Dry Tortugas National Park is one of our more unique national parks. There is simply nothing like it in our system of parks… or in the world for that matter.
Here are the Dry Tortugas fun facts!
Guide to Dry Tortugas
Dry Tortugas Fun Facts
fact # 1: Fort Jefferson is the largest masonry structure in the western hemisphere. This massive structure is comprised of an estimate 16 million imported bricks and contains more than 2,000 arches.
The fort was constructed to house 1,500 soldiers and cisterns under the fort were designed to hold 1.5 million gallons of water. The structure is so large and heavy, that it slowly began to submerge the island of Garden Key, upon which it was built.
fact # 2: The lighthouse on Loggerhead Key, although currently inactive, once held the brightest light in North America. Some also claim that this lighthouse is further from the mainland than any other lighthouse in the world, at more than 70 miles from Key West and more than 100 miles from mainland Florida.
fact # 3: Long Key, which lies about a mile east of Garden Key, is home to the only remaining nesting site for the magnificent frigate bird in the United States.
These birds are incredibly awkward at movement on land. Their short legs and webbed feet render them horrible walkers, but once one observes their arial acrobatics and effortless current-riding ability, it becomes immediately obvious they were not built for walking.
fact #4: Bush Key, which is joined to Garden Key by a recently developed sand bar, covers a mere 14 acres. During nesting season it is closed to humans, but is home nesting ground to more than 80,000 sooty terns, and 4,500 brown noddies. Those numbers make for some tight quarters!
Dry Tortugas Stat Sheet
established: October 26, 1992 as Dry Tortugas National Park
monument: January 4, 1935 as Fort Jefferson National Monument
reservation: 1908 as Tortugas Keys Reservation
rank of admission: 50
size: 64,700 acres
rank in size: 47
annual visitation: 2018 – 56,810
rank in visitation: 54
time zone: Eastern Time
park phone: 305 242 7700
Guide to Dry Tortugas
Relevant Links
Yankee Freedom III – Ferry Service
National Park Guides
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