 70 miles past Key West

You won’t drive to Dry Tortugas National Park. You can’t.

The place sits 70 miles west of Key West in the open Gulf of Mexico, and the only way to get there is by ferry, seaplane, or your own boat.

Seven small islands make up the dry land, and Garden Key is where you’ll spend your time. The park covers about 100 square miles, but more than 99 percent of that is water.

It’s one of the least visited national parks in the country, and the reason starts with that boat ride.

Ponce de Leon caught 160 turtles here in 1513

Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon landed on these islands on June 21, 1513, and his crew hauled in 160 sea turtles. He named the place “Las Tortugas,” Spanish for “the turtles.”

Later mapmakers added “Dry” to warn sailors there was no fresh water anywhere on the islands. Three centuries after Ponce de Leon’s visit, the U.S. military started building Fort Jefferson in 1846.

They used more than 16 million bricks, making it the largest brick masonry structure in the Americas.

The fort never saw completion, but during the Civil War it held military prisoners, including Dr. Samuel Mudd, convicted in the conspiracy to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln.

Walk through a fort that never fired a shot

Fort Jefferson takes up most of Garden Key’s 16 acres. The hexagonal walls stand up to 50 feet tall and run 8 feet thick.

Engineers designed the fort for hundreds of cannons and a garrison of about 1,500 soldiers, but it never fired a single shot in battle.

You can explore three levels of arched casemates, open-air gun platforms and a central parade ground on your own, or catch a guided tour that runs about 45 minutes twice daily.

Climb to the top level, and turquoise water stretches out in every direction.

Snorkel right off the beach in 5 feet of water

Dry Tortugas sits at the southwest corner of Florida’s Coral Reef, the third largest reef system in the world.

The water runs shallow here, just 5 to 15 feet in most spots, so beginners and families can snorkel without trouble.

Yellowtail snapper, parrotfish, queen angelfish, sea turtles, reef squid and nurse sharks all move through these reefs. The South Coaling Dock Ruins are a good place to start.

Old iron pilings covered in coral attract barracuda and other fish just off Garden Key. Don’t touch the coral, though.

Even light contact damages it.

Hundreds of shipwrecks sit below the surface

The reefs and currents around Dry Tortugas sank ships for centuries. Hundreds of wrecks lie on the bottom, some dating back to the 1600s.

The most popular is the Windjammer, a steel-hulled ship called the Avanti that ran aground in 1901. It sits in about 20 feet of water south of Loggerhead Key, and coral now grows across its remains.

Goliath grouper and schools of reef fish hang around the wreck. Every shipwreck and underwater artifact in the park is protected by law, so look but don’t take.

Exhausted songbirds land at your feet near the fort

More than 300 bird species have been recorded in this park.

The Dry Tortugas sit right on the migration route between South America and North America, and in April and May the islands become a rest stop for birds that just crossed the Gulf of Mexico.

The Park Service maintains a freshwater fountain near the fort, and exhausted migrants land there to drink.

You can sit on nearby benches and watch warblers, grosbeaks, cuckoos and other songbirds from just a few feet away. Some days you’ll spot dozens of species before lunch.

80,000 sooty terns nest on one tiny island

Bush Key hosts about 80,000 sooty terns every year, the only regular breeding colony of this species in the continental United States. Around 4,500 brown noddies nest there too.

The island closes to visitors from February through September to protect the nesting birds, but you can see the colony from the top of Fort Jefferson with binoculars. Keep an eye on the sky above the fort as well.

Magnificent frigatebirds, with seven-foot wingspans, soar overhead. A small colony nests on nearby Long Key, the only continental U.S. breeding site for that species.

Five species of sea turtles still swim here

Ponce de Leon named these islands for turtles, and five species still call the waters home: loggerhead, green, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley and leatherback. All five are listed under the Endangered Species Act.

The park is the most active sea turtle nesting site in the Florida Keys, and Park Service biologists monitor nests daily during nesting season.

You might spot a turtle while snorkeling off Garden Key or from the deck of the ferry on the ride out. The connection between this place and its namesake goes back more than 500 years.

Two beaches and almost nobody on them

Garden Key has a North Beach and a South Beach, both with soft sand and clear turquoise water. South Beach tends to stay calmer because the fort blocks the wind.

Unlike most Florida beaches, these are often nearly empty, even during the busy months. You can find conchs and tropical shells along the shore, but nothing leaves the park.

From October through January, when Bush Key opens to visitors, a sandbar connects it to Garden Key. Walk across and you’re on an uninhabited island with no one else around.

Camp here and the Milky Way shows up

Garden Key has eight primitive campsites, and that’s it. You bring everything, including fresh water, food and your tent.

Once the last ferry and seaplane leave in the afternoon, the island goes quiet. You’ll have the park nearly to yourself.

With no light pollution for miles, the night sky opens up and the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye. After dark, hermit crabs blanket the ground around your tent.

If you’re lucky, you’ll hear the sound of a sea turtle digging a nest in the sand nearby.

The 151-foot lighthouse on Loggerhead Key

Loggerhead Key is the largest island in the park, about three miles west of Garden Key. The Dry Tortugas Lighthouse stands 151 feet tall on the island, built in 1858 to warn ships away from the deadly reefs.

You’ll need a private boat or charter to get there, but the island has strong snorkeling reefs and white-sand beaches with no crowds.

Loggerhead Key once housed the Carnegie Laboratory for Marine Ecology, one of the earliest marine research stations in the country.

No cell service, no Wi-Fi, no stores

President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated Dry Tortugas a National Monument in 1935, and it became a National Park in 1992. UNESCO recognizes it as part of the Everglades and Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve.

A 46-square-mile research natural area inside the park prohibits all fishing and anchoring to protect the coral reefs. There is no cell service, no Wi-Fi and no stores on the island.

Moat wall repairs are ongoing, and snorkeling remains open outside closed zones. Check the NPS website for current conditions before you go.

Explore Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida

You can reach Dry Tortugas by the Yankee Freedom ferry from Key West, a ride of about two and a half hours each way. Seaplanes make the trip in about 40 minutes.

The park stays open year round, but tropical storms may close it temporarily between June and November. There’s no entrance fee for the park itself, though ferry and seaplane tickets carry their own costs.

Bring sunscreen, plenty of water and protective footwear for the coarse sand and shells. Restroom facilities are on the ferry while it’s docked.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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