Garden Key in Dry Tortugas National Park has a primitive campground with individual sites available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Transportation for campers is limited to private vessels and the commercial ferry. Reservations for the ferry should be made well in advance (the NPS website recommends months in advance) as the ferry will only transport a maximum of 10 campers per day each way. The busy season is during the winter, but the ferry can book up for campers even in the summer well in advance. There is a nightly fee of $15 per individual campsite, which is not collected as part of the price of the ferry trip.
There is a group site for 10-20 people that must be reserved in advance. The fee for the group site is $30 for each night.
The campground is located between the docks and the south swim beach area near the South Coaling Dock ruins. There are composting toilets for visitors to use when the Yankee Freedom Ferry is not there. Campers can also use the ferry bathrooms when it is docked.
Please check the NPS website for more information on camping as all supplies must be brought including fresh water (as well as carried out) and emergency services may be hour away. For example, the only fires permitted are gas camping stoves or charcoal briquettes in the BBQ units. You are also required to have a tent to camp. Planning in advance is important as emergency medical services are hours away while on the island. There is also no store or running water.
This was a photo that we took in June 2017 of some of the empty campsites in the small campground:
