How Do You Get To Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park is a grouping of seven islands, located about lxx miles southwest of Key West in Florida. It is a beautiful jewel in the Gulf of United mexican states.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you wait at it) due to its remote location, your options for visiting these beautiful islands are very limited.
Hither'southward how to get to Dry out Tortugas, too equally a few tips on what you tin can wait – a sort of "rough guide" to Dry Tortugas NP.
How to go to Dry Tortugas National Park
There are three options that y'all tin can cull if you want to visit Dry Tortugas National Park:
- Yankee Freedom III ferry
- Key West Seaplane Adventures
- Private boat
Yankee Freedom Iii Ferry
The great bulk of visitors will get in on the National Park Service-approved ferry, Yankee Freedom III. Yankee Freedom III operates a daily trip, year-circular except on Christmas Solar day, to Dry Tortugas National Park from the Key West Ferry Terminal.
Get in at the check in desk past 7 am for registration and difference, and yous will be dorsum at the Key West pier around five:30 pm. It's a fun 2.5 hour boat ride each mode, and you will end up spending around 4 hours on the Dry Tortugas.
The Dry out Tortugas Ferry is $180 for adults, and a reduced price ($125 and $170) for children, students, seniors, or active US armed services personnel.
We'll keep them current here, just you lot tin also check the official Yankee Freedom rates and reservation page. They'll e'er have updated prices and information for the Fundamental W to Dry Tortugas ferry.
Go with Dry Tortugas Seaplane
This is another popular option to go to Dry Tortugas National Park: the Dry Tortugas Seaplane. Y'all know – if you want to arrive in style. Wait at this view!
If you have the budget for information technology, arriving by seaplane is an adventure in itself.
Cardinal West Seaplane Adventures offers two different options for a flight to Dry out Tortugas:
- One-half day – $356 per person for iv hours
- Full mean solar day – $625 per person for 8 hours
They have significant discounts for children 12 and nether. For more than information on Dry Tortugas Tours and rates, cheque the Key West Seaplane Adventures official website.
Individual Boat to Dry out Tortugas
Although it is the least common mode to visit Dry Tortugas National Park, some people opt to take their own private vessels (think yachts and fishing boats).
You will need to obtain a boating permit for your vessel and follow other National Park regulations. You lot can moor your vessel in Fundamental Garden (where Fort Jefferson is located).
Overnight mooring is prohibited in whatever of these Keys.
Yankee Freedom Three Review
Nosotros decided to take the Dry Tortugas ferry for the full-day experience. That meant leaving our Airbnb to be at the Primal W Ferry Terminal for check in at seven am.
Thankfully nosotros found great Cuban Coffee but a few minutes walk away. Get to Cuban Coffee Queen – it'due south worth it!
Checking in with the Yankee Freedom is easy and well-organized. Just give the staff your concluding name and they'll give you lot your laminated boarding pass. It is worth coming in early on to beat the crowd. Your arrival fourth dimension dictates the order of when y'all board the boat and choose your seats.
You'll want a proficient spot for the ferry to Dry out Tortugas!
Seating on Yankee Liberty III ferry
The benefit of arriving early for check-in is to reserve your seating preference upon boarding. It'due south first-come, kickoff-served.
Nigh people sit inside for the trip over so they can enjoy the air conditioning.
While it is nice to sit within the air-conditioned main room, some travelers prefer the upper-level indoor seating or the sundeck. Nosotros did!
Our preference was the bow of the ferry, where yous can relish the breeze and beautiful scenery of the Florida Keys.
We spotted lots of flying fish, as well as loggerhead sea turtles and dolphins!
Food and Drink on the Yankee Freedom
Your day trip to Dry Tortugas NP includes a simple breakfast and dejeuner. Don't expect much from these meals – breakfast includes bagels, yogurt, cereal options, and fruit cocktail.
Basic dejeuner is do-information technology-yourself sandwiches – bread, cheese, tomatoes, deli meats, fries, and soda or water. Yous tin can always buy additional meals and snacks, such as hot dogs, burgers and pretzels, from the main bar. Drinking water, brewed coffee, and tea are always available throughout the journey.
On the way back to Key West, alcoholic beverages and beer are available for buy.
