Dry Tortugas National Park

🧭

No medical help

Top hazard

💵

$15

Entrance fee

⛴️

Boat/seaplane

Only access

🏰

1846–1875

Fort Jefferson built

🏕

$15/night

Garden Key camping

📷

None

Live cameras

⚠️Remoteness & Safety"It's a long way to the hospital"▾

🧭 NPS's own framing: "It's a Long Way to the Hospital" — the park sits 68+ miles of open sea from Key West, with no phones, restrooms, or snack bars beyond what you bring. There's no shade at Fort Jefferson, so sun and heat exposure are real risks, and there are no lifeguards. All coral, living and dead, is protected — never stand on it. Swimming and snorkeling are not permitted inside the fort's moat. NPS safety info ↗

Quick Stats

Established1992

Distance from Key West~70 mi

Cell ServiceNone

TimezoneEastern, DST

⛴️Access & Entry$15 · digital pass required▾

🚫 NPS: "Cars are not able to access the island. The only methods of transportation are by boat or seaplane." Private boaters and seaplane arrivals now pay via a digital Recreation.gov pass — print or download it before you arrive, since there's no cell service or Wi-Fi once you're there. The park does not accept cash. NPS fees info ↗

FerryYankee Freedom III

NPS-authorized concessioner

Departs Key West 8:00 AM (check-in 7:30 AM), arrives ~10:30 AM, returns ~5:30–6:00 PM. Day-trip fare starts around $260/person and includes the entrance fee, snorkel gear, breakfast/lunch, and a guided fort tour.

drytortugas.com ↗

SeaplaneKey West Seaplane Adventures

Private operator, not NPS-run

Half-day trips around $527/adult, full-day around $890/adult, plus the $15 park entrance fee. Fastest way to reach the fort — roughly 40 minutes each way.

seaplanesofkeywest.com ↗

Entry Fees · 7-day pass

Per Person$15

Ages 15 & UnderFree

Included in most ferry/seaplane tickets · cashless park

🏰Fort JeffersonOne of the largest forts ever built▾

Historycontext▾

ConstructionBuilt 1846–1875, part of the Third System of US coastal fortifications (Maine to California); NPS calls it "one of the largest forts ever built," though it was never finished or fully armed

PurposeProtected the strategic deepwater shipping lanes between the Gulf and Atlantic coasts

Civil WarUnion blockade base and prison, mainly for Union deserters

Dr. Samuel MuddThe fort's most famous prisoner — the physician who set John Wilkes Booth's broken leg after Lincoln's assassination

AbandonedBy the US Army in 1874

🏕CampingGarden Key · FCFS▾

Individual SitesFirst-come, first-served▾

ReservationsNot accepted — guaranteed a spot once you arrive

Fee$15/night, paid via the Recreation.gov app

AmenitiesNo freshwater (bring 2 gal/person/day), no showers, composting toilets closed 10am–3pm

Group Site10–20 people▾

ReservationsRequired via Recreation.gov

Fee$30/night

Book on Recreation.gov ↗

🤿Snorkeling & Reef ProtectionNot in the moat▾

🐠 Snorkeling around Garden Key's reefs is one of the park's top activities — but NPS explicitly prohibits swimming or snorkeling inside the fort's moat. All coral, living and dead, is protected from collection or contact. NPS things to do ↗

Park Contact Information

📞 Phone: (305) 242-7700 · Mailing Address: 40001 SR 9336, Homestead, FL 33034 · Official NPS contact page ↗