Why should people go to Dry Tortugas?

It's perfect for both swimming and sightseeing, two of the main draws of the Dry Tortugas. Beyond the breathtaking water, the beauty of Dry Tortugas National Park can be found in its unique natural features (think: coral reefs, sandy shoals, sea life, and lots of birds).



People Also Ask

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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Although many today are attracted to the islands' sunken treasures, the most prominent historic feature of Dry Tortugas is Fort Jefferson at Garden Key.

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Located some 70 miles west of Key West, and consisting of wide-open water and a smattering of small islands, Dry Tortugas is actually the wettest national park in the country—one that necessitates swimming and snorkeling to really grasp its breadth.

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Located in the southwest corner of the Florida Keys reef system, Dry Tortugas National Park is a remote park that is more than 99% water. Its crystal clear ocean waters abound with incredible marine life.

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Yes! There are about a dozen National Park Service personnel living and working in the Dry Tortugas. The group includes rangers, maintenance workers, and their families—enough to provide for the basic support and protection of the 100–square–mile park.

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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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Overnight anchoring is allowed in the area of sand and rubble bottom within 1 nautical mile of the Fort Jefferson harbor light and must not block any designated channel. Overnight anchoring is not permitted at any other location in Dry Tortugas National Park.

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Ponce de León called the islands “Las Tortugas” (The Turtles) after the large turtle population. British sailors later renamed them “Dry Tortugas” because the islands have no natural source of fresh water on them. “Tortugas” is one of the oldest European-named places in the United States.

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Tortuga, sometimes called Turtle Island, is a small island about 20 miles in length just north of Haiti. It was strategically located in the path of Spanish treasure ships returning to Spain. Although the small island was surrounded by Spanish colonies, the French first colonized it in 1625.

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