Dry Tortugas National Park | CAMPING

Camping on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

Camping on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

GENERAL INFORMATION

The only campground at Dry Tortugas National Park is on Garden Key. All other keys open to the public are for day-use only. Campers arriving to the island on the Yankee Freedom Ferry are limited to three nights of camping. This is a ferry rule, not a National Park Service rule. Those arriving by private boat or private seaplane can camp up to 14 consecutive days, 30 days total in a year.

SEASONS AND HOURS

The Garden Key campground is open year-round.

NUMBER OF SITES

There are ten “official” campsites at Dry Tortugas National Park, and these are nestled in their own little corner of Garden Key, somewhat out of the way of the main traffic corridors. However, nobody will ever be turned away, so if the official sites fill up, you can pitch your tent in a designated overflow area (near the official campground). If that fills up, a park Ranger will help you find a place somewhere on the island. I was told that during Grouper season there are so many fishermen camping that the place looks like a refugee camp.

In addition to being out of the way of traffic, the other benefit of getting a site in the official campground is a cluster of shade trees. Some of the sites, not all, are actually nestled under the tangle of branches, like being in a cave of shade. These are the prime spots because it gets hot during the day, even in the winter, and there isn’t much shade elsewhere on the island. To get these sites you pretty much need to run off the ferry, get your equipment, and beat everyone to the campground…and hope somebody from the previous day has packed up and left. If you do end up in a site with no shade or in the overflow area, you can always move to a new site the next day if you see somebody leaving. Of course, everyone else in your situation is eyeing the same shaded sites.

For boaters who plan to camp on the island, the best time to arrive so that you have a good shot at one of the shaded campsites is before the ferry arrives at 10:30 AM with its daily load of new campers.

Campsite nestled under the branches of a few shade trees on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

Campsite nestled under the branches of a few shade trees on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

In reality, do you need to worry about not getting into the official campground and having to pitch your tent in the overflow area where dozens of day-trippers will be walking around? Not really, though it is certainly a possibility. Other than during the aforementioned fishing season, nearly everyone camping comes on the daily ferry, and the company limits the number of campers to ten people per day. That’s not ten groups to fill up ten sites, but ten total people—two groups of five will take up all of the ferry seats, yet only fill up two campsites. With this low number of campers arriving each day and others leaving, the number of sites occupied naturally hovers around the 10-site capacity. Of course private boaters could arrive and take up campsites, but most of them sleep on their boats.

Non-shaded campsite in the main campground on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park

Non-shaded campsite in the main campground on Garden Key, Dry Tortugas National Park

TYPE OF CAMPING

You must have a tent to camp at Garden Key. No sleeping on the ground like a homeless person. If you hope to get in the shaded areas, bring small tents. The large tents that you can stand up in won’t fit. The National Park Service’s claims that three 2-person tents can fit at each campsite, but that’s pushing it. Also, each site is limited to six people.

There is a Group Campground that holds between 10-40 people with an area large enough for 12-15 tents. Reservations are required. Call (305) 242-7700 or visit the National Park Service’s Camping web page for an email link and a link to the camping permit. If your group shows up without a reservation and the group site is already taken, your group must split up and camp in the regular campground. Since the Yankee Freedom Ferry only takes ten campers a day, large groups must have their own boats.

TERRAIN

Garden Key at Dry Tortugas National Park is completely flat and has very little shade. As mentioned, the main campground has a large group of shade trees, and some campsites are tucked away into little alcoves among the branches. A few sites are out in the open. All of the overflow sites are in the open. While it is not extremely hot on the island during the winter, it is typically in the 90s during the summer. Regardless of the time of year, if your tent is exposed to the sun, it’s going to get hot inside, and you need to make plans to be somewhere else during the day. You can board the ferry (11 AM to 3 PM) and sit in the air conditioned decks or find a cool spot inside Fort Jefferson. Swimming will also do the trick.

AMENITIES

Each “official” campsite has a grill and a picnic table. Grills and picnic tables are available in the overflow camping area as well, but they must be shared.

Overflow camping area on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

Overflow camping area on Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park

Camping on Garden Key is billed as “primitive,” but that’s not quite the case. In reality, camping hardships fall somewhere between car camping and backcountry camping because at 10 AM each day the Yankee Freedom Ferry arrives and remains docked until 3 PM. On board are flush toilets in an air conditioned environment, showers for rinsing off (not soaping up), and a snack bar that sells chips, soft drinks, water, candy, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. Ice is also sold, but not gallon jugs of water (you can buy individual bottles). The only thing you cannot buy is alcohol, and you don’t want to run out of that. If you have to choose between food and beer in your cooler, you can always buy food on the boat.

There are portable toilets at the campground for use after the Yankee Freedom ferry leaves at 3 PM each day.

The campground is not too far from the boat dock—a two-minute walk—but even so, there are wheelbarrows available for you to use for toting your gear to your campsite. I purposely packed only two gallons of water in a backpack and nuts and trail mix to eat because I didn’t want to lug a bunch of gear by myself to who-knows-where. Turns out the distance is a non-event. Pack everything you need, including a large cooler because it is no problem to get from the dock to the campground.

