In this Travel With Val report, Time Warner Cable News' Valarie D'Elia heads to the Florida Keys, the site of our most inaccessible national park.
Dry Tortugas National Park is located roughly 70 miles west of Key West, so getting here is half the adventure. The quickest way is via a seaplane operator based in Key West, or the more leisurely ferry that also leaves from the southernmost city.
Try taking the seaplane one-way and the ferry the other. Because of the timing, camping overnight is the only way to see the natural beauty of the park at either sunrise or sunset.
Dry Tortugas is so remote, you should pack your own snacks and beverages. Since there are no trash cans, it's garbage in, garbage out. The highlight of a visit to Dry Tortugas is Fort Jefferson, an 1875-era fort built by the U.S. to protect the valuable shipping route along the eastern seaboard.
During the Civil War, the fort was also used as a prison, mainly for Union deserters. Its most famous prisoner was Dr. Samuel Mudd, the physician who set the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Lincoln. The beauty of Fort Jefferson is best encountered just how nature has reclaimed it — and is surrounded by a bird sanctuary.
August 25th is the official day we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our national parks, when admission to Ft. Jefferson and the more than 400 other sites under the National Park Service umbrella will be free.