![]() ![]() ![]() The park is open for day trips or overnight camping (there are 10 sites on Garden Key). It was a garrison during the Civil War and a federal prison for Union deserters. On Garden Key, a lighthouse warns boats off the rock shoals and Fort Jefferson, the largest all-masonry fort in the United States, attracts international attention. White-sand beaches host nesting sea turtles, which gave the islands their name: Tortugas. Between the islands are sea-grass beds and coral reefs, and on the islands are seabird colonies, including more than 100,000 sooty terns on Bush Key. The park includes a tiny archipelago of seven islets – the farthest extent of the Florida Keys – and 100 square miles of shallow, tropical water the gateway to the Gulf of Mexico. Remote and beautiful, Dry Tortugas National Park is closer to Cuba than it is to the American mainland, and is accessible only by seaplane and boat. Admission $12 adults, $6 students, $4 for children but free for those aged under six Witness the migrating birds and collect shells at Sanibel Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Blair Audubon Center, 375 Sanctuary Road West, Naples, +1 2,.The visitor centre offers food, exhibits and ranger-led hikes, including night hikes. Corkscrew Swamp is one of the very few places in the United States to see a blooming ghost orchid. When the water levels in the Everglades are low, more than a 1,000 pairs of wood storks, a black-and-white wading bird that stands three-feet tall and spreads its wings nearly five-feet from tip to tip, nest in the sanctuary, often close to the boardwalk. A world-class 2.25 mile-long boardwalk winds through a green cathedral – some cypress are more than 500 years old. It is the 'gateway to the western Everglades' and a glimpse of wild Florida. Run by the National Audubon Society, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary protects 13,000 acres of wetlands, pinelands, and old-growth bald-cypress swamp. Houseboat, canoe, kayak, bicycle rentals and boat tours are available through the marina store, open Mon-Fri 7am-7pm and Sat-Sun 6am-7pm fuel sales 7am-6pm daily Flamingo Marina Rentals and Boat Tours, +1 2,.Carl Ross Key, 10 miles south in the Bay, is my favourite spot to camp in the national park. If the wind is too strong to paddle in the open bay, head up the Buttonwood Canal from the marina into Coot Bay, or portage over to the Bear Lake Canoe Trail. Canoeing into Snake Bight and off Frank Key are easy, bird-rich day trips. If the trade winds are light, exploring by canoe will put you in proximity to terns, gulls, wading birds, shorebirds and pelicans, particularly at low tide. Except for the Coastal Prairie Trail, from the campground in Flamingo leading west to Clubhouse Beach, you'll need a boat to explore the beaches of Cape Sable and Florida Bay. ![]() ![]() Cape Sable is a wild, desolate beachscape at the very bottom of peninsular Florida. ![]()
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