Reviews of Dry Tortugas National Park (Park)

Rene' Holt

Beautiful and secluded. Best if you can come by seaplane for an awesome experience! Snorkeling around the island is amazing!

Kevin Dunleavy

Don't just go for the day, camp! We go every year for three nights and it's just an amazing place to be at night. There are only a handful of campers and that's it - except for a trillion stars. Bring a kayak and a fishing pole too, the fish are biting!

Yuriy Ledyashov

Antique place with perfect beach and absolutely clean water.

Mike Hughes

Great time camping at the fort. Fish to see everywhere snorkeling. Will do it again someday.

John Chubb

Great weather makes this a great day as the seas were calm. Food provided on the boat, snorkle gear provided. Tour of the Fort was great. Over night camping offered, we will try next trip

Dima Viarenich

Amazing experience at on of the most beautiful and unique national parks in US.

Brian Brown

Most beautiful place I have ever seen!

Daniel Jenkins

What an amazing place. I highly recommend .

Mark hayes jr

Fantastically beautiful and extraordinarily historic place. We spent the day exploring inside as well as snorkeling around the perimeter. The waters here are nearly crystal clear and wonderfully calm. Also, climbing to the top gives beautiful photo ops in every direction. Wonderful experience indeed!

Sandy Michell

Took the Yankee Freedom to get there. Lots of cool little fish around the structure. They provided snorkel. Self guided tour, quite a feat of architecture. Hot out today so we stuck to the tunnels. Bring water!

Brad Davidson

Amazing structure and snorkeling!

Greg Maxey

Well worth the cost. It's a National Park...out in the middle of the ocean. I don't know about a second trip, but definitely worth one trip.

Jerry Allgire

Take the sea plane for a marvelous trip. This fort is the real deal. You feel like you can really touch history. CG caught some Cubans while we were there.

Doug Keys

An amazing place to visit! The amount of unknown history learned in a short afternoon surrounded by such natural beauty took days to process. This is a truly unique place not only for American history but had an impact on the entire Gulf. Took the 1 hour guided tour that was very informative and made the hour fly by. After lunch went back for photo ops and dis the self guided tour around the rest of the fort. Take a boat take a plane or just start swimming because this is an absolute must visit...

Gina Day

The views and history are amazing

Thomas Dickerson

Well worth the trip, cool history, great scenery, awesome snorkeling. The crew of the Yankee Freedom made the trip very enjoyable and fun.

James Bastian

A very special place. Definitely worth the journey.

David Roberts

Very fun trip to the island on the Yankee Freedom III boat. The history of Fort Jefferson is amazing! The snorkeling was great. Excellent adventure

David Olach

Dry Tortugas National Park and Fort Jefferson are great places to visit on a trip to the Keys. The Yankee Freedom III Ferry can transport you out to the park in about 2.5 hours or if you are looking for a faster way out you can take a seaplane. I took the ferry and it was an easy trip out. Once you arrive at the National Park you have hours (or days if you are camping overnight) to explore Fort Jefferson and the surrounding waters and beaches. The fort is a marvel of late 19th century engineering and is one of the largest masonry structures in the Western Hemisphere. Additionally you can snorkel, fish or just lounge on the islands multiple beaches.

WilliamTortuga

Beautiful Park and nice ferry ride from Key West. The water is gorgeous and the four is very nice! And the staff are always willing to teach you more about the fort.

Erin Casey

Take the sea plane for a marvelous trip. This fort is the real deal. You feel like you can really touch history. CG caught some Cubans while we were there.

Christine Acord

Absolutely stunning!

David Schorr

Beautiful, so much better than I thought it would be. The ferry ride was very comfortable and the food was great.

cindi carpinelli

Absolutely beautiful place to snorkel!

Olga Ria

Just an amazing trip! Love the crew who made this trip for us so comfortable and enjoyable ❤️nature just WOW

Sherry Underwood

Wonder of natural beauty and history. Had a great day

Shirley Geiss

Take the ferry with Captain Meghan and her crew. Best time! Tell Hollywood, Shirley said hi!

