We Visited All 63 U.S. National Parks

When visited:           March 5, 2022

Date Established:     October 26, 1992 (January 4, 1935 as a National Monument)

Park ranking:            52 out of 63

Highlight:                  Historic Fort Jefferson and snorkeling

Why not to go:          2.5 hour boat ride (or sea plane) with no accommodations other than camping

Dry Tortugas National Park is best reached from Key West, Florida.  It consists of the southernmost keys of the Florida Keys and the largest masonry structure in the Western hemisphere consisting of more than 16 million bricks.  The structure is Fort Jefferson and can be reached by the Yankee Freedom catamaran that leaves from Key West and takes about 2.5 hours to reach the fort.

Fort Jefferson from the path around the fort

Missy and I decided to combine a trip to Dry Tortugas with visits to Biscayne Bay, the Everglades and US Virgin Islands national parks in one trip.  We planned our visit to Key West to enjoy the weather, explore the keys and soak up some sun.  We also learned that the boat trip to Fort Jefferson can be quite windy with huge swells and some days the boat can be cancelled – so we gave ourselves a choice of two days to visit the fort.

The national park is about 68 miles west of Key West and can only be reached by boat or sea plane – it is a difficult park to access which is why the Yankee Freedom is such a popular option.  There is no lodging – just basic camping on Garden Key.  To camp, you need to bring everything including water – there aren’t restaurants or stores on the key.  The day that we were there had several strong wind gusts and we saw some tents become airborne and fly into the water – so careful planning is crucial if you plan to camp overnight. 

Missy and I decided the day trip was sufficient – our goals were to take a tour of the fort, circumnavigate the fort on foot and snorkel along the walls of the fort.  Unlike my friend Mike Walsh, we didn’t have a goal to circumnavigate swim around the fort like he did.

We awoke early on our planned day of visiting the fort to make it to the harbor from our hotel – they said the waves would be rough but they were going to make the visit – they offered refunds for those who didn’t want to go and offered Dramamine for those who were concerned.  We were either brave or silly because we decided to go and to not take the medication.

Our view of the Fort approaching it from the ferry

We left from Key West and had views of the mainland and had views of many of the keys prior to the Garden Key which houses Fort Jefferson.  The ride took about 2 hours and 15 minutes and before we knew it the fort was coming into view. It’s a very short walk from the ferry dock to the entrance of the fort.

View of the ferry from a fort window

The trip came with a guided tour of the fort where we learned about the history, the construction and the brickmaking.  (Bricks had to be made there as they were too heavy to transport.)  After the tour we decided to explore the fort solo – to take in the many arches, the cannon, the flags and the beautiful water around the fort.  We also watched the bird colonies nesting on the adjacent key.

View of the bird colony from Garden Key

We could have spent hours exploring the fort – it was so big and so picturesque – the ability to see the ocean from so many windows – to see the fort across the way – but unfortunately we knew we needed time to circumnavigate and to snorkel

The snorkeling was unsettling at first – we were warned of strong winds and strong tides and don’t venture too far out – so we stayed pretty close to the base of the fort – seeing the bricks, the cannon, the anchors and of course the plant life, fish and coral made the snorkeling memorable.  We made sure that we stayed together and that we were comfortable where we were – we weren’t able to swim around the entire fort due to time and current concerns.  I would strongly suggest that people utilize the time to snorkel but not to do it solo!

Views of the fort foundation and coral, plants and urchins growing around it

Soon it was time to get back on board the boat and head to Key West – we thoroughly enjoyed our time on the key and wished we had more time – but not being proficient campers and feeling the wind whistle across the area, we were content to head back to our hotel – relishing the opportunity to experience history and beauty together in one place.

Submerged cannon