Location: Monroe County Map
Area:
64,700 acres (262 km2)
www.nps.gov/drto
Dry Tortugas National Park is situated in Monroe
County of Florida Keys in United States. It was known formerly as a
Fort Jefferson and it covers an area of 64,700 acres (262 km2). It
is integrated by a set of seven small islands composed of reefs and
sand, located to 113 kilometers to the west of Hueso fell on the
keys of Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. It is one of the most remote
and inaccessible of the national parks of the United States.
The islands were called "Las Tortugas" originally by Juan Ponce de
León in his discovery, due to the great abundance of sea turtles. It
was designated as a protected maritime zone to safeguard the
valuable coastal and maritime resources that these small islands
offer. The protected marine area of Dry Tortugas is presented as a
model for future years.
It is currently a place of leisure
where you can discover diving its shallow reefs that surround the
island and visit its historic Fort Jefferson. Its conservation is
balanced with the multiple commercial and recreational activities
that are carried out in said archipelago.
A seven-day pass is $5 for
adults.
There are several passes for groups traveling
together in a private vehicle or individuals on foot or on bike.
These passes provide free entry at national parks and national
wildlife refuges, and also cover standard amenity fees at national
forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land
Management and Bureau of Reclamation. These passes are valid at all
national parks including Dry Tortugas National Park:
The $80
Annual Pass (valid for twelve months from date of issue) can be
purchased by anyone. Military personnel can obtain a free annual
pass in person at a federal recreation site by showing a Common
Access Card (CAC) or Military ID.
U.S. citizens or permanent
residents age 62 or over can obtain a Senior Pass (valid for the
life of the holder) in person at a federal recreation site for $80,
or through the mail for $90; applicants must provide documentation
of citizenship and age. This pass also provides a fifty percent
discount on some park amenities. Seniors can also obtain a $20
annual pass.
U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent
disabilities can obtain an Access Pass (valid for the life of the
holder) in person at a federal recreation site at no charge, or
through the mail for $10; applicants must provide documentation of
citizenship and permanent disability. This pass also provides a
fifty percent discount on some park amenities.
Individuals who
have volunteered 250 or more hours with federal agencies that
participate in the Interagency Pass Program can receive a free
Volunteer Pass.
4th graders can receive an Annual 4th Grade Pass
that allows free entry for the duration of the 4th grade school year
(September-August) to the bearer and any accompanying passengers in
a private non-commercial vehicle. Registration at the Every Kid in a
Park website is required.
In 2018 the National Park Service will
offer four days on which entry is free for all national parks:
January 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), April 21 (1st Day of NPS
Week), September 22 (National Public Lands Day), and November 11
(Veterans Day weekend).
The name, which means "dry islands of turtles" is a mixture of
English and Spanish. "Sèches" (dry) is a reference to the lack of fresh
water and streams in the islands.
Inspected at the end of 1824 by
the American Commodore David Porter, the islands were then considered
unsuitable for the construction of a naval base to fight against piracy
in the West Indies. In 1825, however, it was decided to build a
lighthouse on the island of Garden Key, which was completed the
following year. The lighthouse, almost 20 meters high, is made of bricks
and a white exterior facing, and is accompanied by a small white house
used to accommodate the keeper.
Again inspected by Commodore John
Rodgers in May 1829, the islands actually proved to be a strategic
location for the construction of an outpost to defend the gulf. In 1846,
construction began on Garden Key of Fort Jefferson, in reference to
Thomas Jefferson, an imposing coastal fortress that remained unfinished.
Composed of more than 16 million bricks, it is still today the largest
masonry construction on the American continent.