Fort Jefferson
Six-sided walls at sea.
drytortugasnps — Public domain · Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Please credit "Family collection of Infrogmation of New Orleans" — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0
Dry Tortugas National Park lies in the Gulf of Mexico about 110 km in a straight line west of Key West, Florida, and protects Fort Jefferson and the small Dry Tortugas islands, the westernmost and most isolated of the Florida Keys. Its coral reefs are the least disturbed of all the reefs of the Florida Keys. The park's centrepiece is Fort Jefferson, a massive coastal fortress that was never finished and the largest brick masonry structure in the Western Hemisphere, built of more than 16 million bricks. Its six-sided walls rise straight from the sea on Garden Key, ringed by a moat and a seawall. The park is part of the Everglades and Dry Tortugas Biosphere Reserve, declared by UNESCO in 1976. Around the fort the water is shallow, clear and turquoise, and snorkellers swim along the outer seawall among corals and tropical fish. White sand beaches stretch from Garden Key, tropical seabirds breed on nearby islands, and the area is known for its shipwrecks. The park can be reached only by seaplane or boat, and the daily ferry from Key West takes a few hours each way, so book well ahead. Camping is limited to a few primitive sites on Garden Key, and services are very limited, so bring water, food and sun protection.
Six-sided walls at sea.
Along the seawall.
On Garden Key.
Gulf of Mexico, west of Key West, Florida, United States
By ferry from Key West or by seaplane.
Yes, at a few primitive campsites.