Dry Tortugas: A paradise once known as a prison

Every year, I try to plan a few National Park Trips with friends and family. In the beginning, living in Denver, it was easy to plan little road trips that took 3-4 days and knock some trips of the bucket list. However now, after having been to 38 continental US parks, it is getting harder to reach the far out places!

Dry Tortugas is an outlier among the continental parks. It is NOT easy to get to I assure you, with 4 separate 3-4 hour long ferry rides, a stay in key west, and a flight to Florida ! I’m glad I got to do this, what an experience. I shared it with my best friend, Lexy, and two cousins who live in Cape Coral, Florida, Craig and Lizzy. 

We visited in February, 2022,  and it did not disappoint. We booked our boat tickets and reservations 3 months in advance, I can’t stress this enough. We took the Yankee Freedom Ferry for a day trip to Dry Tortugas that included lunch and free snorkel gear. https://www.drytortugas.com.  The whole day was 7am-5pm and was around $200 per person. We got a refund for having a national parks pass once we checked in. 

Ways to get to Key West: https://www.keywestexpress.net

  • Fly into Miami and rent a car (could pair this with Biscayne NP)

  • Key West Express Ferry from Ft. Myers (book early) 4 hour each way

  • Key West Express Ferry from Marco Island (book early) 3 hour each way

We did not need a car in Key West, we were able to walk everywhere. You will want at least 2 nights here, as you will have to be there the day before the Dry Tortugas Trip, and then you will be too late to take the ferry back once you return. Key West has some great food spots! 

Dry Tortguas National Park: as taken from https://www.nps.gov/drto/index.htm:

“Almost 70 miles (113 km) west of Key West lies the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This 100-square mile park is mostly open water with seven small islands.  Accessible only by boat or seaplane, the park is known the world over as the home of magnificent Fort Jefferson, picturesque blue waters, superlative coral reefs and marine life, and the vast assortment of bird life that frequents the area.”

Places to eat in Key West:

Do not underestimate the Southern Charm on this little island, and if you can afford a few days, eat as many places as you can! I haven’t had such good food since I lived in Charleston. Now my landlocked self may be just a little deprived of good seafood. BUT…. Enjoy yourselves while there!!

I have been to Key West twice and highly recommend staying in a historical bed and breakfast. There are plenty of big hotels on the east side of the island, but I can promise it is worth the extra money to be able to walk everywhere and have a more authentic Key West experience.

Here’s where we stayed: https://www.keywesthospitalityinns.com/wickerguesthouse

This guest house was clean, comfortable, and the staff made us feel so welcome, they even remembered our names each time we came back. I would stay here again for sure, especially with the pool area in the back! This company had some other buildings in the downtown as well. You can tell it is owned as a small business and definitely made me feel that southern charm!

Money savings tips for Dry Tortugas: This is a hard one to save on… 

  • Once you get to Dry Tortugas, Camp for a couple nights instead of staying in Key West. You have to book a campers permit ahead of time and also figure out how to fly with camping gear, but it could be amazing to see the night sky.

  • Go just for one evening (the night before your Dry Tortugas boat trip) and then once you return, drive back to Miami.

  • Pack your own meals and drinks. Everything on the island is expensive, think coffee $5, soda $4, beer $8. So if you really need to save cash, just pack a cooler! I’ve done it many times, but I wanted to eat seafood and southern cuisine while here this time!

No matter if you decide to go for just the park, or for the whole key west experience, you won’t be disappointed! I highly recommend swimming and snorkeling.

Insider tips for the boat rides:

  • Bring cards or board games, there is no cell service and the boat rides are 3 hours each way!

  • Bring your own towel and beach chair for chilling Oceanside once on the island!

  • Sunscreen and good walking shoes if you plan to your the fort extensively.

  • Don’t miss the snorkeling, as I went with some native Floridians, they said it was the clearest water they’d ever seen.

  • Take an underwater camera!

  • Plan on Dramamine for those that get motion sickness.

  • Go on the ranger tour.

  • Climb the spiral stairs and walk around the top level of Fort Jefferson.

Have fun and stay tuned for my next blog on national park visits !!

-Elaina

Hemingway cats frequent the island with an extra thumb! Yes cats with 6 toes!

You will be amazed at the color and clarity of the water!

Elaina Busold