Prices for beverages on board are regulated by the National Park Service, which keeps the prices reasonably low. To give yous an thought:
- hotdog or burger with chips: $5
- pretzels or an ice foam bar: $2
- vino and mixed drinks: $4 and $5 respectively
- domestic beer: $three
- soda: $1
- bottled water: $ii
You lot can utilise cash or cards on board. As is common in the United States, tip for great service – you'll discover a tip jar at the bar.
What to do in Dry out Tortugas?
There are seven islands that make up Dry Tortugas National Park. Information technology was 11 during the Ponce de Leon era in the 1510s. Only three of the Keys are open to the public. Even if you come in your own private boat, you are not allowed to dock on the closed Keys.
You will most likely start your visit at Garden Key, the dwelling of Fort Jefferson. Fort Jefferson is a fortification that was congenital in the early to mid-1800s. Technically, it's never been completed.
The main activities for visitors are camping, snorkeling, angling, and of course, touring Fort Jefferson. See below for separate sections on each.
Kayaking is possible, although you will need to bring your own equipment. Exploration of the nearby keys – Loggerhead Key and Bush Key – requires careful planning and may exist fourth dimension-sensitive. So plan accordingly with the ferry schedule if y'all get in on the Yankee Liberty day trip.
You can coordinate with the visitor's center regarding kayaking requirements and any more than information yous need.
Dry Tortugas Camping
While nosotros didn't personally camp in Dry out Tortugas, here are the basics.
Camping in Dry Tortugas is rewarding for people who decide to do it, but you will have to plan . Dry Tortugas campground is one of the virtually beautiful settings y'all can imagine. However, space is very limited. A maximum of 68 campers tin stay here and infinite is on a beginning-come, first-served footing.
To reserve, telephone call Yankee Freedom'due south phone at 1-800-634-0939. In that location is no other way to practice it. Groups of 10-20 people will take to make full out this form and email it as an zipper to drto_maintenance@nps.gov
The official rates for Dry Tortugas camping ground are $200 per developed and $145 per child plus a $15-$30 campsite fee. You pay when you lot go far on the campground.
Expect to take a "primitive" stay here – you volition have to be self-sufficient. There is a basic pigsty-in-the-ground toilet and no bathing facilities. You lot will take to bring your own necessities, including water and food, shelters, and medication. And of class, you must carry out your trash with yous.
Remember, information technology tin can get very hot hither. Bring lots of water. There is literally nothing here. You lot bring everything yourself and you have everything home with yous.
And forget electricity and cellular service in Dry out Tortugas. It doesn't exist. But that's why you lot want to go there, right?
Dry Tortugas Snorkeling and scuba
If y'all arrive on the Yankee Freedom III, they'll provide you lot with all the snorkeling gear y'all need once y'all arrive on the Dry out Tortugas. You demand to sign the snorkeling waiver prior to snorkeling.
Dry Tortugas snorkeling is spectacular. The all-time snorkeling in Dry out Tortugas is at the principal dock, which is to the right of the principal archway to Fort Jefferson. You lot can spot many fish, including several big barracudas and even a few bait balls.
If you know you volition exist snorkeling, and bringing your own mask is non too much trouble, we recommend information technology. The masks they requite you are OK, simply they fog up hands during use. Yous don't desire a foggy mask here.
While information technology is possible to scuba swoop in the Dry Tortugas, the ferry solar day trip itinerary doesn't allow plenty time to practice that. They don't let any scuba diving gear on the boat.
You can detect more information about scuba diving in Dry Tortugas National Park on the NPS's web site.
Dry Tortugas Line-fishing
Information technology is possible to fish in the Dry Tortugas and there are designated areas to do and then. Cheque with the Visitor'south Center upon inflow for more information on where yous can and cannot fish. Remember to adjust your own State of Florida saltwater line-fishing license before boarding the ferry.
Dry Tortugas Tours
If you go far with the Dry Tortugas ferry, your price includes a guided tour. You can sign up for one of the 2 slots for a quick 20-minute history of the Dry Tortugas, followed by a walking tour to several notable Fort Jefferson spots.
For your own exploration, you can get an itinerary forth with a brochure and a Dry Tortugas map from the NPS Visitor's Center.
