Tag: national parks travel

An Action-Packed Three Day Itinerary in the Rocky Mountains

Post author By Hannah

Rocky Mountain National Park is nestled in northern Colorado, just an hour and a half outside of Denver. With miles of scenic drives, countless alpine lakes, and mountains galore, you’re practically guaranteed gorgeous views and unforgettable days. With so much to see, an action-packed itinerary is all but guaranteed! Make sure you pack your sturdiest hiking boots and your favorite trail snacks because there’s so much adventuring to be done.

How much time do you need to explore? Depends on how much time you have! Since the park is relatively short drive from Denver, it’s totally possible to make a day-trip out of it. That being said, if you’re coming from out of town to really explore the park, we recommend at least three days. This will allow you to tackle a couple big hikes and traverse the different regions of the park.

Fast Facts About Rocky Mountain National Park

Size: 265,807 acres

Visitors: 4,434,848 visitors annually (data from 2021)

Highest Elevation: 14,259 feet at Long’s Peek

Camping: there are five campgrounds in the park, which welcomed 110,586 tent campers and 55,326 RV campers in 2022

Hiking: 355 miles of trails in the park

National Park Initiation: Established in 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson

Rocky Mountain is huge and does have a truly beautiful range of landscapes, so three days gives you enough time to explore all the different areas of the park and really appreciate the topography. Regardless of the time of year you visit, you are sure to be blown away and humbled by the magnitude of mother nature in this charming pocket of Colorado.

Getting into the Park: Timed Entry Permits

what is it?

From May 26th through October 22nd Rocky Mountain operates with a timed entry system, to better regulate visitors to the park. The purpose of the timed entry program, is not to limit the overall quantity of visitors into the park, but rather to help spread out everyone’s arrival throughout the day. Systems like this are in place at a handful of different parks to help diffuse traffic and crowding in high season. If you are visiting outside these dates, you won’t have to worry about any entry permits!

Rocky Mountain’s timed entry system has two options: either ‘Park Access’ or ‘Park Access +’. Bear Lake Road hosts a handful of rather popular hikes that increase the traffic to this area. If you are interested in visiting the Bear Lake Corridor, you will need to secure a Park Access Plus reservation, which will grant you access to everywhere in the park. If you’re not terribly keen on the hikes off Bear Lake road, the Park Access reservation will get you anywhere in the park, besides the Bear Lake Corridor.

The ‘Park Access’ permit is required for those arriving between 9am and 2pm. The ‘Park Access +’ pass is required for visitors accessing the park areas after 5am and before 6pm. If you plan to arrive outside of these hours, you will not need to worry about snagging an entry permit.

It’s worth noting, if you’re planning a multi-day trip to Rocky Mountain, you will need a Timed Entry ticket for every day you plan to be there.

how do i get it?

Both the Park Access and Park Access+ Timed Entry Permits are released on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can reserve your timed entry passes online here. The reservations become available according to the following schedule:

Planning a last minute trip and not seeing much available for entry times? Don’t fret! The parks system retains 40% of the available Park Access and Park Access+ timed entry permits to be released first-come, first-serve starting at 5 p.m. the night prior. For example, if I’m hoping to visit the park on June 5th, the remainder of the passes become available on June 4th at 5pm.

Camping

Rocky Mountain has five different campgrounds dispersed throughout the park, and they are POPULAR! There’s an online reservation system in place to help facilitate campsite booking, which is pretty user-friendly. Campsites open up 6 months in advance, and they go fast— especially for holiday weekends throughout the summer.

To help the last-minute-camper, they do a limited release for a handful of campsites, so there’s still hope you might be able to snag a campsite 2 weeks or 1 week out. We’ve also used the app Campflare before to help snag campsites people cancel. You set the campground, campsite type, and dates, and it will notify you immediately if something becomes available. Awesome resource!

Glacier Basin

Glacier Basin campground opens in late May and stays open until mid-September. If you’re planning to do lots of exploring and hiking in the Bear Lake area of the park, this campground will have you perfectly situated for all of your alpine lake and waterfall adventures. You can scope out availability as well as more information here.

Longs Peak

This campground has limited availability for use due to its higher elevation and increased snowfall. It typically opens mid-summer and closes in early fall (dates vary here more than the other campgrounds). You can check here to see if the campground is open yet. It’s worth noting, this is the only first come, first serve campground in the park (i.e. will not be available for online reservation).

