- Sheltered
- Partly
- Exposed
- No reliable report
The fort blocks the north – the south and west stay open
Cruiser reports for the harbor anchorage south-east of the fort: Garden Key and the fort block northerlies, Bush Key gives some shelter from the east, and the anchorage is open to the south and west. The deeper anchorage north and north-west of Garden Key has good holding in 8–10 fathoms but is, in the Coast Pilot's words, somewhat open to the north.
Getting there
The Dry Tortugas lie about 63 miles west of Key West by the Coast Pilot; the park speaks of roughly 70 miles. The Coast Pilot advises small craft against making the passage because of rough seas around Rebecca Shoal. Southeast and Southwest Channels are the marked approaches: Southeast Channel has 20 ft or more, with caution for drafts over 18 ft, and Southwest Channel a least depth of 31 ft. Northwest Channel is unmarked. The park's charts are NOAA 11438 and 11434.
Where you may anchor
Overnight anchoring is allowed only on sand within 1 nm of the Garden Key Harbor Light. In Garden Key Harbor, anchor south or south-east of a line from Southwest Channel red marker 12 to the westernmost white 'Off Limits' buoy off Bush Key. Keep 200 ft from the seaplane beach and 100 ft from East, Middle, Hospital, Long and Bush Keys, and do not anchor in marked channels or Special Protection Zones.
The Research Natural Area is off limits to anchors: there you use one of the seven day-use mooring buoys, sunrise to sunset, for at most two hours if others are waiting. When a small-craft advisory is posted, a red pennant flies under the flag and Garden Key Harbor opens to all vessels until it is lifted.
Ashore
Dinghies can stay at the dinghy beach without a time limit. On the main dock and the finger piers the limit is two hours a day per boat, with no docking between sunset and sunrise, and the ferry has the east half of the dock from 10 am to 3 pm. The ferry arrives around mid-morning and fills the beach; evenings are quiet.
Bring everything: there is no fuel, water or food, and no rubbish is taken. The park advises 2 gallons of water per person per day plus a spare day of supplies.
Rules that apply here
- Boat permit: required for every recreational vessel that stops, dinghies, kayaks and paddleboards included. You get it in person at the Garden Key visitor center.
- Entrance fee: $15 per person aged 16 or over, valid 7 days, paid cashless on Recreation.gov within an hour of arrival – also for time spent only on the water.
- Discharge: nothing may be discharged except cooling water and engine exhaust, plus graywater and clean bilge water outside the Research Natural Area.
- Lights and fishing: no bright deck lights or underwater lights; no fishing in the Research Natural Area; spearguns must be broken down.
Questions sailors ask
Do I need a permit to anchor at the Dry Tortugas?
Yes. Every recreational boat that stops needs a boat permit from the park, issued in person at the Garden Key visitor center, and everyone aged 16 or over pays the $15 entrance fee on Recreation.gov within an hour of arrival.
Where can I anchor overnight at Garden Key?
Only on sand within 1 nm of the Garden Key Harbor Light, outside marked channels and protected zones. In the harbor, anchor south or south-east of the line from Southwest Channel marker 12 to the westernmost 'Off Limits' buoy off Bush Key. You may stay up to 14 nights in a row and 30 nights in 12 months.
Is there fuel or water at the Dry Tortugas?
No. There is no fuel, water or food, and no trash service. Plan for 2 gallons of water per person per day plus a spare day.
Sources & checks
- National Park Service – Dry Tortugas: boating · 5 Oct 2026
- National Park Service – Dry Tortugas: fees · 26 May 2026
- National Park Service – Superintendent's Compendium 2026 · 31 Aug 2026
- 36 CFR 7.27 – Dry Tortugas National Park · 21 Oct 2026
- NOAA U.S. Coast Pilot 5, chapter 4 (2026) · 18 Oct 2026
- NOAA CO-OPS station 8724697, Garden Key · 21 Oct 2026