Dry out Tortugas Company'southward Middle
The National Park Company's Centre is a keen way to start your journey here. The Dry Tortugas Visitor's Center is correct at the entrance to Fort Jefferson.
You tin can learn more about Dry Tortugas, too become brochures and the Dry Tortugas Map.
Things to know before your visit to Dry out Tortugas
While it is piece of cake to find information about the Dry Tortugas and its history, here are a few things that nosotros wish we knew before our Dry Tortugas visit.
Dry Tortugas Atmospheric condition
The temperature in Dry Tortugas ranges from mid 50s (12 C) in the winter to mid 90s (35 C) in the summer. When we were in that location, it was blazing hot!
Be mindful of planning your trip during hurricane season. The Yankee Freedom ferry runs every solar day except Christmas Day, and rarely cancels a trip unless at that place is a hurricane threat.
For more than, cheque out this Dry Tortugas vlog on our YouTube Channel:
Safety in Dry Tortugas
The grounds of Fort Jefferson are uneven and, in some places, even hazardous. Unfortunately, it is not wheelchair accessible in many areas. Even if y'all walk, yous will need to picket your step.
There'southward a lot of loose brick and mortar, plus things poking out of the basis. There are no baby-sit track on the high bluffs. But be conscientious!
Consider wearing comfortable walking or hiking shoes instead of flip-flops. Don't hurt yourself – the nearest hospital is seventy miles away from the Dry Tortugas. Whatsoever emergency evacuation will be extremely difficult. And it would most certainly exist extremely expensive!
Don't permit your preference for flip-flops cost you tens of thousand of dollars or more than!
Bring a purse for wet clothing
This posts may contain chapter links to products, tours, or accommodations. We may receive a committee for purchases made through these links, at no additional costs to yous.
Of form, if you are planning on snorkeling in Dry out Tortugas or lounging on the embankment, bring the essentials: bathing adapt, sunglasses, towels, sunscreen and hat. But also bring a bag to behave all of your wet items dorsum to Key West, which we forgot to practice!
You'll besides want to protect your valuables from h2o and sand while you're there. We highly recommend this Geckobrands Waterproof dry bag. Information technology's inexpensive. Information technology keeps your camera, phone, wallet, and more dry and out of the sand. We have this handbag and it's keen.
A friendly note nigh sunscreen, a few years ago we learned that all sunscreens are not created equal. Many products are harmful to coral.
Our proposition is to consider purchasing sunscreen that is friendly to the corals and other aquatic life – like this one.
Bring a water bottle
Dry Tortugas can be brutally hot and boiling at mid-day, especially in the summertime. If you are planning on spending a few hours on the isle, don't forget to bring your own water from the ferry.
There is no drinking water available on the island, but you can refill your water canteen (or purchase bottled water for $2) on the boat.
Hydration is essential!
Drone flight in Dry Tortugas
The U.Due south. National Park Service bans drone flight in all of the areas it serves, including in the Dry out Tortugas National Park – no drones immune.
Cheque out the Dry out Tortugas official web site here for more data.
Dry Tortugas bird-watching
If you are into wild animals, birding in Dry out Tortugas National Park is nifty fun! Upon inflow, you tin immediately spot many frigate birds and their 7-human foot (over 2 meter) wingspans, soaring above Fort Jefferson.
It's a sight to see!
Do your homework commencement with a Dry out Tortugas birding guide. Yous can find this information online and even purchase a bird guide at the Visitor'due south Centre.
Bring a pair of binoculars – simply in case you need a reminder!
Whatever you make up one's mind to do, and no matter how you choose to get in that location, we think you'll savor your visit to Dry Tortugas National Park.
Are the Dry Tortugas on your bucket listing?
Pivot this for later
Some photos courtesy of Key West Seaplane Adventures. Visit them if you want to fly to the Dry Torgugas.
For More on the United States:When we travel, we use Lonely Planet
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Halef moved from Republic of indonesia to the US almost two decades ago to go to higher here. He hasn't looked back. He'south been to over 40 countries and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. He's a Landscape Architect in Atlanta, GA.
How Do You Get To Dry Tortugas National Park,
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