by Mark Oehler

For our honeymoon, Nicole and I flew down to Miami, rented a car, and drove down through the Florida Keys. One of the more interesting parts of the trip was the night we spent in the Dry Tortugas.

One of the most remote national parks in the continental USA, the Dry Tortugas are located about 70 miles west of Key West, which itself is at the south end of the Florida Keys. Camping in the Dry Tortugas sounded like an adventure. We imagined a night on a deserted desert island with only a few other campers around.

Getting there in and of itself is an interesting experience. Campers must make ferry reservations in advance. Two ferry services make the 2 to 2-1/2 hour (each way) trip to the Dry Tortugas. The ferries arrive in the morning (10:30 AMish) and leave in the afternoon (2:30 PMish) taking the day trippers home. The ferries can carry dozens of people. So, during the visiting hours, there may be a 100 or more people on the island. The primary activities are swimming, sunning, snorkeling, visiting the fort, and bird watching. There is a north and a south beach. The ferry service we used provided a continental breakfast (ok) and a very good lunch. Soft drinks and water were also provided. Other ways to get to the island are by seaplane (expensive, but somewhat popular) and private boat.

The ferry services charges extra for campers (Sunny Days was $160 per camper versus $135 per person for day trippers). The ferries place restrictions on the amount of supplies campers are allowed to bring. We packed minimalist and didn't have a problem. Some of the campers had setup quite luxuriously including folding chairs and radios. For those so inclined, kayaks are strapped to the top of the ferries for an additional fee.

Reserving through the ferry services takes care of the camp site reservation, but the camping sites are still first-come, first-serve. We were concerned about not getting a campsite, but it didn't end up being a problem for us. A limited number of campers are allowed each day on the ferries (6 a day) which forms part of the rationing. Several campsites had pretty good shade, but several sites had only evening or morning shade. We took the best of the remaining sites (number 5), which had morning shade. When we visited, the Keys were experiencing one of the hotter weeks of the summer, so staying cool was a concern.

Campers are allowed to stay up to 3 nights. There is a fee of $3 a person per night that is paid at the park. (There is a $5 per person park entry fee that is collected at the ferry check in.) After the rest of the ferry passengers had unloaded, we got our gear off and set up our tent. The final day, the park service wants returning campers to have their gear on the dock when the ferry arrives. We think this is so newly arrived campers will know which camp sites are available. So, on the second day, we moved our gear camping gear to the dock. We moved our day gear to a convenient picnic table (with good shade) near the camp site - before the day trippers came to claim picnic tables.

Campers must bring in their own food in a hard-sided container. This is due to the rat problem. Insulated coolers seemed to be the container of choice. There were some containers available at the campsite, but, if you go, it would probably be best to bring your own. Campers must also provide their own water. Water is also supposed to be in a hard-sided container. Two gallons per person per day is recommended by the National Park Service, with a reserve of one days worth of water. We brought a five gallon container (plus an additional two gallons) for two days for two people. It, of course, pays to be safe, but we had plenty of water; we didn't finish the five gallon container, nor use either one of the two one gallon containers.

Stoves requiring flammable fuels are not allowed. The allowed fuel is matchlight charcoal for use in the grills at the camping sites. This fuel choice is due to the combined effect of ferry and park rules. Finally, all garbage must be packed out (appears to mean carrying it back to the ferry and disposing of it there, if possible).

At night, we discovered there really is a rat problem. We went for a walk at night and would see them scrambling from bush to bush. My personal favorite was a rat who ran onto the moat bridge; saw us there; suddenly, remembered he was suppose to be afraid of people, and then turned and scrambled back off the bridge. No doubt, he returned shortly after we left.

The rules encourage campers to be independent. For example, the second day, even though we had to use the bathrooms on the ferry, we weren't allowed to eat the wonderful buffet lunch. On the other hand, the toilet facilities actually improve after the day trippers leave, which is when the composting toilets by the campgrounds are re-opened. (They are closed again when the boats arrive the next day at 10:30 AMish.)

Particularly during the day, heat is a problem. Our campsite had morning shade, so during the afternoon of the first day, we put up some shade and rested for several hours. The visitor center is air conditioned; we visited several times to cool off.

The campsites are less than 100 feet from the south beach. We went snorkeling several times a day. The area around the islands is a protected marine park, which is probably why the snorkeling was so good. Just off the beach, there were fish just about everywhere. The south beach had bunches of smaller fish. Every time I'd go 15 feet or so and think I hadn't seeing any fish for a while, there would be some more. The second day, 20 to 30 feet off the beach, we were surrounded by a school of minnows. At the south beach, snorkeling was harder when the tide was low because the water is so shallow, making swimming near shore more difficult. The larger fish were toward the end of the south beach, close to the piers. At the smaller north beach, the larger fish were along the moat wall. Nicole saw a curious 4 foot barracuda there. We would recommend snorkeling both beaches.

We were glad we brought our own snorkeling gear on the ferry. The free gear from the ferry seemed serviceable, but quite old. Unlike places like Hawaii, it was hard to find rental snorkeling gear in the Keys.

Actually, you don't have to snorkel to see fish. Visitors can practice snorkel-less snorkeling by walking along the moat that surrounds the fort. During the day, we saw a small herd of parrot fish eating algae off the coral in the moat. We went part way around at night with flashlights and saw fish as well, although fewer than in the day time.

The ferry boats each conduct their own guided tours of Fort Jefferson. Beside being the largest of the 19th century American coastal forts, it had a few moments of prominence as a military prison during the Civil War. Additionally, it was the place of imprisonment for Dr. Samuel Mudd, the doctor who set John Wilkes Booth's leg after Booth assassinated Abraham Lincoln. The tour can be supplemented by watching the video and checking out the exhibits in the visitor center. The separate gift shop has limited hours, but is the place to get your Dry Tortugas T-shirt.

Based on our pre-trip research, we thought we would be on our own and very isolated. Not so much. Beside the possibility of park volunteers, the fort is the home base for the larger marine park. Park rangers are stationed there, including some who are trained to provide medical assistance. There was a pay satellite phone at the dock and a marine radio as well. (We don't know if they are in working order). In the case of a severe medical emergency, help is a long way away in Key West, but it was far from being an isolated, deserted island. That impression was also dispelled by the diesel generator that ran (quietly) all night.

Overall, it was a wonderful camping experience and we would highly recommend it to those who are visiting the south Florida Keys. The one proviso is that campers must feel comfortable knowing (and hearing) a number of rats scurrying around at night.

Note: From time to time, parts of the fort are closed due to work on the masonry walls. Call the receptionist at Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks for current status: 305-242-7700.

For more information:
Park service: http://www.nps.gov/drto/planyourvisit/upload/campingdrto.pdf
Sunny Days catamaran: www.sunnydayskeywest.com
Yankee Freedom ferry: www.fastcatferry.com