Dry Tortuga National Park Update

Dry Tortuga National Park Update

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN
KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the world’s most unique eco-attractions. It is rich in history and sites, and boasts its crown jewel, the Fort Jefferson, which once was used as a prison during the civil war. There is a plethora of activities to embark on at the park, including camping, snorkeling, birding, and so much more. Unfortunately, the park closed on September 26th, in anticipation for Hurricane Ian’s potential destruction. As expected, Ian passed directly over the park on the night of September 27th, with winds of 120 mph. Dry Tortugas took a direct hit from Hurricane Ian, and the park has been slowly making its way back to reopening as of October 10th. 

The damage to the park was significant, but on October 10th, park officials were able to reopen parts of the park to visitors and the ferry that brings them in. On the 10th, concession operated ferry service resumed, thanks to the hard work of the park staff and the NPS Eastern Incident management team, according to the Dry Tortugas National Park Facebook page. 

On October 11th, the staff was pleased to reopen the interior to visitors! And, as they continued to work towards fully reopening, camping was opened on the 15th on Garden Key, though officials warned that campers should be aware that Hurricane Ian deposited as much as two feet of sand on the camp sites, and debris cleanup is still underway. 

Although the marine waters in the park are open, boaters are advised that Garden and Loggerhead Keys remain closed indefinitely to private vessels because of damage to the visitor courtesy slips and docks. Garden Key and Fort Jefferson were reportedly the first areas in the United States to be impacted by the storm. 

As with anything else post-hurricane, we are happy to see businesses and attractions build back what once was and are grateful that the damage wasn’t worse than it was. We also appreciate the daily and detailed updates that the Dry Tortugas National Park can provide locals and tourists with!

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