What I thought of originally as the "end" of Key West (you know, the one with the barrel proclaiming it's "the southernmost point of the continental US") turned out not to be the end after all: it extends past some more as a string of islands, and at the end of this string is Dry Tortugas National Park.
It's an island group. I was going to say there are only two ways to get in to this national park, by ferry or by seaplane (see link below), but then I realized, they can't really turn you away if you swam in and paid your entrance fee, can they?
Out of the various options listed in the above linked site, we shelled out for the sea plane because:
It's faster than swimming and the ferry.
The pilot does a running commentary on points of interests while flying over the ocean such as island names on the way to the national park.
It is highly likely you'll spot wildlife like dolphins and turtles. We spotted dozens of sea turtles after our pilot announced it over the headphones.
You'll get a great view of two submerged ships on the way.
You'll get a great aerial view of Fort Jefferson on your way in... and the pilot circles beforehand so passengers on both sides of the plane can see it.
They provided a cooler of ice and drinks and they were generous about it too.
Snorkeling equipment is included.
Parking for your vehicle is free at the sea plane's FBO at Key West International Airport.
The ride itself is an experience.
The beaches surrounding Fort Jefferson is beautiful. Upon closer inspection, and after a minute snorkeling, I realized that the beaches is made up of dead corals. It was a coral graveyard out there.
The water is clear and beautiful. The sky was clear. And you know what else? It wasn't crowded at all!
Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the least visited national parks out there, was certainly worth the Florida heat and humidity.
We took the half-day trip because I wanted to play safe and didn't want to be stuck on an island the whole entire day. The half day trip gave us a little over 2 hours on the island. We spent most of it in the water snorkeling. We literally had minutes to explore Fort Jefferson.
If you don't mind the heat, you might want to take the whole-day trip and get 6 whole hours on the island. This will allow you to snorkel around the fort perimeter, explore the other beaches and still have time to explore the fort at your leisure.
And you might want to because the fort is absolutely beautiful. By the way, the gift shop closes before the last plane leaves.
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