Dry Tortugas National Park: The Fort in the Sea, Four Ways

Getting ThereFerry or seaplane only

Best SeasonDecember–April

Entry Fee$15 (free w/ park pass)

Camping~10 primitive sites

Nearest AirportKey West (EYW)

Heads up: This guide contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, The Earnest Traveler may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep the channel going — thank you.

Dry Tortugas is the least-visited national park in the Lower 48 — and one of the most unforgettable. There are no roads and no fresh water: you reach it only by boat or seaplane across 70 miles of open Gulf. Here's the park four ways, from a free fort walk to a seaplane over the reef.

Tip — America the Beautiful Pass: An $80 annual pass covers your Dry Tortugas entry and every other U.S. national park for a full year. If this trip includes more than one federal park, it pays for itself fast.

Dry Tortugas Four Ways

Free Tier #

Included with your park entry — or free with the America the Beautiful pass.

✓ Dry Tortugas National Park # — $15 entry, or free with the America the Beautiful pass.
✓ Fort Jefferson # — Walk the top wall and moat of one of the largest brick forts in the Americas.
✓ Snorkel From the Beach# — Wade in right off the sand over coral heads and old anchor chains — no boat needed.
✓ Bird Watching# — One of America's great birding spots; frigate birds ride the wind overhead.

Budget Tier #

The ferry day trip — one flat rate covers almost everything.

✓ Yankee Freedom III Ferry # — Round-trip catamaran from Key West, about $250 to $300 per adult in 2026 — includes park entry, breakfast, lunch, and snorkel gear.
✓ Guided Fort Tour# — Walk the parade ground, the powder magazines, and Dr. Mudd's cell.
✓ Moat Wall Walk# — A stone path circling the whole fort with open ocean on both sides.

Mid-Range Tier #

Camp the island overnight — when the ferry leaves, it's yours.

✓ Dry Tortugas Camping # — About 10 primitive sites behind the fort, roughly $30 added to the ferry fare. No water, no power — pack in and out.
✓ Stargazing# — Seventy miles from the nearest streetlight — the Milky Way stretches right over the fort.
✓ Beach Fishing# — Cast right off the sand into some of the least-pressured water in Florida.

Luxury Tier #

The seaplane — the view almost nobody gets.

✓ Key West Seaplane Adventures # — The NPS-approved seaplane; half-day and full-day flights low over shipwrecks, flats, and the fort.
✓ Half-Day Fly & Snorkel# — Fly out, snorkel the fort, and be back in Key West by lunch.