If you’re keen to stay near the Long’s Peak trailhead but find the campground still closed, there’s other options! While staying in Estes Park wouldn’t be too lengthy of a drive, the Dao House is only 7 minutes away form the trailhead. This is super convenient if you’re looking to streamline an early morning hike. We stayed at the hostel-part of their lodge, in lieu of camping, but they have “normal” hotel rooms and cabins available as well. We really enjoyed it!

Moraine Park

The Moraine Park Campground is the only campground you’ll find open year-round. That’s right, if you feel like riskin’ it for the biscuit during the winter season, you’ll be able to bunk down in Moraine Park. You can find more information as well as availability here.

Timber Creek

Timber Creek Campground is the only campground on the west side of the park. It’s perfectly situated between the Alpine Visitor Center and Grand Lake, making it a nice spot to base out of for all your west-side exploring. Timber Creek opens in late May and closes up shop in late September. You can check out availability here.

Aspenglen

Just past the Fall River entrance to the park, the Aspenglen Campground opens in late May and hosts eager campers until late September. As you might imagine, this spot provides easy assess to the Fall River area trails. This campsite has the convenience of being close to Estes Park, on the more-popular east side of the park, while being a bit smaller and more secluded than Moraine Park and Glacier Basin. You can find campsite information and availability here.

We tent-camped on site A in the A Loop and loved the little slice of peace and calm (with amazing bathrooms nearby). Definitely recommend!

just so ya know

If you have a camping reservation for Aspenglen, Glacier Basin, or Timber Creek Campgrounds, you do not need an additional timed entry permit to enter the park. A timed entry permit is included with your campground reservation— you will be permitted in the park beginning at 1pm. The Aspenglen and Glacier Basin campgrounds will provide ‘Park Access+’, while those staying at Timber Creek Campground will have ‘Park Access’ (see map above for access location differentiation). If you plan to arrive any earlier than that, you would need to snag a separate, additional entry pass.

If you’re more keen to explore the backcountry, all of those wilderness permit reservations can also be made on recreation.gov here.

Pack Your Sack

An all inclusive packing list is difficult to detail at length as it truly depends on the time of year you’re visiting— as well as what trails you plan to hike. For example when we visited in late May, some trails were dry while others were rather muddy and others yet still had a couple feet of snow. Regardless, there’s a few staples that are nice to have:

A light jacket

Whether it’s cool at the summit or you’re just keen to ensure you stay warm on your snack/view break, you won’t regret bringing a little jacket along.

Trekking pole(s)

I didn’t used to feel like I needed these, but they can be SO CLUTCH when you’re tackling some serious elevation. I personally am more of a one pole gal, but pack whatever you need!

Merino Wool Socks

Merino wool will keep your feet warm when you need it to, but there’s so much more to it than warmth! They are generally a more supportive material to have hugging your foot for hours on end, and if you do find yourself with wet feet, merino wool will still keep you warm, even if you get it wet.

Layers

This is less specific, but generally speaking it’s nice to have a tank top + short sleeve + long sleeve + jacket outfit as opposed to just wearing one thicker shirt or jacket, just because temperatures can fluctuate throughout the hike. It’s nice to be able to adjust accordingly!

Hiking Boots

You’ll see plenty of people risking it all in their trainers, but we really recommend packing your hiking boots or at the very least trail running shoes to ensure you’re properly equipped.

Yak Trax

Even in the summer?! You’d be surprised! The Long’s Peak trailhead is up at over 9,000 feet of elevation, so the snow there will last well into June. The extra grip is a savior when you’re tromping through the snow!

Water Bottle

Water is a must! Get a bladder for your daypack or fill your reusable bottle up to the bring. It’s always better to be carrying a little extra water in your pack than it is to find yourself parched out on the trail. While you’re at it, maybe throw in a Gatorade too!

Snacks

We made multiple-times-a-day trips to the Safeway in Estes Park, so you don’t necessarily need to bring a full meal into the park, but you should definitely plan to bring some snacks along with you on the trail! Everyone’s summit snack of choice is different. We love a little trail mix and protein bar to power us back up, but there’s nothing like a pack of Gushers to reward yourself for a job well done.

Estes Park

Estes Park is the city just outside the east entrances to the national park. It is beyond convenient to have a bustling town nearby. It makes meals and hydration easier to stay on top of— plus there’s plenty of shops nearby if you happen to forget anything. Our only word of warning would be that it can get busy around there… like drive-around-for-30-minutes-trying-to-find-parking busy. There’s some awesome local breweries and restaurants tucked in there, but the local Safeway also makes for a close and easy spot if you’re hungry and need food NOW.

