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What is the least visited national park in Florida?

Dry Tortugas National Park This is one of the least-visited national parks because it is a lot of trouble to get there. But it's worth it.



The least visited national park in Florida is Dry Tortugas National Park, located roughly 70 miles west of Key West. Because it is accessible only by boat or seaplane, its annual visitor count typically hovers around 60,000 to 80,000 people—a fraction of the millions who flock to the Everglades. The park is a high-fidelity hidden gem consisting of seven small islands and the massive, 19th-century Fort Jefferson, which is the largest brick structure in the Americas. Visitors go there for world-class snorkeling in pristine coral reefs, birdwatching, and a sense of absolute isolation. Due to the limited capacity of the daily ferry (Yankee Freedom) and seaplane transfers, the park feels exclusive and uncrowded. If you plan to visit in 2026, booking several months in advance is a high-fidelity requirement, especially if you intend to secure one of the very few primitive camping permits available on Garden Key.

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Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the least visited national parks in the United States, with only 60,000 visitors per year. This is primarily due to its remote location 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. It is also the most aquatic of all the U.S. national parks with 98% of the park consisting of water.

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The lowest rated (or worst) national park in America is Gateway Arch National Park in Missouri. Why is it even a national park?

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I would highly recommend anyone visit the Dry Tortugas - families, couples, groups, solo. Thank you to the Yankee Freedom crew for taking us there! Once there I recommend touring the fort for a bit - you'll only have so long on the island if you take the Yankee Freedom - and it can be a challenge to fit it all in.

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Unfortunately, while the Dry Tortugas were an attractive destination for marauding pirates, they were also the site of some 200 shipwrecks before the construction of the lighthouse on Loggerhead Key.

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The Grand Canyon is known for its breathtaking vistas and being one of the seven natural wonders of the world. A New York Post investigation recently found it is also the deadliest national park in the country, with the most number of missing persons in the nation.

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Here are Florida's most visited cities:
  • Miami – 2,759,000 visitors.
  • Orlando – 1,223,000 visitors.
  • Fort Lauderdale – 506,000 visitors.
  • Tampa – 190,000 visitors.
  • West Palm Beach – 169,000 visitors.
  • Naples – 84,000 visitors.
  • Jacksonville – 70,000 visitors.
  • North Port – 56,000 visitors.


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In 1957, South Dakota's Fossil Cycad National Monument lost its status because so many people — including researchers — had walked off with the plant fossils that inspired the park's designation in the first place.

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The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km2), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states. The next three largest parks are also in Alaska.

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