You Have to Take a Boat 70 Miles Into the Gulf to Reach This National Park

Dry Tortugas National Park, nearly 70 miles west of Key West, Florida, is reachable only by boat or seaplane—there’s no road access. Most visitors take the Yankee Freedom ferry, a high-speed catamaran that covers the 70-mile crossing to Garden Key and Fort Jefferson. A typical day trip provides about 4.5 hours on-site, and reservations are strongly recommended. The seaplane option offers morning, afternoon, or full-day flights. The park covers about 100 square miles, but less than 1% is dry land. Fort Jefferson began in 1846, built with more than 16 million bricks, and the U.S. abandoned it in 1874.