Dry Tortugas National Park, Four Days and a Night on the Island
A fort, a reef and seventy miles of sea, with the island to yourself after three.
Seventy miles past Key West there is a brick fort in the middle of the sea. Drive the Overseas Highway, take the morning boat out, and stay the night when the day crowd sails home.
“I’ve requested to book a Chain Lakes Loop guide on ExplorOFF, and it was the best idea ever! I highly recommend going with their guided option since you get a real human connection on the trail and don’t have to worry about a thing. Yulia was great to talk to!”
14 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Dry Tortugas: every stop pinned in order.
Miami → Key West by road · Garden Key by sea
Every stop on this trip, in order, opens as one driving route in the Google Maps app. No copying addresses across one at a time.
Dry Tortugas in photos: 6 of the stops.
Plan and book your 4 days in Dry Tortugas, one step at a time
- Sections of the moat wall around Fort Jefferson are closed for storm repairs until winter 2026. Follow the posted signs and do not cross the barricades. Source
- The park's ferry notice lists a smaller boat October 12 to 18 and no ferry October 19 to 25, but the notice carries 2025 dates. Confirm with the ferry before you book a crossing in late October 2026. Source
- Most of Bush Key reopened on September 29, 2026. A small area on its north side, all of Long Key and all vegetation stay closed for nesting frigatebirds. Source
How 4 days in Dry Tortugas split up
Plan 4 days for Dry Tortugas. Crossing: ~2.5 hr. Park entry: In the ferry fare. Best season: Apr-Jun. Dry Tortugas is seven small keys at the very end of the Florida Keys, 70 miles west of Key West, and almost all of it is water. No road reaches it. The one scheduled boat leaves Key West at 8:00 in the morning, and on Garden Key it lands you beside Fort Jefferson, the largest brick masonry fort in the Americas, built from about 16 million bricks and never finished.
Day 1: Down the Overseas Highway to Key West
4 stops · Day one
Day 2: The Morning Boat, Fort Jefferson and a Night on Garden Key
4 stops · Day two
Day 3: Sunrise on the Walls, Then Back to Key West
4 stops · Day three
Day 4: The Spare Day, Then Back Up the Keys
2 stops · Day four
Down the Overseas Highway to Key West
The trip starts on the road. From Miami it is about 160 miles down US-1, the Overseas Highway, which hops 42 bridges across the Keys to the end of the country. Without stops it is three and a half to four hours, and you should not do it without stops: the long middle of the drive is open water on both sides, and the Seven Mile Bridge near Marathon is the part people remember.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Drive from
~160 mi · US-1, the Overseas Highway · DriveAbout 160 miles down US-1 across 42 bridges to the end of the Keys. Three and a half to four hours without stops, longer on a Friday afternoon.
- Seven Mile Bridge
Near Marathon · open water both sides · ViewpointThe long middle of the drive, with open water on both sides and the old rail bridge running alongside.
- Bahia Honda State Park
Big Pine Key · beach break · activityThe best natural beach in the Keys and a good place to stretch your legs, about an hour short of Key West.
Park info → 
Stay in Key WestWalking distance to the ferry terminal · lodgeStay within walking distance of the ferry terminal on Grinnell Street. Campers check in at 6:00 AM, and the nearest garage is $40 a day.
The Morning Boat, Fort Jefferson and a Night on Garden Key
Campers check in at 6:00 AM, an hour before day visitors, so the crew can load gear. The boat leaves at 8:00 and takes about two and a half hours, with breakfast on board. Watch the water change colour on the way: past the Marquesas it turns the pale blue of a swimming pool, and the fort rises out of it like it was dropped there.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
Ferry to Dry TortugasCampers check in 6:00 AM · departs 8:00 · ~2.5 hr · activityThe only scheduled boat to the park. Breakfast, lunch, snorkel gear, the park entry and a fort tour are included. The day trip books here; camper seats are sold only by the ferry company and sell out months ahead.
Camping and ferry info →- Fort Jefferson
Fort tour, the top tier, Dr. Mudd's cell · ViewpointThe largest brick masonry fort in the Americas, about 16 million bricks, never finished. Walk the top tier for the full circuit and find Dr. Mudd's cell above the sally port.