Day 1

The first day in the park can be a lot if you’re arriving from lower elevation. Everyone adapts to the changes in elevation differently, but regardless, it’s never a bad idea to make sure you’re drinking lots of water and paying attention to any symptoms you might be feeling.

The name of the game today is alpine lakes! First stop? Park at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead to hike out to see Alberta Falls & Mills Lake. The falls are just before you hit 1 mile, so it’s a nice way to enjoy beautiful views along the way.

Distance: 5.5 miles round trip

Elevation: 825 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Up next? The Bear Lake Loop! This short loop makes for a nice easy jaunt with a beautiful view. The ease of the hike makes it popular for visitors of all ages. If you’re feeling a bit nervous about being active at elevation, you could always starts with this nice warm-up before embarking on the Mills Lake loop.

Distance: 0.5 miles round trip

Elevation: 40 feet

Difficulty: easy

You can choose or or you can go see them all! The trail to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake splits off right from the Bear Lake Loop trail, so this makes for an easy add on, if you still feel like you have some hiking left. The milage and elevation progressively increase the farther you go, with Emerald Lake being the farthest down the trail. Beautiful lakes— plus you get to pull away from the crowds on the Bear Lake Loop.

Distance: 1, 2.2, 3.6 miles round trip

Elevation: 225, 425, 605 feet

Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Day 2

Now that you’ve got your feet under you, get ready for an early wake up that will take you for an amazing ride. Parking at the Long’s Peaks trailhead, get ready to tackle the beautiful hike to Chasm Lake. We visited in late May (over memorial day weekend), and we were rathered humbled by the snow still on the trail. Even being prepared with trekking poles and yak trax, the snow just inherently makes things a bit slower going. Even at a slow pace, it was an amazing hike with waterfalls, sweeping vistas, and amazing alpine views.

Picture below is the junction overlooking Peacock Pond, just under a mile out from Chasm Lake. The combination of thick snow and sheer ledge in the remaining portion of the hike had us hesitant to finish the last leg, but it would be such a no brainer in late summer or early fall.

Distance: 8 miles round trip

Elevation: 2,550 feet

Difficulty: hard

If you’re feeling a little tuckered out after a longer hike, the game plan for the rest of the day is far more relaxing. Trail Ridge Road connects the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park to the west, with breathtaking sweeping views and a staggering elevation of over 12,000 feet. If you feel like you still have a little something left in the tank, you can tackle the short (0.6 miles) Alpine Ridge Hike at the Alpine Visitor Center. If you make it all the way to the end of the road, you can also explore Grand Lake!

Day 3

How frisky are you feeling today? A real choose-your-own-adventure situation awaits. If you’re a big time hiker and can crush big hike days back to back, the Sky Pond hike is a must-do. You’ll want to start early, parking at either the Bear Lake or Glacier Gorge Trailhead and get on your way. This is actually more than a hike as there’s a bit of scrambling required towards the end.

Distance: 8.5 miles round trip (from the Glacier Gorge Trailhead)

Elevation: 1,700 feet

Difficulty: Hard

If your legs aren’t quite up for another long hike, but still want to saunter around, the Beaver Mountain Loop will be perfect. This hike explores and overlooks the Fall River area of the park. There’s a couple lookout points that take small detours from the trail and are so worth popping off for. Beautiful vistas from a new vantage point!

Distance: 4.2 miles round trip

Elevation: 850 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

The Sprague Lake Loop really is a hike for anyone with its handicap accessibility and gorgeous sweeping views. Even if your legs are feeling a bit tuckered out from a morning adventure, this easy and relaxing hike is largely paved making it the perfect spot for an evening walk.

Distance: 1 miles round trip

Elevation: 40 feet

Difficulty: easy

Rocky Mountain National Park is an amazing destination for anyone looking to spend some time immersed in nature. It has the unique ability to enthrall the casual visitor, while providing all the thrill adventure-seekers may be looking for. We hope you have an amazing time exploring this gem. Happy travels!

written by Hannah

Hannah has learned the hard way to be careful what you wish for— sometimes happily ever after lands you with a husband and puppy… in the Midwest. Despite leaving Florida to move to Wisconsin, Hannah maintains her bossy big sister role with regular phone calls to keep up with all the little sister shenanigans. Notoriously chatty with her patients as well, Hannah stays busy as a physical therapist, but loves spending weekends exploring newfound hikes.

