Dry Tortugas National Park Camping Review

If you are looking to have a holiday somewhere in or around Florida, then the Dry Tortugas National Park is the top option for camping buffs. The place might provide you several other hotels and resorts option but the fun of camping there for a day or two would be a nice experience. We have put together this Dry Tortugas National Park camping review for you to see what makes this place so popular among camping lovers.

Dry Tortugas National Park camping review:

Camping is the next best thing that you can do to yourself after planning your vacation first. Obviously, camping is not something that you could do on any holiday spot. Rather, there are some selective places with the camping facility that you should look for if camping is the type of vacation you are looking for with your friends or family.

The Location and Accessibility to the Dry Tortugas National Park:

This holiday spot is located some 70 miles far from Key West. If you are planning to arrive here then be sure that only a seaplane or a ferry could bring you here which makes this national park as one of the hardest to access of all the parks. Camping here is the penultimate option because of your plan not to stay here then the seaplane or the ferry would allow you just a few hours to see the place and that doesn’t justify your visit at all.

You may also have your own boat to reach the Dry Tortugas. However, if that is not the case then a ferry for an adult charges $180 as of now for a round trip. Reservations on the site for campers is quite tight because of only having 11 campsites at the location. Therefore, it is important for you to book as early as possible if you are planning to come here. You will get a chance to stay here for a period of 3 days. The ferry journey to the campsite is 2.5 hours and it starts with breathtaking views of Key West and some of its very prominent neighboring islands. The first ferry leaves for Dry Tortugas at 8 AM and arrives around 10:30 AM. Then it departs at 2:30 PM. For people reaching the Key West by their car to board a ferry, the parking fees need to be paid for your car at Key West parking garage.

Packing for Dry Tortugas:

Packing for Dry Tortugas for camping purposes would really test you for your packing skills. You really cannot afford to forget any essentials and yet you need to pack smartly in order to keep yourself not loaded with extra luggage, especially taking it on and off the ferry yourself. Most of the campsites here do have shades but not all of them. Therefore, taking a shade along with you would not be a bad idea, unless you are accompanying a group and they wouldn’t mind sharing the shade with you. Picnic table and of course a grill are the top essentials to have at a campsite and these will be provided you here.

What to see at Dry Tortugas?

The following are the places that you can see while on your trip to this amazing national park:

Fort Prison:

A majority of the tourists accessing the island from Key West usually doesn’t go much far from the garden Key waters. The place is home to the Fort Jefferson build in the 19th century. It is also the place of the fast ferry tour operators and the seaplanes out of Key West. Normally, tourists have a time of around 6.5 hours maximum to spend at the on the picturesque island and can see the huge Fort Prison as well. It is a nice place to cool off and also to snorkel along the long moat wall of the fort.

Fort Jefferson:

Fort Jefferson is regarded as the largest and also one of the oldest buildings made from bricks, in the western hemisphere. The place has a rich history where the prisoners convicted of the murder of Abraham Lincoln were kept. The construction of the fort took a long period of 3 decades and the construction continued till 1876. President Roosevelt declared this park as a national memorial due to its extreme natural value and its historic significance.

Palmata Patch:

This place is no short of paradise for the divers and snorkeling enthusiasts. People looking to spend a day here prefer to enjoy at its beautiful sandy beach while playing different beach sports and/ or enjoying picnics. The campers staying here overnight are provided with the restroom facilities while they enjoy a unique and enjoyable night experience which is far away from lights, noise or the civilization. Irrespective of the fact that how you access the park, everybody coming here are required to pay the park admission fee of $5.

Self-Guided Tour:

A self-guided tour of the park has been set up with signage and it completes in around 45 minutes. The tour is good for the beautiful sceneries on the way and you must take out some more time for the tour if photography is your thing. There are some ranger guided tours available as well but they only start at specific times. You can approach the visitor center regarding the schedule or any other thing. The visitor center is a small office with arrangements of showing an orientation video of the park, selling education materials including books and the most important of all, it provides with a sweet breeze through the air conditioners, especially during the hot summer afternoons.

Seeing the beautiful birds:

Here you can come and see some 100,000 nesting mucky Terns at Bush Key, which is the only nesting site in the US. It is situated adjacent to the Garden Key waters. During the migration time in the winters, the airspace if filled very thickly from the birds and they literally drop from the sky in the urge of making their pit stops. You can see here as many as 300 species of birds in 7 distinct islands of the park.

Conclusion:

From the above review of the amazing Dry Tortugas National Park, it can be very safely said that it is the ideal most camping place at least in the western hemisphere. Visiting here might be hefty but worth each penny that you spend here. It takes you closer to the history, nature, wildlife and all the modern things that you expect to see in an advanced and well-maintained park for camping.