Dry Tortugas National Park
Dry Tortugas National Park:
see under Dry TortugasDry Tortugas, island group in the Gulf of Mexico, off S Fla., 60 mi (97 km) W of Key West. Named by the Spanish explorer Ponce de León in 1513, the islands later became a pirate base. They are famous for their bird and marine life. Loggerhead Key is the largest island.
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Dry Tortugas National Park
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.
See other parks in Florida.