Spend a special day in tropical Dry Tortugas

1 day itinerary

If you're looking to experience one of the most unique parks of the National Park System, you don't have to look too much further than Dry Tortugas! Located just under 70 miles west of Key West in the Florida Keys, this tropical isolation situated around Fort Jefferson makes for an amazing day trip!

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For the majority of visitors, the way to reach the park is on the Yankee Freedom, a rapid catamaran that cuts across the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Book your ticket for the ferry, which also includes your ticket into the national park. Leaving at around 8:00am, the journey takes about 2.5 hours but goes surprisingly quickly, and the early start gives you a good few hours to explore the fort and grounds before returning.

Enjoy the air rush by as you look for a small speck of land in the distance - then

you know you're close! The ferry circles around to the far side of the fort to dock, and then you're free to depart. A small beach exists to the left of the fort, which offers great snorkelling opportunities for later, while the main entrance to the imposing fort lies immediately head!

To best explore the park and orientate yourself, head into the fort and climb the stairs to reach the top. Most of it can be walked along, passing historic cannons that were positioned to protect America and access to the Mississippi.

You can also enjoy a tour of the fort, with both short and long versions available. Offered by both NPS guides and the Yankee Freedom crew, you can learn about the history of the fort, famous residents of the prison, and its importance as a national park for conservation.

By now, you'll probably be very hot, so take a dip and snorkel around the perimeter of Fort Jefferson using the complimentary snorkelling gear of the Yankee Freedom, if you don't have your own to bring.

Many multi-coloured fish can be seen nibbling plankton and algae off the walls of the fort and the moat. If you're very, very lucky you may also see one of the turtles which gives the islands their name - the Tortugas in Dry Tortugas.

In Florida, thunderstorms are a common occurrence, reliably turning up midway through the afternoons during summer. The ferry departs at 15:00 and you may pass by, or even through, storms as you race to Key West.

You'll arrive back at around 17:30, just in time for a hearty dinner following a long, exhausting, but memorable day! Key West is full of delicious restaurants, with plenty of seafood on offer, as well as Sports Bars with burgers if that's more your scene! Don't forget to head down to Mallory Square to watch sunset if you have time to fit it into your schedule. A great way to finish off a day of adventuring in one of the nations coolest national parks!

If you need recommendations on where to stay, or for top activities to enjoy if you plan on spending a little longer in Key West, then check out our full Dry Tortugas National Park guide!