Dry Tortugas National Park

Before my around-the-world cruise was a twinkle in my eye, I had planned a very long road trip to Florida. It was going to include Dry Tortugas National Park, which has the distinction of being the most remote and least visited of all national parks . It is accessible only by ferry or private seaplane. Once cruise plans started to evolve, I reluctantly scrapped the road trip plans.

So I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the park through a generous invitation from my cruise companions Gary and Mary. We accessed it via a 40-minute seaplane ride from Key West, which was a treat in itself.

Selfie with pilot Joe and co-pilot Basia. (Thanks to Mary for scoring me a co-pilot seat!)
Blue waters and white sand beaches of Dry Tortugas National Park
In front of our seaplane, with Mary and pillot Joe

The park is home to Fort Jefferson, a former military coastal fortress.

Fort Jefferson
Archways of the interior of Fort Jefferson
View of Gulf of Mexico from inside the fort
Magnificent Frigatebirds hover above the island
7 responses to “Dry Tortugas National Park”
  1. Elaine Smith Avatar
    Elaine Smith

    This has been on my bucket list. So glad you got to go! Would love to hear what other birds you got to see. Keep racking up the life experiences!!

    1. I’ll be posting some more bird pics shortly.

  2. Ron Walker Avatar
    Ron Walker

    Also the distinction of incarcerating the doctor who aided Abraham Lincoln’s assassin. A fascinating and beautiful place!

  3. Welcome back stateside. That looks like a fabulous park!!! Glad you got to go!

  4. Judy Slein Avatar
    Judy Slein

    All those Frigatebirds! I’ve maybe seen one vagrant in my life.

    1. This was a new bird for my life list. There were several hundred of them, with a few pelicans in the mix. It was a gorgeous sight.

  5. It’s stunning!