National Parks: Dry Tortugas

It is those perfect days that you find your mind drifting back to over and over again. Sometimes they sneak up on you, like the day you met the girl whose smile and laugh can wipe away any bad mood – and other times, these perfect days are the result of tons of research, multiple layers of planning, unplanned rescheduling, and pure good luck. Our visit to Dry Tortugas National Park on Father’s Day with my sons, dad, and brother was one such perfect day.

Located 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, to say that Dry Tortugas National Park is off the beaten path isn’t telling the half of it – there literally isn’t a path that leads here. Accessible only by ferry or seaplane, it takes effort to arrive at the Dry Tortugas – but wow are you rewarded!

Casting off early from the still-sleepy docks of Key West, our captain followed the midday waxing moon due west with the high-speed Yankee Freedom Ferry. The crew of the Yankee Freedom were amazing hosts, and filled us all with so much knowledge about what we will see and do, but there is only so much of that one can take before you want to experience it all on your own. When it felt as though we would all burst with anticipation, the first spec of something impossible feeling began to grow on the horizon.

Rising from the flat expanse of the sea, the mighty Fort Jefferson feels out of place…yet somehow it works splendidly. The fort, which is still the largest masonry structure on this side of the planet, was dreamed up in the mid 1800s as a way to defend the important shipping lanes coming from the Mississippi River Delta around the tip of Florida. Over 16 million bricks were brought in from as far away as Pennsylvania to create this dominant sentinel of the sea. It’s 45 foot tall walls guarded by massive 15-inch Rodman canons, consume nearly 80% of the small island it sits upon. It’s truly a sight that causes awe as you circle the island to dock for your day of exploration.

Once securely docked, the crew wastes no time getting you onto the island and equipped to explore the fort and sea beyond. Presented with the opportunity to take either path of adventure, many gathered together for an excellently led tour of the three story fortress on the other side of the moat, but my boys were all about getting their snorkel gear and heading out to the reef.

Having spent the past two decades of my life in Tampa, I’m familiar with beautifully clear waters and inviting white sands, but I was not prepared for the vibrant water teeming with life that surrounded the fort. With the blue skies above and bountiful rays of the summer sun, the visibility in these waters appeared endless. You’d find yourself floating along the moat wall and always being called further by the flashes of color and movement ahead. Schools of fish and other marine life darted about, seemingly unfazed by our visit to their domain. These waters make up 98% of the area of this National Park, and practically beg you to find new ways to explore them.

After heading back to the boat for lunch, we set out to explore the fort on our own. While outside of the walls you were caressed by gentle ocean breezes and cool waters, the inside was a different story. Once through the thick and imposing walls, it felt as though you were suddenly in another biome. The summer sun combined with the walls blocking the breeze quickly took away the notion that I had entertained that the soldiers stationed here enjoyed a cushy tropical deployment – air conditioning in Florida is a wonderful thing.

While the fort may not have had air conditioning, it’s many staircases, battlements, walls, and other features are still in excellent condition. In fact, one of the coolest (though possibly most unsafe) features of this structure is that the Parks Service wants to keep the fort looking like it did when first constructed, which means there are not any guard rails or fencing to protect those who aren’t watching where they are going.

These lack of protections extend all the way to the top of the battlements which abruptly end with a steep drop-off to the moat below – yet these battlements are where I spent most of my time when exploring the fort. There were few things better than sitting on the edge with your feet dangling off the side as you drink in the beauty of the turquoise sea with its endless reefs stretching to the horizon. I could imagine that if we had stayed and camped in the park, that perched on top of these walls would cause you to be swallowed up by the enormity of the star field expanse above – one day I plan on being back of this very reason.

After another refreshing trip back to the beach and it’s cool clear waters, we happily boarded the ferry to be whisked back to Key West. There were not only smiles on our faces, but the rest of the boat seemed to be humming with the exhausted satisfaction of the goodness of the day.

At the time of writing, it has been several months since we visited Dry Tortugas National Park, but there hasn’t been a day go by that I haven’t lovingly remembered it. Just thinking about it for a moment causes a smile to inch up in the corner of my mouth, and waves of gratitude wash over me that such a perfect day was experienced with my father, brother, and sons.

Dry Tortugas National Park might be one of the less visited National Parks due to it’s remoteness and difficulty reaching, but your visit to the Park will be one that will stay with you for all of your days.