After reading about Dry Tortugas National Park online, I decided to fly over the park with Google Earth and was immediately intrigued. Soon after learning about this park, we started planning a trip to the Florida Keys with our besties, so I booked the trip to one of the country’s most remote parks. While there are plenty of online resources, the park is also mentioned in the book: Fifty Places To Camp Before You Die, by Chris Santella.
After taking the precautionary measures of wearing pressure point wristbands and ear patches for seasickness, we set off to Dry Tortugas and what a fantastic day trip we had. We had such a good time that on the ride back to Orlando (don’t worry I was NOT driving) I was able to convince everyone we needed to go back to camp at this very remote place. In fact, I made the ferry reservations and ordered most of the camping equipment we would need on the drive home.#TheInternetRocks (check out our Dry Tortugas Part II blog post where we share pics from our second trip, which was after Hurricane Irma). Dry Tortugas National Park is located 70 miles west of Key West, Florida and can be reached by ferry (you must have reservations!) - Yankee Freedom III makes a daily round trip to the National Park. The National Park consists of seven islands with Garden Key being the home of Fort Jefferson, which served as a prison during the Civil War.
Garden Key has a first come first served primitive campground as well as an overflow camping area. All campers are guaranteed a spot to camp. Composting toilets are available, but there are no showers. All water has to be packed in because Dry Tortugas is “dry”, which means it lacks fresh water. See our camping tips at the bottom of the blog if you’re considering this adventure.
While exploring the island, you will learn much about this remote Yankee stronghold. For example, this plaque briefly describes Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was John Wilkes Booth’s doctor. Because he set Booth’s leg after assassinating President Lincoln, Mudd was found guilty of aiding and conspiring to the murder and was sentenced to life in prison at the Fort. If you ever have someone tell you that “your name is Mud,” you can credit this doctor and his guilt.
There are two GORGEOUS beaches for swimming and snorkeling. Large schools of small fish, as well as barracudas, can be seen around the Historic Coaling Pier Pilings. When you are done snorkeling head over to the main dock to see the Goliath Groupers, their incredible size will FREAK you out.
Stroll along the sandy spit but remember this is a National Park, so collecting shells is prohibited.
Fort Jefferson’s strategic location along shipping lanes made it a valuable asset that both the North and the South wanted to control. During the Civil War, the North used it to block southern shipping. Later it was used as a coaling station for warships.
Camping Tips:
The composting toilets are closed when the Ferry is docked. You can use the toilets on board the boat.
Stay away from the campsite by the composting toilets because it gets stinky and it is a high traffic area to the beach when the Ferry arrives - we learned the hard way! By camping in this location, you automatically become the information station. #NoSignalOnFortJefferson
Fresh water showers are available on the back of the Ferry for rinsing off - soap and shampoo are not allowed. Head for the shower before the boat leaves at 3pm to wash the sea away!
Don’t pack food for lunch. For $7 you can buy lunch off the Ferry. They have a nice selection of cold cuts, chips, cookies and soda. The tuna salad is fantastic. There is also a bar but you might want to pack your own adult beverages.You can also grab some cold, fresh water from the boat! But, you need to pack in water as well.
Charcoal and sterno are the only two fuel types allowed on the Ferry, so plan your meals accordingly. Pick up the charcoal and sterno on your way to the Keys, because they are not allowed on commercial flights. We brought freeze dried meals and used a Sterno Inferno to heat up the water. The Sterno Inferno will boil water in 6 minutes.
You can fish off the main dock without a fishing permit. Pick up some shrimp for bait before you get on the Ferry for some amazing fishing! Use small pieces of shrimp on the line and you’re likely to catch mangrove snapper on every toss just like we did. Bring a fillet knife, aluminum foil and charcoal. YUM!
The composting toilets are closed when the Ferry is docked. You can use the toilets on board the boat.
Stay away from the campsite by the composting toilets because it gets stinky and it is a high traffic area to the beach when the Ferry arrives - we learned the hard way! By camping in this location, you automatically become the information station. #NoSignalOnFortJefferson
Fresh water showers are available on the back of the Ferry for rinsing off - soap and shampoo are not allowed. Head for the shower before the boat leaves at 3pm to wash the sea away!
Don’t pack food for lunch. For $7 you can buy lunch off the Ferry. They have a nice selection of cold cuts, chips, cookies and soda. The tuna salad is fantastic. There is also a bar but you might want to pack your own adult beverages.You can also grab some cold, fresh water from the boat! But, you need to pack in water as well.
Charcoal and sterno are the only two fuel types allowed on the Ferry, so plan your meals accordingly. Pick up the charcoal and sterno on your way to the Keys, because they are not allowed on commercial flights. We brought freeze dried meals and used a Sterno Inferno to heat up the water. The Sterno Inferno will boil water in 6 minutes.
You can fish off the main dock without a fishing permit. Pick up some shrimp for bait before you get on the Ferry for some amazing fishing! Use small pieces of shrimp on the line and you’re likely to catch mangrove snapper on every toss just like we did. Bring a fillet knife, aluminum foil and charcoal. YUM!
Finally, make sure you either stay up a little later in the evening or rise early so you can experience the amazing night sky. The millions of stars are absolutely amazing to see and, if you camp on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day like we did, you might just see Santa streak across the night sky! #SantaStopsAtFortJefferson
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