First named The Turtles, or "Las Tortugas," by Spanish Explorer Ponce de Leon in 1513, these reefs soon read "Dry Tortugas" on mariners charts to indicate the lack of fresh water. This name kept explorers away for centuries.

Soon after the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1819, Garden Key became an important resource in protecting the shipping lanes between the Gulf of Mexico and Europe. In 1825, a lighthouse was constructed on Garden Key to warn sailors of the rocky shoals. Twenty years later, in 1846, construction of an immense fort began, but was never completed. In 1856, the present light on Loggerhead Key was built.

During the Civil War the fort was a Union military prison for captured deserters. It also held four men convicted of complicity in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. The Army abandoned Fort Jefferson in 1874, and in 1908 the area became a wildlife refuge to protect the sooty tern rookery from egg collectors. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Fort Jefferson as a National Monument in 1935. The monument and its surrounding islands were designated as Dry Tortugas National Park on October 25, 1992, to protect their historical and natural features. Not least among the natural treasures are its namesakes, the endangered green sea turtle and the threatened loggerhead turtle.

Use the menu below to quickly access information on this park:

General Information

Location

68 miles west of Key West, Florida

Address

Site Supervisor
Dry Tortugas National Park
P.O. Box 6208
Key West, FL 33041
Phone: (305) 242-7700

Acreage

64,700 acres (Federal: 61,480, Nonfederal: 3,220)
Land area: 39.28 square miles

Operating Hours & Seasons

Day use only on all keys except Garden Key. Bush Key is closed to visitors from February through September to protect nesting sooty and noddy terns.

Visitor Center

The visitor center is located on Garden Key and is open year-round from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There are slide programs, exhibits, and ranger-led nature walks. You can borrow snorkel equipment. Scuba divers must bring their own gear.

Directions & Transportation

The only access to the park is via boat or seaplane from Key West and the Lower Keys or from Naples and Fort Myers in southwest Florida. To reach Key West and the Lower Keys by car from Miami and mainland Florida, take the Florida Turnpike to U.S. 1 south to the end, then ferry or air taxi to the Dry Tortugas.

Specific information about boat and seaplane services may be obtained from:

Marathon Chamber of Commerce
3330 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33052
Phone: (305) 743-5417

Key West Chamber of Commerce
Old Mallory Square
Key West, FL 33040
Phone: (305) 294-2587

Naples Chamber of Commerce
1700 N. Tamiami Trail
Naples, FL 33940
Phone: (813) 262-6141

Airport

The closest airport is Key West International, 68 miles west of the park.

Handicap Accessibility

The picnic area, restrooms, and the first tier of Fort Jefferson are handicap accessible.

Boating

Private boaters have a prime opportunity to visit Fort Jefferson. Nautical charts for the area can be purchased at marinas and boating supply outlets in Key West or by calling Maptech at (800) 839-555, or visit their website at www.maptech.com. If you visit using your personal boat, please bring at least two anchors and NOAA chart 11438. Boaters should be aware of the possibility of extremely rough seas.

Overnight anchoring is limited to within one mile of Garden Key. There are no overnight anchoring buoys or moorings. Dockage at Garden Key is limited to two hours, sunrise to sunset.

WARNING. Coral heads and reefs are protected. Please refrain from disturbing them in any manner. Use caution when navigating; the reef may cause severe damage to boats and equipment if struck. Use caution in all park areas.

Camping

Camping is permitted on Garden Key at a small number of primitive campsites that are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Groups of 10 or more must obtain a special permit in advance.

Lodging

Overnight accommodations are available in Key West and the other local communities of Stock Island, Big Coppitt Key, Summerland Key, and Marathon.

Food & Supplies

There is no food, water, or supplies available on any of the parks islands - you must bring your own and take it with you when you leave. Supplies are available in Key West and the other local communities of Stock Island, Big Coppitt Key, Summerland Key, and Marathon.

Regulations & Safety

Do not disturb shells, corals, sea fans, tropical fish, spiny lobster, and turtles and their nests. Dead shells above the high water line may be collected, but all coral, alive and dead, is protected from collection. Law protects shipwrecks and their cargo and all historic artifacts in the park. Commercial fishing and spearfishing are prohibited; so is the taking of conch or lobster.

Nesting Area Closures

Bush Key is reserved for birds only in the nesting season from February through September, when disturbances may cause harm or death to young birds. Hospital and Long Keys are closed all year long to protect turtle and bird nesting.