Tags Colorado National Parks, national parks travel, Rocky Mountain National Park, US National Parks

travel

Everything You Need to Know About the Remote Dry Tortugas

Post author By Hannah

Out in the Gulf of Mexico, with nothing in sight for miles, sits Dry Tortugas National Park. This sparkling 100-square mile park is predominantly open water, with seven small islands included in the protected ecosystem. Boasting amazing snorkeling, unique birdwatching, and a little slice of history, this isolated park is worth the effort! Having been a couple times, we can fill you in on everything you need to know about the remote Dry Tortugas National Park.

Dry Tortugas National Park was one of the first national parks we visited, and we went in a most unusual fashion! Growing up in Florida afforded us the opportunity to learn all kinds of water sports, and sailing was one such sport! Every summer the organization we sailed with would plan a sailing trip from our hometown in Fort Myers down to the Dry Tortugas, and we would spend a week down there before heading back.

The natural beauty here really is amazingly untouched. When we went down, we would live on the sailboat for the duration of our adventure— an adventure girl’s overwater bungalow if you will. It was amazing to peer down into the crystal clear water and see nurse sharks, massive goliath grouper, barracuda, and all kinds of fish just swimming by… every single day. Not only is the water clear, but it’s the most beautiful shade of blue. It’s so peaceful to stare off into the horizon and not be able to distinguish where the sky ends and the water begins.

Fast Facts About Dry Tortugas National Park

Size: 100 square miles

Visitors: 83,817 visitors annually (data from 2021)

Distance from Key West: 68 miles

National Park Initiation: became Fort Jefferson National Monument in January 1935 and graduated to Dry Tortugas National Park on October 26th, 1992

All About Location

Where is this secluded park hiding?? About 70 miles west of Key West you’ll find Garden Key which houses the park headquarters, a visitor center, and a campground… plus some great snorkeling areas! Below we have detailed everything you need to know about getting to the park, things to do once you’re there, and everything that makes this coastal national park unique.

Fort Jefferson

A military fort? On an island in the middle of the Gulf? Yup, you read that right… or at least it was for a while. Fort Jefferson stands as a tremendous but unfinished fortress, making it the largest brick masonry configuration in America, with over 16 million bricks utilized to bring it to life.

Originally scouted as a potential lookout site to suppress piracy in the Caribbean, the fort is located along a busy ship traffic route, so the port served as a harbor for United States ships needing to resupply, refit, or seek refuge during a storm. While the fort was never finished (under construction from 1846-1875) or fully armed, it served as a symbol of protection, for at the time, was a young nation.

The fort was briefly used as a prison for Union deserters during its construction— most notably housing Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician accused of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth (he was eventually pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1869).

Dry Tortugas National Park was established in October 1992 to protect the islands and underwater ecosystems of the Dry Tortugas, to preserve both Fort Jefferson as well as submerged cultural resources nearby (i.e. shipwrecks), and to allow for public access in an organized manner.

Things to pack

Reef safe sunscreen — don’t just pack any old sunscreen… if you plan on doing any snorkeling, be sure to pack a reef safe sunscreen (our favorite reef safe face sunscreens). It’s sometimes a little strange to think of a coral reef as a compilation of living, growing organisms, but the chemicals in some screens can be damaging to the reef systems.
Hat — man oh man can the sun get hot out there, and the sun is strong!! You will never regret packing a sun hat or a baseball cap to protect your head and give you a little extra shade
Water bottle — while water may be provided to you, it’s never a bad idea to bring a water bottle along for the ride. Florida is known for its year-round warm temperatures and its position close to the equator means you might have to be a little more intentional about hydration than you’re used to… even in November!
Change of clothes — not necessary for everyone, but if you’re visiting in the summer you might get a little sweaty and salty after wandering around and snorkeling. Sometimes it’s nice to have a clean, dry outfit to change into for your journey home!

the shady spots are few and far between!!

How to Get There

With the park being accessible exclusively by boat or seaplane, you have to put in a bit of planning to get to Dry Tortugas National Park. With the nearest drive-able location being Key West (check out our Key West blog post here), you’ll get to enjoy the south Florida archipelago before embarking upon the sparkling blues of the national park. Each option has its pros and cons, and the size of the group you’re going with as well as the direction of your overall interests (day trip, camping, etc) will largely dictate what will be best for you.

