Complete Guide to Visiting Dry Tortugas National Park — Jen33Travel
Camping at Dry Tortugas National Park offers one of the most unique ways to experience it, especially once the day-trippers go home. You will practically have the entire island completely to yourself. Camping offers rare opporunties that few get – a chance to enjoy the park’s stunning sunsets, mavel at the canopy of stars that dance across it’s incredibly dark skies, and stroll its peaceful beaches in complete solitude. However, it also requires careful planning.
How to Get a Campsite – No Reservation Required
There is only one campground on Dry Tortugas, and it’s located on Garden Key near Fort Jefferson. Camping is first-come, first-serve and is limited to eight individual campsites and one group site. Reservations cannot be made in advance. To camp, you must book ferry transportation through Yankee Freedom and select the camping option when purchasing your ticket. This reserves space for your gear on the ferry.
Ferry Logistics for Campers
Campers are required to visit Dry Tortugas by ferry, the same Yankee Freedom ferry from Key West that day visitors take. However, your gear will be loaded separately in designated storage containers rather than stay with you on the ride over. Upon arrival, park staff will help direct you to the campground. Most campers stay one or two nights before returning on a later ferry, which is plenty of time, but you can stay up to 14 days.
Gear You Will Need
Dry Tortugas is extremely remote, so campers must bring all necessary supplies with them and pack out everything they bring with them as there are no trash receptacles, not even at the campground.
There are strict limits on what campers can bring. Each person is limited to one 27-gallon storage bin, one cooler, and one bag/backpack (approximately 75L or less), with a combined total weight limit of 60 pounds per person.
Below is a list of some of the gear you’ll need:
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Tent and sleeping gear
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Food and snacks for the entire stay
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Plenty of drinking water for the entire stay (at least one gallon, per person, per day)
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Cooking supplies and camp stove (fires are not allowed) (I suggest bringing backpacking freeze-dried foot and a Jet Boil)
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Flashlight or headlamp
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Sunscreen, bug spray, and a basic first-aid kit
Limited Facilities
Camping on Dry Tortugas is very primitive. The campground provides picnic tables, charcoal grills, and composting toilets, but there are no showers, stores, or food available on the island. Fresh water is limited and should not be relied upon.