J.R. Hammond

Very peaceful, take a seaplane there you won't regret it

Dominik Nawara

Great place to feel real end of the USA. Worth to read some more about Fort Jefferson history before coming that place. Ferry service and Staff on high level. Place worth of spending 180 USD.

Mary Dixon

This is a great place to visit if you like the ocean and history. There is some good free diving and kayaking to be done down there. Also the park rangers foen there are the best around hands down.

Heather Barnum

Outstanding! Amazing views! So much history and beauty. We camped and explored for a few days and it was the best vacation!

Greg Gabrielle

Had too much fun!! 100% Confidence in our pilot Gary from the start.

Phillip Baritone

My trip to Fort Jefferson was in December; which, needless to say, was a fantastic tropical getaway. Less than three hours from Key West, this trip was totally worth it via the Yankee Freedom III. It was truly Paradise. Warm, sunny, the most crystalline, clear waters, even for a relatively rough day: there was a front that passed through this day. The water was still perfect for snorkeling for hours. The fort itself was historic. This is a very secluded and wonderful place.

Fred Crater

We took the Fury III over to Dry Totugas. We enjoyed learning about the history of the fort. Not much shade unless you're inside the fort walls. Enjoyed snorkeling and seeing many different fish including barracuda.

Riley Davis

Absolutely stunning! My family and I took a sea plane to the park and we were blown away by the beauty and size of this desolate fort. Only a select number of people visiting Florida or the keys actually venture to the Dry Tortugas, making it quite the honor. During the 30 minute fly over the ocean toward the island, we witnessed countless turtles, dolphins, and sharks swimming along underneath us! Breathtaking! The water is so aquamarine blue it practically glows and the red bricks from the fort make for a gorgeous contrast. If you haven't been here it should definitely be on your bucket list.

Robert Becvar

Another of America's fantastic National Parks... don't miss it if you get a chance.

Dawn Dickerson

Absolutely worth the two-hour boat ride to get there.

Brenda La Fayette

Great trip on the ferry out of key west. The staff on the boat serves up a great breakfast and lunch, provides a guided tour of the fort and snorkeling equipment if want. It's peaceful place for bird watching too.

Aaron Swafford

We traveled with our own boat, which is the best way to see and do everything the park has to offer. We camped 3 days, 2 nights, which IMO not nearly enough time to snorkel all of the wrecks and reefs, fish, tour the fort. The fishing is amazing within the fishing boundaries, and even better outside of the national park boundary. The guy that works the gift shop/information center, John, super nice guy, great hospitality! Treated my group like family. Park ranger "Tree" was nice and helped us with the many questions we had as it was our first time there. We will be back next year and plan to camp at least 3 nights.

Faun Clark

WOW!!!! Dry Totugas is stunning! Fort Jefferson and the red brick, cannons, moat and views on top of fort are surreal. Snorkeling ocean side of the moat was nice. Plenty of fish and sea fans to see.

kristal rodriguez

Absolutely AMAZING! Very much worth the money. Beautiful waters to snorkel in, interesting tour of the Fort. Staff was fantastic

Moe Duke

What an amazing island in the middle of nowhere It’s basically a dream came true to come here lots of history and magical views You have to snorkel Bring long sleeves cuz not much of shades here Go pro for under water magical views Sun screen Enjoy it The crew of Yankee freedom was amazing and made this experience magical

Quinton Spratt

Beautiful views, tons of history!

Alison Scherz, Realtor

Don't miss this trip or tour. It's a gem most don't know about. The boat ride can be rough, take your dramamine or fly. The tour guide from Yankee Freedom did an incredible job.

Christopher Dale

Amazing experience! We arrived via seaplane for 2.5 hours of time at Fort Jefferson. Would love to have spent more time here. Will definitely have to come back again someday.

A. Gill

We took the sea plane to the Dry Tortugas Fort and it was absolutely incredible!! It was definitely worth it and we’re so glad that we did it. The fort itself is fascinating and we enjoyed walking around the moat and the views while walking around the top of the fort. The beaches are pretty and we really enjoyed snorkeling! You can snorkel all around the fort and the area to snorkel is huge. We would love to do it again!