Wheelbarrows are available for campers to tote their gear from the ferry dock on Garden Key to the campsite, Dry Tortugas National Park

Wheelbarrows are available for campers to tote their gear from the ferry dock on Garden Key to the campsite, Dry Tortugas National Park

RESERVATIONS

No reservations are accepted for the campsites (except the group site), but if you are traveling on the Yankee Freedom Ferry, you need a reservation to get on board. While the ferry takes up to 150 passengers, it limits the number of campers to ten for each day. Thus, if you want to camp, especially during the winter tourist season, you need to make a reservation six months to a year in advance. I made a reservation one month in advance for myself only, and I got the last spot on the day I planned my visit, but that’s only because I was a single camper. I spoke to another guy who tried to get a reservation for four people a month in advance and could not (at least not on his originally requested dates). The larger your group, the harder it is going to be to get a reservation.

All campsites are taken on a first come, first serve basis, but since everyone will be accommodated, the only real concern is getting the spots under the shade trees.

FEES AND PAYMENTS

The Yankee Freedom Ferry charges an extra $20 for campers, but this is a fee or hauling your gear, not for camping. Once on the island you must pay for your site in cash or check. This means you probably won’t be getting any change back, so know the fees before leaving and bring the correct change. For the current camping and park entrance fees, check out the Dry Tortugas National Park Fees and Passes web page.

Before paying your camping fees you must first pick out a campsite. The official sites are numbered, and you need this number to register. Take your gear and place it at an empty site so nobody else claims it, then make your payment at the self-pay kiosk (you pass it on the way to the campground). Take a payment envelope and fill out the information, tear off the receipt, and place the envelope with your payment into the collection box. Hang the receipt on the side of your picnic table (there is a clip). I am not sure what to do in the overflow area, so ask a Ranger.

If you have your own boat and either do not want to or cannot sleep on it, you can use the campground. Boats must anchor offshore, but you can use the boat slips for up to two hours to unload your gear. Boats and dinghies require a free permit that you get at Garden Key, so find a Ranger and take care of this while unloading. If you haven’t paid your entrance fee, you can do that at the same place where you pay the campsite fee. Again, cash or check only.

CAMPGROUND RULES

• Do not attach anything to the trees.

• No campfires. Only gas stoves or self-lighting charcoal in the grills for fire. No flammable liquids are allowed on the ferry, so you must rely on charcoal

• Limit of three tents and six campers per site.

• All tents must be within ten feet of the picnic table at the campsite.

• Check out time is 10 AM. If using the ferry, gear must be on the dock by 10:30 AM.

• Quiet hours are from 10 PM to 6 AM.

TIPS

Those traveling on the ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park must check in at 6:00 AM at the Yankee Freedom office, which is located at the end of a dead end street. Though parking is done at a city garage across the street, you can pull up in front of the office, park your car at the curb temporarily, and unload your gear. Take everything directly to the boat where it will be tagged and stored. There are wheelbarrows for you to use. Be sure to remove items that you personally want to carry on the 2.5-hour ride to the islands. Each person can bring 60 pounds of gear. All bags are subject to search, so do not lock them. For a complete list of rules for traveling on the ferry as a camper, download the Yankee Freedom Camping Information PDF.

When you have everything checked in, park your vehicle in the city parking garage. There is a daily fee, but remember, Day Two starts at 6:30 AM the next day and you won’t be back until 6 PM the next evening. Thus, you always have one more day of parking fees than nights spent camping. Pay in advance and place the receipt on the dashboard of your car.

If you have ever fantasized about being stranded on a deserted island, this is your chance. For those camping multiple days, at the end of your trip the fantasy will either be further enhanced or put out of your mind for good. When deciding how long to camp, you must thoroughly understand the meaning of being stuck on a small island with limited shade for 24 hours a day. This is a beach vacation that you cannot escape from. You can’t go to the beach for a few hours and then retire back to the hotel, maybe grab a bite to eat at a nice restaurant, and then hit the nightclubs that evening. Thus, you had better like the beach. If you enjoy fishing or kayaking, these activities add diversity to the day (for an extra fee, the ferry can take up to three kayaks per trip). Personally, one night of camping was enough for me, as I am not a big fan of the beach. On the other hand, with a fishing pole and a supply of beer my brother would never want to leave.

Alcohol is allowed, but keep it at your site during the day when day-trippers are on the island. Once everyone has left you are free to stumble drunk around the island, beer can in hand. It may be an old wives tale, but I heard there is a jail in the fort for those who get too rowdy. Rangers live on the island, and they can arrest you.

There is a guided tour of Fort Jefferson at 11 AM, about a half hour after the ferry arrives. You will probably miss this if you are camping due to having to set up your campsite. You can always catch the tour the next morning.

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Last updated on August 8, 2024
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