Park alerts → - Snorkel the moat wall and south coaling dock
Beach entry · current at the dock · activityEasy beach entry along the outside of the moat wall, then the coaling dock pilings with barracuda, tarpon and grouper. No swimming inside the moat, and parts of the wall are closed for repairs.
- Camp on Garden Key
First come, first served · $15 a site · lodgeEight numbered sites and an overflow area. No water, no showers, no signal. A table, a food post and a charcoal grill at each site. The island is yours after the 3:00 boat leaves.
Sunrise on the Walls, Then Back to Key West
Wake up on an island with a few dozen people on it. Sunrise from the walls is quiet in a way the middle of the day never is, and the morning is the best time for a second snorkel, before the wind comes up and before the boat lands at about 10:30.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Sunrise from the fort walls
Before the first boat lands · ViewpointThe quietest hour in the park, with only the campers on the island.
- Snorkel the north coaling dock
Morning, before the wind · activityA second snorkel site on the other side of the fort, best in the morning calm.
- Ferry back to Key West
Leaves 3:00 PM · back ~5:30 PM · activityBreak camp, pack out every piece of trash and board for the afternoon sailing. Keep a spare day of food until you are aboard.
- Night in Key West
Shower, Mallory Square at sunset · lodgeA shower, a real bed and a walk to Mallory Square for sunset.
The Spare Day, Then Back Up the Keys
This is the day that saves the trip. If the sea cancelled your crossing, it moves everything back by one and you still get the island. If it did not, it is a free day in the Keys on the way home.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Spare day for the sea
Use it if the crossing was cancelled · activityIf a front or a storm cancelled your boat, everything moves back a day and you still get the island. If not, it is a free day in the Keys.
- Drive back to Miami
~160 mi · 3.5 to 4 hr · DriveBack up US-1 with a stop at Bahia Honda or Looe Key if the day is free. Sunday afternoons northbound are the slowest.
Book the 3 nights
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the checking. We find what is still open near each trailhead and email you this plan back with a booking link for each night. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Dry Tortugas
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
Because you are sleeping out 1 night
For the 2 nights under a roof
For the driving days
What actually decides this trip.
You book the boat, not the campsite
Garden Key's eight numbered sites are first come, first served and cannot be reserved. Ferry campers are guaranteed somewhere to camp, in the shared overflow area if the sites are full. The limit is the ferry, which takes about 10 campers a day and sells those seats only through the ferry company, months ahead. Only the group site, for 10 to 20 people, takes a reservation, by application to the park. The site fee is $15 a night, paid on the island by Recreation.gov Scan & Pay.
Bring everything, including the water
There is no water, food, ice or shop on the island, and no cell signal or WiFi. NPS recommends 2 gallons of water a person a day, and an extra day of food and water in case the return boat is cancelled. Campers get one cooler each. Gas stoves are allowed in the park but fuel canisters are not allowed on the ferry, so cook with match-light charcoal on the site grill. Wood fires are not allowed.
The sea decides, so keep a spare day
Winter cold fronts, November to April, bring 20-knot winds and 5-foot seas that cancel crossings. May to October is calm with the best snorkeling, but it is hot, shadeless and inside hurricane season, which runs June 1 to November 30. April to June is the best balance. Mid-October is also when the ferry goes in for work: the park's notice lists a smaller boat October 12 to 18 and no ferry October 19 to 25, so check the alerts before you book.
Day trip, seaplane or camping
The day ferry gives you about four and a half hours on the island and includes breakfast, lunch, snorkel gear, the park fee and a fort tour, from about $260. A half-day seaplane costs about $527 an adult for at least two and a half hours on the island and 40 minutes in the air each way; a full day is about $910. The seaplane does not carry campers. Camping costs the least per hour on the island and is the only way to see it at sunset and sunrise.
Snorkeling rules worth knowing
Snorkel along the outside of the moat wall and at the north and south coaling docks. Swimming inside the moat is not allowed. Use a dive flag outside the designated swim area and always snorkel with a buddy, because the current at the docks is stronger than it looks. Sections of the moat wall are closed for storm repairs until winter 2026.
