Year Established: 1935
Annual Visitors: 84,000
Size: 64,701 Acres
State: Florida
Best Time to Visit Dry Tortugas National Park
December to February, April to May
If you are planning to visit more national parks, check out our complete list of all US National Parks.
Best Experiences in Dry Tortugas National Park
- Tour Fort Jefferson
- Snorkel Garden Key
A Brief History
Dry Tortugas National Park is 68 miles west of Key West, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. It is made up of seven islands and coral reefs that are protected. There are beaches and Fort Jefferson, which was built in the 1800s, on Garden Key. There is a lighthouse and sea turtles on Loggerhead Key. The Windjammer Wreck, which is what’s left of a ship from 1875 and is near Loggerhead Reef, is a popular place to dive. Seabirds like sooty terns build their nests on Bush Key.
The park is known for its many different kinds of sea life, places where tropical birds nest, colorful coral reefs, and stories about shipwrecks and lost treasures.
Fort Jefferson, a huge but unfinished coastal fortress, is the center of the park. Fort Jefferson is made of more than 16 million bricks and is the largest brick building in the Western Hemisphere.
Only Fort Monroe in Virginia and Fort Adams in Rhode Island are bigger US forts than this one.
Dry Tortugas is unique because it has both a tropical ecosystem that hasn’t been changed much and important historical artifacts. Only seaplanes or boats can get to the park.
Dry Tortugas RV Camping
If you are looking for nearby RV camping options for Dry Tortugas National Park or in Florida, consider checking out our other post:
Visitor Information
Fees
Individuals 15 years old and younger are admitted free of charge.
Weekly Park Passes
$15.00 per person
Valid for up to 7 days.
Contacting Dry Tortugas National Park
Visitor Centers
Eco Discovery Center
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Eco-Discovery Center iis filled with 6400 sq ft of exhibits and displays, including a massive movie theater that shows a video about the fragile ecosystems of the Florida Keys.
The mission is to spread the word about how important it is to protect and keep the ecosystems of the Florida Keys intact, so that subsequent generations also can enjoy it. There is an interactive map of the Keys, a copy of the Aquarius underwater laboratory, and an underwater video camera that lets visitors see coral spawning, figure out how much damage a shipwreck did, check on the health of a coral reef, and do other things.
The Center also has a beautiful 20-minute high-definition film, interactive computer exhibits, murals, graphic displays with text and images, a live weather station, and sound-equipped replicas of South Florida habitats like mangroves.
Address
35 Quay Rd,
Key West, FL 33040
Phone Number
(305) 809-4750
Hours of Operation
- Sunday Closed
- Monday Closed
- Tuesday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Wednesday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Thursday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Friday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Saturday 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Be sure to check for seasonal closures.
Garden Key Visitor Center
The Garden Key Visitor Center is slightly different from other National Park visitor centers. Most of the time, the visitor center is the first place you go. It is the hub of the park, where people go to get information or sign up for tours. When you are exploring Fort Jefferson at Garden Key, you will find the visitor center.
There probably won’t be any park rangers there, and the gift shop isn’t open all day. This is because the most interesting parts of Garden Key are right around the boat dock and on the grounds in front of the fort. Park Rangers are more likely to be at the daily ferry landing to meet and greet visitors than at the Visitor Center.
There is a small shack close the dock where you can get dozens of different brochures about everything from Boat Permits and Mooring Buoys to the different keys and the history of the fort.
Address
Fort Jefferson,
Key West, FL 33040
Phone Number
(305) 242-7700
Hours of Operation
- Sunday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Monday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Tuesday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Wednesday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Thursday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Friday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Saturday 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
Be sure to check for seasonal closures.