BirdWatching: Bird-Watching in Florida Keys

The Keys actually don’t end in Key West. Seventy miles farther west lies a national park, the Dry Tortugas, situated on a string of islands in the Gulf of Mexico. The park offers sparkling ocean views, bird-watching and a Civil War prison, Fort Jefferson. And although it’s easily reached by plane or ferry for a day trip or overnight camping, it is one of the least-visited of all national parks, with just over 61,000 visitors a year.

"It’s not a park you can just get in your car, load up the car, and drive to it. It’s got 70 miles of ocean between the last point you can drive to and the park," said Bonnie Foist, chief ranger of Everglades and Dry Tortugas National Parks.

...I'll make a note to go...