Option #1: The Yankee Freedom from Key West

The Day Trip Scoop

The best part about a remote part is that you are privy to a two-for-one experience. Not only is this a means of transportation but the ferry ride also takes you on a gorgeous ride through the Gulf of Mexico. Holding 250 people, the ferry isn’t a ‘small group’ experience, but it’s nowhere near as hectic as a cruise ship at port. It’s nice to have a large boat to wander around while you’re cruising. She gets up to a top speed of 30 knots!

Everyone on board receives a complimentary breakfast and lunch, so it’s nice to not have to worry about packing a lunch before your 7am check-in time. The good times keep rolling once you arrive. The cost of the tour includes your admission into the park as well as a fully narrated 45 minute tour of Fort Jefferson. Also super convenient, snorkeling equipment is provided… one less thing to pack is always music to my ears!

Timeline for the day:

Snorkel gear is available to Yankee Freedom sailors upon arrival at Ft Jefferson, and I cannot recommend highly enough how much you MUST give this a try during your day of exploration. Since the Dry Tortugas are protected waters, the marine life is amazing. We’re talking swimming with the biggest lobster you’ve ever seen, colorful coral arrays, and hundreds of curious fishes.

The ferry allows for 5 hours of exploration around the fort and snorkeling. Which is more than enough to get the essence of the Dry Tortugas. The fort sits on a small, 14 acre island, so there is only so much overground exploration to be had on the island itself. If you consider yourself a casual to moderate purveyor of U.S. national parks, this will likely be more than enough time to make you feel you can robustly check Dry Tortugas off your park bucket list.

One Day Isn’t Enough!

For those potentially looking to do a bit more kayaking or camping, the ferry is still an awesome option for you (likely your best option), but you’re going to need to make your plans in advance. The Yankee Freedom transports no more than 10 campers per day to Ft. Jefferson (for a max stay of 3 nights). Interested parties must decide in advance how long they plan to stay, to ensure both their outbound and inbound trips are scheduled. Even more exclusive, no more than three kayaks or small canoes may be transported on any trip, so these spots go fast…. like booking 6 months in advance still might not get you a kayak spot.

If you plan to go camping via the Yankee Freedom, you don’t necessarily have to pack light, but it won’t be a free-for-all. Each camper must be able to contain their gear, food, water, and ice into one storage bin (max capacity 27 gallons), one bag (a < 75L backpack or duffel) and one cooler per person. The combined weight of the storage bin and bag cannot exceed 60 pounds. There is no weight limit for water and ice, but campers must be able to carry and lift their own coolers. It goes without saying, but you must supply your own containers. You can get the full scoop on Yankee Freedom camping information here.

Camping Notes

A packing note: per US Coast guard regulation, no compressed gas (i.e. propane bottles) or liquid fuel are allowed, so you must use self-starting charcoal or Sterno gel if you want to get a flame going. Per Yankee Freedom safety guidelines, no weapons are allowed on board, so any knife blades cannot be more than 2.4 in. length or .5 in. width.

An important cash-money note: for those just visiting for the day, you do NOT need to bring cash for your admission to the park as this is included in the cost of your ferry ticket. However, for those camping, you DO need to bring cash to pay for your campsite ($15 or $30/night) — this goes to the NPS and is not included in your ferry transportation costs as everyone’s length of stay is different.

The primitive campground is just a short walk form the public dock, and it offers 8 individual campsites. Reservations are not required, as campsites are available on a first come, first serve basis. If there happens to be more campers than campsites, there is an overflow camping area. Once a camper arrives, they will be guaranteed a place to camp. If you have any other questions about camping, check out the NPS page here.

the Price is Right

This is the current pricing for adults (age 17-61), but they do offer various discounts for students, seniors, military personnel, and those that already have an annual parks pass. You can see the full rates list here.

$200 pp
$220 pp for campers
$240 pp for camping with kayak (the extra fee includes transportation of a kayak, not the provision of a kayak)

Option #2: Key West Seaplane Adventures

The two-for-one special with a zippy flight to Fort Jefferson is that you get to enjoy a flight-seeing, birds eye view of the park as you make your way there… and then you further get to explore all that Garden Key has to offer! The perk of flying is that it cuts your transportation time in thirds, only taking 40 minutes each way.

If you hear seaplane transportation calling your name, you have a couple options: visiting either a half-day or a full day. Half day options will have either a morning or afternoon departure, while full day excursions only leave in the morning.

The cost of your admission into the park is NOT included in your seaplane adventure experience, so be sure to either pack cash or your national parks annual pass card.