Permits & Fees

There is no entrance fee to Dry Tortugas National Park. A Florida salt-water fishing license is required to fish. Personal watercrafts (jet skis and wave runners) are not permitted. Camping is $3 per person per night (exact change required).

Hiking

Fort Jefferson is open during daylight hours, and there is a self-guided tour that traces the history of the Dry Tortugas while leading visitors through the fort. Loggerhead Key is open during the day only. All of its buildings and structures, including the dock, are closed to entry unless a park employee accompanies you.

Programs & Activities

Self-guided tours, ranger-led activities, interpretive exhibits, bird and wildlife watching, picnicking, sport fishing, snorkeling, swimming, and scuba diving are permitted activities within Dry Tortugas National Park.

Back To Top

History

Early Exploration

Located 70 miles west of Key West, Dry Tortugas National Park encompasses seven small islands within its 100-square-mile jurisdiction. Ponce de Leon first explored these sand and brush spits in 1513. The Spaniards found the region rich with turtles, or "tortugas," satisfying their appetite for fresh meat. Quenching their thirsts was another matter - there was no fresh water. By adding "dry" to "tortugas" on their charts, the Spanish kept other explorers away for centuries.

Competition among European nations for control of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea left its mark on the maritime archaeological record of the Dry Tortugas. Prior to 1600, Spanish fleets returning to Spain from gold-laden Mexico sailed around the Gulf, hugging the shore. This early route brought the fleets precariously close to the Dry Tortugas. Many ships became casualties of the reefs and shoals surrounding the region.

The earliest known shipwreck site in this area is from a 1622 Spanish plate fleet, although it is reasonable to assume that there are many earlier and undocumented wrecks within the park. Edwin Bearss (1971), a National Park Service historian, located records for more than 200 ships sunk, stranded, or damaged in the Dry Tortugas. Clandestine commercial operations - piracy, smuggling, and slaving - are also manifested in the park's underwater sites.

Sinkings and strandings continue to occur here. Material remains of war, commercial disasters, and private wrecks dot the underwater landscape. Many of these have yet to be fully discovered, and some will forever remain hidden on the bottom of the ocean under vast amounts of sand.

Fortifying America

When the United States acquired Florida from Spain in 1819, Garden Key became a prime location for military fortification to protect the shipping lanes between the Mississippi River and Europe. In 1825, a lighthouse was constructed on Garden Key to warn sailors of the rocky shoals. Construction of an immense fort began in 1846, but was never completed, due to a number of circumstances.

Built with over 16 million bricks and surrounded by a moat, the 50-foot-high, hexagonal-shaped Fort Jefferson was found to be not sitting on solid rock (as planners originally believed), but on sand and coral boulders. Settling caused cracking in the walls and in the 100-plus cisterns, used to store 1.5 million gallons of rainwater for use on the island. Its 4,000 arches could hold 450 cannons, yet the forts eight-foot-thick walls, thought to be impenetrable, could not withstand contemporary rifle-cannon. Having never fired one shot, the fort became obsolete by the 1860s.

During the Civil War, this Union outpost served as a jail for deserters and other criminals. Its most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, who set the broken leg of President Lincolns assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Mudd arrived in 1865 but was later exonerated and released in 1869.

The army abandoned the fort in 1874. Fourteen years later, Congress declared Garden, Loggerhead, and Bird Keys as a national quarantine station for smallpox. Loggerhead Key, the largest of the Tortugas, was already home to a 150-foot lighthouse whose beacon has been shining since July 1, 1858.

Once the quarantine was lifted, Garden Key became a coaling station, which fueled naval vessels, including the U.S.S. Maine as it headed to Havana in 1898. The sinking of the Maine shortly after set off the Spanish-American War. The navy abandoned the fort in 1908. In 1935, Franklin D. Roosevelt declared Fort Jefferson a National Monument, and its status - along with the surrounding islands - was changed to a National Park in 1992.

Back To Top

Reservation Information

Entrance Fee

There is no entrance fee to Dry Tortugas National Park.

Camping

Camping is $3.00 per person per night (exact change required). Twelve campsites at Garden Key are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Groups of 10 or more require reservations and must obtain a special permit in advance. Call Park headquarters for reservations at 305-242-7700.

Fishing & Boating

A Florida salt water-fishing license is required to fish in the park.

Personal watercrafts (jet skis and wave runners) are not permitted anywhere in the park.

Back To Top

Return to National Parks Directory

This content is provided courtesy of Maptech¨.

Perfect for the active explorer, the Maptech National Park Digital Guide is available for sale now.
Click here for more information and online ordering.