Ron Boudreaux

What an absolutely wonderful day. staff: the employees of the Yankee Freedom (ferry to Dry Tortugas) we’re above and beyond with their service. We were thoroughly briefed before embarking. We were told exactly what to expect and the schedule for,the day. Embarking was swift and orderly. You were handed numbers coinciding with when you checked in. The lower the number, the earlier you checked in. The lower numbers were called first, affording us a better seat selection on the boat. Breakfast was continental and good. The coffee was good, hot and never ending! vessel: the Yankee Freedom ship ferrying us to the park was a very nice, clean, well maintained vessel. The indoor cabins were air conditioned. There were 4 heads( bathrooms for you Land lobbers...arrrrr) it is open seating both going and returning. You are not guaranteed the same seat for the return trip as you have to remove all your belongings disembarking at the park. The Fort grounds are amazing. Be certain you avail your selves to to the free guided tour. Then definitely go snorkeling. Great visibility and fish if you hug the moat wall. SUNSCREEN .......make certain you take and use sunscreen. I used PF 50 and still got fried. Will wear a shirt next trip...And we will go again. Lunch was included and was actually quite tasty. Just build your own sandwiches, but we found the fixings to be very good quality. Bar: the ship bar opened for the return trip back to Key West, a 2 1/2 hour ride. They actually made very good mixed drinks at reasonable prices. To be a fair review, the negatives must be discussed. The snorkel masks were annoyingly cheap. I forgot my prescription dive mask and had to use their mask. Gave both my wife and I splitting headaches after wearing them for an hour snorkeling. Bring your own mask. Fins were okay. Another annoying trait of excursion trips is the guides begging tips from the guests. Then standing on the gangway with their large jar as you disembark. The cost of the trip is $350.00 for two. For that price, you should get great service without the tip intimidation. Just to clarify: We tipped and would have done so because of the superior service, I just did t care for the manner in which is was solicited. It is a long day and well worth it. Book your trip well in advance as they will sell out.

Mig Hern

Loved it but no shade bring umbrellas

Doug Troyan

Amazing flight over. Snorkeling for hours.

Ronald Beasley

Just an amazing place .i camped for 3 nights and wish I could’ve stayed longer. Too me it was my favorite place I’ve been to in Florida.

Amanda Hepler

FANTASTIC! A must see! Take a tour with Yankee Freedom III to get the most out of your trip. Or camp out there, haven't done that yet but may go back!

Kevin Hall

Unforgettable experience! Tons of aquatic life, awesome snorkeling, beautiful beaches and not to mention we seen tons of sea turtles. Our ride on the Yankee Freedom III was good as well. Our host Hollywood did a fantastic job also.

Josephine Campbell

We took a seaplane and it was awesome. Kris the pilot was great. He was very informative and nice. If you have a chance to come to Key West take a seaplane. Dry Tortuga is something to see. I have to say they were very hearty people to live out there0 back them. The water is gorgeous.

Kim Dang

Fun place with lots of history. We went with Yankee Freedom tour and everything was great.

diana hulsey

A trip everyone should do at least once. A great ride by ferry and the fort is massive and impressive. For those who want to enjoy the water snorkeling is a great option. Can see fort on guided tour or just wander around on own.

Don Windrem

Very much worth a visit. Beautiful state park and great stories behind the fort. Highly recommend.

Heidi Reiter

So amazing and secluded! The snorkeling was fun for the entire family. The sea plan ride was super cool as well. Got to see turtles, sharks and sting ray and the 35 minute flight made it so easy.

Dean Brady

Great day trip. Lots to see and learn about.

Kyle Christopher

This is a special place that I have been to twice and would love to go back a third time. There is a lot of history and they offer tours if you go on the Yankee Freedom ferry disembarking from Key West, FL. You can let the pictures speak for themselves. Definitely worth checking out if you have never been. I highly recommend!

Jill McGhee

Gorgeous trip and wonderful crew on the Yankee Freedom III

Molly Rector

Def have to go do this! We took the Yankee Freedom out to the park! We spent the whole day snorkeling and walking around the fort! It was a great educational aspect to our Key West trip!

