Dry Tortugas National Park

Parks Directory of the United States / US National Parks / National Parks

Address:PO Box 6208
Key West, FL 33041
Phone:305-242-7700
Fax:305-242-7711
Web: www.nps.gov/drto/
Size: 64,701 acres.
Established: Proclaimed on January 4, 1935. Name changed from Fort Jefferson National Monument on October 26, 1992.
Location:70 miles west of Key West, Florida. Accessible only by boat or seaplane.
Facilities:Campground (é), picnic area, rest rooms (é), visitor center, museum/exhibit, self-guided tour/trail.
Activities:Camping, swimming, boating, fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, bird-watching, interpretive programs.
Special Features:Park is a cluster of seven small keys, with less than 40 acres of dry land. Fort Jefferson on Garden Key is the largest all-masonry fortification in the Western world, built in 1846-1866 to help control the Florida Straits. It served as a federal military prison during and after the Civil War. Bush Key is also home to some 100,000 sooty terns between March and September for their nesting season.

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References in periodicals archive

AMENDMENT/ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT: DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK 11

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING: OVERCROWDING AT AMERICA'S NATIONAL PARKS

Working with the National Park Service at Dry Tortugas National Park provided the inaugural Dry Tortugas National Park @ Loggerhead Key Artist-in-Residence program.

Dry Tortugas Artists-in-Residence Public Presentations in Key West October 1 and 4

Adventure in Dry Tortugas National Park and the Florida Keys.

U.S. and Canada: 2004 winter trips

As the routes are arranged in the book by their geographical location rather than thematically - from the top of the Keys near Miami to Dry Tortugas National Park - the icon system makes searching the book for a suitable trip quick and easy.

REVIEW: Kayaking the Keys

In addition to the 150 square mile Tortugas Reserve, which is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the Department of Interior plans to close nearly half the adjoining 100 square mile Dry Tortugas National Park to all "consumptive" activities.

Zoned to Extinction

It entered service in the spring, making 135 mile round trips between Key West and Dry Tortugas National Park in the Gulf of Mexico.

New Catamaran Serves Dry Tortugas National Park

THE BIRDS ARE THE FIRST THING MANY VISITORS NOTICE when they arrive at Dry Tortugas National Park. Clouds of sleek brown noddies wheel and screech between the keys, massive brown pelicans plunge into the shallow water after fish, and magnificent frigatebirds, prehistoric and alien with their enormous wings and long forked tails, drift ominously overhead.

Seabirds' Secrets: What can tracking sooty terns reveal about the threats seabirds face and the health of the ocean?

FWC partnered with the National Park Service in doing so, rendering nearly half of the entire Dry Tortugas National Park a no-fishing zone.

A promise broken: a pledge to Florida's anglers to stop no fishing zones was sidestepped by our fishery officials--will they do it again?

On October 25, 1992, Congress named the site Dry Tortugas National Park. This was to be its final reincarnation.

Oasis in the Gulf: Dry Tortugas National Park offers visitors a glimpse into America's past and the chance to explore an underwater wonderland

catamaran fast excursion vessel that will be used for tours to Dry Tortugas National Park. The vessel, which has a top speed over 27 knots, entered service in late spring, making 136 mile round trips between Key West and the park.

New Cat serves Dry Tortugas