Dry Tortugas

Snapshot

Planning Your Visit

When we visited the park
​FULL DISCLOSURE - We never made it to Dry Tortugas!  The weather shifted the night before we were supposed to leave.  There were gail force winds that came with the low pressure system, and on the super rare occasion, the coast guard grounded boats.  This meant that the Yankee Freedom II was not going to be going out on the water for a couple of days.  We have planned our whole trip in early March around getting to Dry Tortugas, and we couldn't make it. I was very disappointed, to say the least. We missed our opportunity on this trip, but we will be back!  We learned that you can also take a seaplane to the island, so we might look into that for next time.  However, I put together information I learned while trying to get to Dry Tortugas.  

weather-us.com

​Things to Consider
1. The first thing to know is, this trip takes extra planning and flexibility.  We never once thought that the boat wouldn't be able to make it to the island.   We were proved wrong! 
2. Bring extra snacks and water.  
3. Packing some dramamine and/or children's dramamine could help with the journey required for this trip.  70 miles on a boat out to sea can be a long trip if you are seasick.  

How to Get There
Dry Tortugas National Park is a remote island about 70-miles (113 km) west of Key West, Florida. Cars are not able to access the island. The only methods of transportation are by boat or seaplane. Careful planning is essential to ensure a safe and fun visit to the park.
Key West Seaplane
This plane does half-day and full day trips.  Depending on what trip you select and the age of passengers, it costs between $317-$697. The flight to and from is about 40 minutes both ways. You are responsible for food, water, and equipment.  
Yankee Freedom II Ferry
This vessel will take you from Key West to Garden Key where Fort Jefferson is located.  The trip takes all day, with 2 1/2 hour travel time both ways, and then about 4 hours on the island.  The cost ranges between $145-$200 depending on your age.  This trip includes some meals, a tour of Fort Jefferson, and access to snorkeling gear.  
Other Maps offered by the park

Where to Stay
Inside the Park
Garden Key Campground
This campground is a primitive campground on Garden Key.  People camping in the park will be accommodated once they check-in.  The campground has a first-come, first-serve policy.  It costs $15 a night to camp or $30 a night for a group site.  You have to pay with cash or check, debit cards are not accepted.  
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Outside the Park
Key West
Key West is a vibrant place, and the closest place you can find lodging to the park.  The seaplane and the ferry leave from Key West.  There are many locations that offer lodging options.  This is a popular place and because of the demand, it costs more to stay on this key.  The visitors website offers great suggestions on where to stay and activities to do.  
Cudjoe Key
We stayed on Cudjoe Key about 20 minutes from Key West.  The rental was quaint and comfortable in a gated community.  There was an area to swim in the ocean, at the beach, a playground, basketball courts, and group activities here.  We felt very comfortable and safe here.  

What We Did
Because we didn't have the opportunity to make it to this park and the weather had turned pretty cold, we decided to go back up the Keys and head to the Florida Keys Aquarium Encounter on Marathon Key.  This was a great alternative!  There were multiple opportunities to feed different animals for the kids - tortoises, tarpin, sting ray, and horseshoe crabs.  As the day started to finally warm up, we headed back to Key West to a beach.  The water was not safe to swim in, but the kids enjoyed playing in the sand and being in the sun.  We ended the day by going to the Southern most point marker and Duval street for some food.  It wasn't what we had expected, but we still made the most of the day.  

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Where this fit in our Road Trip
This was the second national park we were planning on visiting in our trip, but day five of the trip.  There is so much to do in the Keys, and we filled our days with all sorts of fun activities (turtle hospital, dolphin encounter, Bahia Honda State Park) along with swimming and fishing with any free time.  After this, we headed back towards Miami and spent some time in the Everglades.  

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Florida Keys Road Trip

NPS App and All Trails Maps
I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking.  There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful.  These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere.  The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information. 

Don't forget to follow along on Instagram @wanderlust_with_three

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