Ken Beckett

Really awesome, beautiful place to visit! Take the sea plane instead of the ferry if you can afford it.

Kristie Legge

History and a fun day snorkeling. Worth the trek out there to at least visit once. Seems like a really cool place to camp also.

Ling Qin

Very beautiful place, turquoise water, colorful coral, plenty of birds. The north beach has much finer sands compared to the south beach albeit smaller. For snorkeling my favorite spot was along the fort wall from the north beach - easy to reach, calm water and quite a variety of corals and fish. The walk around the third level of the fort or the moat wall was like a walk in heaven.

Monica L

This place is a must see site. The family took a seaplane along with other folks to the island . It's a beautiful place and to swim but watch out for the jelly fish. I notice people campout there.

Susan Butler

We saw the most lovely sea turtle playing in the moat!

Debbie Prosienski

Great day. Great service.

Deirdre D

It's a bit of a project and some what costly to get there - but it is DEFINITELY worth checking this park off your bucket list. I lucked out and was able to get a spot on the ferry booking only a few days before due to some folks cancelling because of expected rough weather and seas. So Book ahead! It turned out to be an great weather day so I was fortunate. It''s about a 3 hour boat ride out to Dry Tortuga. If you are going by the ferry service you arrive around 10am and leave right before 3 pm giving you about 4.5 -5 hours at the island and park. The park is on an island that is one of a grouping of small islands. The fort at Dry Tortugas takes up about 95% of the island. Inside the fort's main entrance is the National Park offices with a small gift shop. The fort is very scenic and there are a lot of amazing birds to watch. There is a lighthouse within the fort but it was being restored while I was there. The waters are stunning - great for snorkeling and swimming while you are there. There are picnic tables about the island and beach areas but really not much shade - so hats and SPF is important as is water. They do offer overnight camping however while the ferry is in dock everyone has to use the ferry bathrooms - even the campers. All in all a great park to see!

Stephanie Clarke

Snorkeling, history, and coral reefs! It was a great excursion and I enjoyed learning about the utility of the tiny island for international trading. The ferry ride there was well planned and accommodating.

Mollie Imhoff

Absolutely a beautiful remote historical treasure

Cliff Meagh

Awesome place if weather is cooperating

Philip Wong

Nice place for day trip for family. Not great for members who get seasick easily. In fact, all members of 6 people/kid group got sick multuple times except for me... And i was on verge for much of the trip. Would not return unless too seaplane next time even though locatuon is quite cool.

Steve Schmorleitz

This place is so cool. Make sure you take the time to learn the history of the fort while you're there. Bring a snorkel and mask. There is some good snorkeling around and near the pilings of an old dock. There's also a beautiful, soft-sand beach for relaxing and sunbathing. Picnic tables under a few shade trees are available too. There's a campground, but make reservations far in advance if you want to stay overnight.

Julie Sturt

Absolutely amazing! Key West Seaplane Tours delivered a surreal, once in a lifetime experience!

Michael Nielsen

Much better than I had dared hope for, even after considering the fuss and expense to get out there. Amazing old fort and great snorkeling. I want to go back and camp.

Francis Sager

Incredibly beautiful island in the gulf of Mexico. The story of Fort Jefferson is akin to Babylon 5 without the diplomatic mission, and the fire power of a Deathstar. Don't expect many modern amenities, but a wealth of history and scenic beaches with excellent snorkeling, make the trip to this remote park worth it.

Karen Nagle

This was a fantastic trip to see the Amazing Fort Taylor in the Dry Tortuga’s, what a great piece of history. This is also a camp site check it out you won’t regret your visit...

Lauren sturtevant

Must do trip if in key west! Most beautiful beaches and interesting history. On the ferry, the captain and staff were friendly and helpful. Does sell out in advance so book early!

Sanket gandhi

Fascinating trip - One of the best and most unusual National Parks we have visited - great place to walk the beach, and learn a little history of the US at Fort Jefferson and Dr. Samuel Mudd.

Steven Swanner

Took the Yankee Freedom to get there. Lots of cool little fish around the structure. They provided snorkel. Self guided tour, quite a feat of architecture. Hot out today so we stuck to the tunnels. Bring water!

