Dry Tortugas
A huge brick fort on a tiny island 70 miles west of Key West, ringed by reefs
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year
- Entry
- Free entry
- Reservations
- Required in season
- Size
- 64,701 acres
Dry Tortugas Weather Now
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Dry Tortugas is about 100 square miles of mostly open water and seven small islands at the far western end of the Florida Keys. Its centerpiece is Fort Jefferson, a massive brick fort begun in 1846 to guard shipping lanes in the Gulf, which was never finished and later served as a military prison. Ponce de Leon named the islands Las Tortugas for the sea turtles, and 'dry' was added because there is no fresh water. It became a national monument in 1935 and a national park in 1992.
Getting here is part of the adventure: a 2-hour-plus ferry ride or a 40-minute seaplane flight over shallow green flats and shipwrecks. Once you land, you can tour the fort, snorkel right off the beach and watch thousands of seabirds that nest on nearby Bush Key. Dr. Samuel Mudd, who set John Wilkes Booth's broken leg, was imprisoned in the fort after Lincoln's assassination. The waters hold hundreds of shipwrecks, including one recently identified as the 18th-century British warship HMS Tyger.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- November through April brings calmer seas and comfortable temperatures, while spring is peak bird migration and summer has the best snorkeling visibility but more storms.
- How long to stay
- Most visitors come for a day trip; one night of camping lets you see the fort at sunset and under dark skies.
- Getting there
- Fly into Key West (EYW), about 10 minutes from the ferry terminal and seaplane base, or drive about 3.5 to 4 hours from Miami (MIA) down the Overseas Highway; the park itself is about 70 miles west of Key West by boat or seaplane.
- Wildlife
- Look for sooty terns, brown noddies, magnificent frigatebirds, sea turtles, nurse sharks, parrotfish and spiny lobsters.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
- Hotels in Key West (opens in a new tab)Florida
- Hotels in Stock Island (opens in a new tab)Florida
- No lodging inside the park. The towns above are the closest bases.
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Dry Tortugas
- Snorkel setThe ferry lends gear, but a mask that fits well makes the reef along the moat wall far more enjoyable.
- Reef-safe sunscreenThere is almost no shade on the island and the reef is fragile.
- Seasickness remedyThe open-water ferry ride is over two hours each way and can be rough.
- Wide-brim sun hatKeeps the sun off while you walk the fort and moat wall.
- Insulated water bottleGarden Key has no drinking water for visitors, so bring your own.
A first day, start to finish
- Early ferry or seaplane from Key West
- Guided tour of Fort Jefferson
- Climb to the top tier for the view
- Walk the moat wall
- Snorkel off the Garden Key beaches
Don't miss
- Fort JeffersonA six-sided, three-tier fort built from more than 16 million bricks, the largest masonry structure in the Americas, with a free ranger or ferry-guide tour.
- Moat wall and seawall walkA flat walk of about half a mile around the fort on top of the moat wall, with turquoise water on both sides; some sections are closed for repairs until winter 2026.
- Snorkeling off Garden KeyShallow reef and coral heads along the moat wall and the old coaling dock pilings, steps from the beach.
- Garden Key beachesSmall white-sand beaches on either side of the fort, good for swimming and watching frigatebirds overhead.
- Loggerhead KeyA 3-mile boat ride from Garden Key to a 150-foot lighthouse and quiet reefs, reachable only by private or charter boat.
Know before you go
Do
- Book your ferry or seaplane months ahead, especially for winter and spring.
- Bring cash for the entrance fee if you fly by seaplane, since the fee is collected on arrival.
- Pack reef-safe sunscreen, a hat and plenty of water, because shade is scarce.
Don't
- Climb on or cross barricades on the fort walls or the closed sections of the moat wall.
- Touch or stand on coral while snorkeling.
- Land on Bush Key beyond the harborside or approach the closed bird-nesting keys.
The park and Garden Key are open 24 hours a day, year-round. Fort Jefferson is open from sunrise to sunset, and the Garden Key visitor center is open daily from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Bush Key is limited to its harborside through fall 2026 for nesting seabirds, and the other outer keys except Loggerhead Key are closed year-round to protect wildlife.
Stay overnight on Garden Key if you can, so you have the fort, beaches and sunset mostly to yourself after the day boat leaves at 3 PM.Trekker's tip