Dry Tortugas Map (click to enlarge)

For those unfamiliar with the term “key,” it is another word for an island that was formed from the remnants of a coral reef (such islands are also called “cays”). The most famous keys in the United States—maybe the only keys in the country for all I know—are the Florida Keys, a string of barrier islands that stretch from Biscayne National Park near Miami all the way to Dry Tortugas National Park. The last key that can be visited by car is Key West. The keys of Dry Tortugas lie another 70 miles to the west and can only be reached by boat or seaplane.

Dry Tortugas National Park covers a little over 100 square miles, and all of it is water except for seven small islands, some no bigger than a few acres. The most visited is Garden Key, for this is the only island with amenities for tourists, plus it is where the Yankee Freedom Ferry arrives every day with up to 150 passengers. You must have your own boat or a kayak to visit any of the other keys.

Located next to Garden Key is Bush Key. A narrow sandbar sometimes connects the two together making it appear as if they are one, big island. Even when connected, the two are treated as separate keys, and you may find “Island Closed” signs marking the border of the two. Bush Key is closed from February through September due to bird nesting season. From time to time, large storms destroy the sandbar and blow a channel between the two keys, separating them once again.