Loggerhead Key needs your own boat
Loggerhead Key, three miles from Garden Key, has the best snorkeling in the park and almost no visitors, but no public boat goes there. It is day use only, sunrise to sunset, and reached by private boat, or by kayak if you arrange to bring one on the ferry in advance. Its buildings and docks are closed.
Dry Tortugas: questions before you go
Dry Tortugas np: the questions people ask most.
No, not an individual one. The eight numbered campsites on Garden Key are first come, first served, and the park does not take reservations for them. Ferry campers are guaranteed a place to camp, in the shared overflow area if the numbered sites are full. What you do have to book is a camper seat on the ferry, which carries about 10 campers a day and sells out months ahead. Only the group site, for 10 to 20 people, can be reserved, by applying to the park.
By boat or seaplane from Key West, 70 miles away. The ferry leaves at 8:00 AM, takes about two and a half hours each way and gives day visitors about four and a half hours on Garden Key. A seaplane takes about 40 minutes each way and costs about $527 an adult for a half day. Private boats are the only other way in, and the only way to reach Loggerhead Key.
The day ferry starts at about $260 an adult and camper fares at about $265, both including the $15 park entry, breakfast, lunch and snorkel gear. Camping adds $15 a site a night. Add two nights in Key West, which is expensive, parking at $40 a day near the terminal, and the drive from Miami. A half-day seaplane is about $527 an adult plus the $15 park fee.
One day covers the fort tour, the top tier and a long snorkel, which is what most visitors do. Staying one night adds the part day visitors never see: the island after the boat leaves at 3:00, sunset from the walls, a very dark night sky and a quiet morning before the next boat. If you can get a camper seat, one night is worth it.
April to June is the best balance, with calmer seas than winter, warm water and spring bird migration. Winter is pleasant on land but cold fronts bring wind that cancels crossings. Summer has the calmest water and best snorkeling but intense heat with little shade, and hurricane season runs June through November. In any month, keep a spare day in Key West in case the boat does not run.
No. There is nothing for sale on the island: no water, food, ice, shop or cafe, and no cell service or WiFi. Day visitors get breakfast and lunch on the ferry. Campers must bring all their own food and at least 2 gallons of water a person a day, plus an extra day of both in case the return boat is cancelled.
Along the outside of the moat wall around Fort Jefferson, and at the pilings of the north and south coaling docks, where barracuda, tarpon and grouper gather. Swimming inside the moat is not allowed. Sections of the moat wall are closed for storm repairs until winter 2026. The ferry includes mask, snorkel and fins.
Yes. Tell us your dates and we check what is still open for the plan on this page, then send it back with a booking link for each night and the total. Nothing is charged and nothing is held, and you pay the normal rate.
Pick how you want to go.
Same 4-day route. Same 9 stops.
- 2 nights, a campsite near Key West
- $146
- 1 night, the first-come campsite on Garden Key
- $15
- Day-trip ferry, only if you skip the camp night
- Priced when you book
- Camper ferry to Garden Key and back, park entry included
- from $530
- Rental car from Miami, 4 days
- $240
- Gas, about 330 miles
- $45
- Garage by the ferry terminal, 2 days
- $80
- 2 nights, a room in Key West
- from $660
- 1 night, campsites on the nights the route camps
- $15
- Day-trip ferry, only if you skip the camp night
- Priced when you book
- Camper ferry to Garden Key and back, park entry included
- from $530
- Rental car from Miami, 4 days
- $240
- Gas, about 330 miles
- $45
- Garage by the ferry terminal, 2 days
- $80
- A private local guide, rooms and campsites booked
- Included
- Airport pickup and every drive
- Included
- Park, permit and campsite fees paid
- Included
- All the gear and the trail meals
- Included
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Three years leading guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests, and she builds every custom itinerary herself. Based in Seattle.
Last checked October 2026
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Guides for this tripDry Tortugas: Ferry, Fort and Camping
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You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
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The WaveCoyote Buttes North · Arizona / UtahPermitLotterybrutal odds
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