Fri, Apr 22
|Dry Tortugas National Park
Migratory Bird ID Tour
This event is now open for indications of interest. All arrangements will be made on an individual basis. Full details can be read by clicking the More Info button to the right.
Time & Location
Apr 22, 2022, 8:00 AM – Apr 24, 2022, 5:00 PM
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, USA
About The Event
The Dry Tortugas are a small group of islands, located in the Gulf of Mexico at the end of the Florida Keys, about 67 miles west of Key West, and 37 miles west of the Marquesas Keys, the closest islands.
Due to the varying tastes and budgets of interested participants, we have decided to let each attendee make their own arrangements for transportation and lodging. What we would like to do in order to share this experience as a group, is to have dinner together the evening before and the evening of the tour, as well as time spent together during the ferry ride. Once on the island everyone can go their own way, stay in a group, or a combination of the two. Considering the travel distance and the ferry's departure and return times, we highly recommend overnight accomodations for the night prior to and the night of our Sarturday, April 23rd outing. We can discuss all of this in advance at a planning meeting either at Possum Long or via Zoom.
Hotels should be booked early as this is high season. Many choices can be found with a simple Google search. Check-in time for the ferry is 7:00am, so it probably would not be wise to stay any further north than Sugarloaf Lodge, which would be a 30 minute drive to the Key West Ferry Terminal located at 100 Grinnell Street, in the Historic Seaport. Lot's of additional information can be found at the Yankee Freedom website including the reservations page. Consider booking a hotel with a cancellation option, then book the ferry. The capacity is 250, but the park limit is 175, so there should be plenty of space; however, despite the cost it's a popular trip. If by chance the ferry is full, you'll be able to cancel your hotel. Again, plan early!
A breakfast snack and a box lunch are provided as well as complimentary snorkeling gear (scroll through the COVID Response page to read about sanitizing procedures). You may purchase non-alcoholic drinks and snacks from the galley on the way to and from the fort. There's also WHAT TO BRING suggestions in addition to those provided below.
WHAT TO BRING: Binoculars, camera, spotting scopes, sun block, reference books, water and snacks, insect repellent, comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunglasses and protective wear.