**somehow my review ended up on here twice

We camped for 2 nights this June at Dry Tortugas National Park. It’s a little out of the way, yes. But don’t miss it. You visit the island by boat or seaplane. You have to bring everything with you including drinking water. No gas, so only charcoal cooking. If you take the seaplane or the Yankee Freedom, you can use their snorkel equipment. A couple things to consider when planning your trip. Summer time is the off season. Summer is hot. Don’t plan on sleeping. But that is ok, because this is a once in a lifetime camping trip. Also, you won’t eat as much as you think you will. Again, it’s so hot. But bring plenty of water. There is a “group” campground which is out in the open, and then there are individual sites in the trees. In the group campground, there is a breeze. In the trees there is amazing shade. So you have to decide. We went group and made our own shade. Again, it was June so we needed the breeze. We were there during a full moon, so we missed the big star show, but the moon was incredible, beyond description!! And to see the fort and the moon and the reflection of both off the water, wow!! The sun sets and sun rises are unforgettable. And since it’s so hot you’re not sleeping, the sun rise is easy to catch! As for things to do there is Ft Jefferson and it’s amazing history. So you can explore the fort or spend time snorkeling around the sea wall. The coral and the color under the water is so vibrant! If you have a kayak, bring it. If you can get out to the lighthouse on Loggerhead Key, there is even more snorkeling. A kayak will do the trick. We only had an inflatable one and the park ranger warned us against it because of the currents. So make sure it’s a legit kayak. You can rent them in Key West and transport it on the Yankee Freedom. It’s also probably the only place you’ll camp where the park rangers tell you to alert them in case a boat load of Cubans show up!