What to know

Besides getting you to Fort Jefferson, with arguably the best view, they also provide bottled water and soft drinks to quench your thirst as well as snorkel gear to help facilitate your island exploration (you are certainly allowed to bring your own snorkel gear if you so chose). For adventurers embarking on a full-day tour they do not provide lunch, but they will have coolers to ensure any lunch you pack will still be tasty by meal time. Be sure to arrive with enough sustenance packed to last through your trip duration.

They cannot and will not carry dive tanks, weights, knives, underwater scooters, flammable liquids, gas stoves, large coolers (or styrofoam coolers), pets of any kind, beach chairs, shade umbrellas, or drones. So be sure to leave all these items behind! Besides, who needs a drone when you’ll be the one up in the sky getting a bird’s eye view?!

The Key West Seaplane Adventures contract with the NPS is only for half day or full-day round trip tours. As such they cannot leave passengers on the island overnight and are not a viable option for adventurers looking to go camping.

Option #3: Private Charter

A private charter is the perfect option for someone that’s looking to do a little bit more and get there according to your own schedule. The 12-hour day trip gives you a full day to explore, meaning you can go fishing, see the fort, hit up a couple snorkeling spots, and still make it back by the end of the day. While there’s a few options to choose from, Good Times Key West and Hillbilly Hookers are both well rated, with similar price points. This option is going to be the spendiest, but it will also provide the most flexibility to create your perfect itinerary.

Things to Do

Self Guided Tour

While there’s no ranger-led tours of the fort, they do have a nice self-guided tour of Fort Jefferson available. It’s super easy to follow the signage, and you can always inquire at the visitor center if there’s anything additional you’re curious about.

Snorkeling

Over 99% of Dry Tortugas National Park is under water, which means you’ve gotta get that snorkel mask on to really appreciate its beauty. The park sits at the southwestern corner of the Florida Keys reef, and the snorkeling here is exactly as amazing as you would expect in an area of protected waters. It’s illegal to spear-fish, lobster, and collect coral or shells within the park, so the marine wildlife are thriving.

The secluded nature of the park, in conjunction with an easterly flowing gulf current means there’s not only a greater plethora of the varied marine life, but the animals themselves tend to be bigger than their counterparts elsewhere in the keys. Even though it’s been years since we’ve been, I recall seeing the largest lobster, just living his life unbothered. It’s beyond special to experience nature in such a personal way.

Visit Loggerhead Lighthouse

Loggerhead Key is about three miles west of Garden Key, and is home to a quaint lighthouse as well as some excellent snorkeling. Day trip adventurers arriving by boat or seaplane are unlikely to have time to visit this dive site, but it is totally doable for those planning to camp (and bring a kayak) or any group planning on a private charter.

The lighthouse has been standing since the mid-1800’s and is certainly fun to go seek out, but the crown jewel of Loggerhead key is the Windjammer wreck. This popular snorkel and dive spot found its resting place on the ocean floor in 1901 and has been integrating itself ito the coastal ecosystem ever since. Before you start paddling out to the wreck, be sure to grab a laminated underwater map from the visitor center to help guide your explorations!

Bird-Watching

Dry Tortugas National Park is a renowned birding destination— especially during the spring migration season. Almost 300 hundred different species of birds have been spotted down in the Dry Tortugas… with the elusive magnificent frigate bird and sooty tern nesting exclusively in the park… you won’t find them nesting anywhere else in the continental United States! Bird watching can be a pretty niched hobby, but park visitors of all interests are likely to be delighted by these little feathered national treasures.

Fishing

The abundant marine life in the Dry Tortugas makes for some gooood fishing. That being said, you have to make sure you’ve crossed your t’s and dotting your i’s before you start casting.

As mentioned above, spearfishing and lobstering are not allowed in the park, so leave your best spears at home. Fishing in the Natural Resource Area is also prohibited. You will want to ensure you have a Florida saltwater fishing license and some “circle” hook (“j” hooks are not permitted). Be sure to pack any gear you might need before you head out, because there is, unsurprisingly, not a bait and tackle shop on Garden Key.

If you still need clarification, you can check out the current rules and regulations here. Sometimes you gotta know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em… or in this case when to release them back. You can find more catch and release information can be found on the here.

This tends to be an awesome area to catch some tasty snapper and grouper! Best of luck fishing… here’s to hoping the biggest fish you see isn’t the one that got away!

Dry Tortugas National Park holds so many special memories to us, and we hope you have a lovely time taking in all there is to see, do, and learn in this beautiful, remote park. Happy adventuring!

written by Hannah

Tags Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida National Parks, national park camping, national parks travel