http://www.cleverscampcamp.com/camping-dry-tortugas-key-west/
I am traveling to the Key West/Dry Tortugas. How should I plan my trip? What is the camping like there?
We are planning to visit and camp at Dry Tortugas National Park for a night since I heard it was beautiful and we are really into back-country/primitive camping.
How much does it cost to take the ferry there? Should I plan ahead and book or is it easy to book once I am in Key West? Does the camping often fill up? Is it better to go mid week or weekend?
Also, if you have some info on fun places to stay or cool places to visit in the Florida Keys it would be appreciated! We are very outdoorsy people who love the sunshine and nature and are renting a car from Miami and driving down during March.
Generally you don’t need to book the ferry to the Dry Tortugas in advance. Just check it out when you get here. Since you are visiting in March, I don’t think it will matter a great deal if you choose the weekend or during the week, since March is a busy time here – height of the tourist season and also spring break time for some people. The weekend may be a little busier, but in reality how busy it gets in Key West depends on how many cruise ships are in port, not so much on the day of the week. We are getting more cruise ships than usual this year.
As you drive down from Miami you’ll see lots of interesting things along the way. If you like nature and the outdoors I’d suggest that you stop in the Homestead/Florida City area and visit Everglades National Park. It would take a day for sure to do that well. You can camp at Flamingo, and it is primitive camping – no electricity, water hook-up, etc. We were there on the weekend, and it looked like there was plenty of space. The park itself offers several walking and hiking trails, and access to a couple of lakes for boating, canoeing, kayaking. You might be interested in the Alligator Farm in the Homestead area, where you can also take an airboat ride. The farm visit, including the boat ride, costs about $22 per person, and is well worth it. To see all their demonstrations and to do the ride would take about half a day.
Parking can be a problem in Key West, so rent the smallest car you can manage with. Driving can be hazardous here because there are so many tourists driving rented golf carts and riding rented bicycles and of course, they don’t know the town, so they often are uncertain about where they are going. And they are on vacation, and are probably a little more relaxed than when at home. And the streets in Old Town are narrow.
When you get here, if you want to find out what you might like to do, take a tour on the Old Town Trolley the first day you are here. Take the trolley, not the train, as the trolley is a much better deal. The tour lasts for an hour and a half, and is fully narrated. You’ll learn a lot about our island, and may get some ideas about other things to do.
One thing I would recommend is the star gazing evening on the schooner the Western Union. You’ll find it at the waterfront. Ask any of the trolley company employees at Mallory Square and they will direct you to it. The evening is conducted by an astronomer and is quite interesting.
Enjoy your visit here.
Dry Tortugas tour (1 of 4)