Brittany Young

Absolutely loved it here! Definitely want to go back!

kim mcclamroch

Great historical site. Snorkeling was fantastic

Duane Abrams

Very neat place but completely isolated. Went by seaplane which was the best way to go.

Andrew Davis

Lovely place to visit. We went by seaplane which was spectacular. We tried snorkeling but there wasn't a lot to see even in the recommended areas.

Travis Kilpack

This is a bucket list place to visit. A must see.

Trina The boss

Very interesting place and breath taking views. We thoroughly enjoyed our stop here.

John Martin

Me and my wife love this place we have been twice and looking forward to camping trip there next time.

Sheryl Parsons

Nice ferry ride to & from. Interesting history. My grandchildren snorked the reef there & had a fabulous day.

Greg Kopish

An amazing place. The history of Fort Jefferson is fascinating.

Alena S

We took a ferry to Dry Tortugas from Key West. The history on the fort is pretty amazing. We got a free tour of the fort and enjoyed a relaxed day. I snorkeled around the mote and saw coral and tropical fish. I would definitely come back again. There is also a camp ground area for those who come to camp for a few days. That sounds like a lovely and fun thing to do with a group of friends.

Tom Kelly

Incredible place!! History and island snorkeling. Great trip on the boat and great guide on the tour.

Karen Hall

Very interesting national park/fort.

Dave Warner

Great piece of history! Hollywood, our tour guide is just outstanding! As was Brian and the rest of the Yankee Freedom crew!

Thomas Jones

Absolutely amazing day trip. Boat ride is great with a fantastic staff and the fort itself is full of history. Not sure if the panoramic photo of the whole fort will come out with this but its breathtaking from the top level.

Michael Banbury

one of the most unique national Park experiences that you can have. Getting there as a little bit of a challenge as you have to take a boat or a plane. The Park is fascinating. it's great if you can do the snorkeling and see some of the coral along the wall and all the fish as well. We didn't go camping but many people did and that seemed to be quite relaxing.

Adam

A must go. A very unique national park with gorgeous water surrounding the fort and is perfect for snorkeling.

Arumugham GR

Fantastic place to visit. Skip the history lesson in the trip and go snorkeling for greater experience

VirgilioAlfredo Suazo

This is a great place to visit if you like the ocean and history. There is some good free diving and kayaking to be done down there. Also the park rangers foen there are the best around hands down.

Sharon Page

Very interesting place and breath taking views. We thoroughly enjoyed our stop here.

Oneida Borisuck

Excellent ,excellent, excellent, best decision ever,completely disconnect from everything, not internet connection, just connecting with nature,camping was the best part with starry night, make sure you bring your snorkeling gear with you ,lots of sun block lotion, a cooler with lots a water ,ice and the spirit of do nothing else more than relax.

Erik Zimmermann

If you have never been, than you are missing out. Amazing waters, great snorkeling, fish watching, bird watching, exploring a real fort! Be careful, unguided tours and lots of places for youngsters or fools to fall and get injured.

sanket gandhi

Fascinating trip - One of the best and most unusual National Parks we have visited - great place to walk the beach, and learn a little history of the US at Fort Jefferson and Dr. Samuel Mudd. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perla Noriega

Its so beautiful and wonderful

Jay Fidel

Good visit well worth the time. Take the tour and learn the history

Mr Osok

99% of people come out via the ferryboat and leave a few hours later. If you have the time spend a night or two. You end up having the island to yourself and can really relax and enjoy your surroundings. The snorkeling is awesome but if you have the equipment scuba diving some of the ship wrecks is the way to go. Again, you are so far out you have the place to yourself. One of the more remote and beautiful places I have visited.

ken lusk

Beautiful island. Shell beaches. A must see.

Xotchill Pereira

The best experience ever

Carissa Gates

Beautiful place to visit, and so many fish and coral around the for while snorkeling! It's a Fort in Paradise. Definitely worth the 2 hr ferry ride. Just pack sunscreen and umbrellas for shade, as there is no AC and very few places to hide from the hot sun!