Florida National Parks Road Trip: Everglades to Dry Tortugas By Car and Ferry

Here's the odd thing about this road trip: the road runs out before the parks do. Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas are all in South Florida, and all three are mostly water. You can drive into the first one, you need a boat to see most of the second, and the third is a fort on an island 70 miles past the end of US 1. Driving from Miami to Key West with the park detours comes to about 300 miles. The last 70 are by ferry or seaplane.

That last leg is why this trip gets planned backward. This post covers the road and the water: the route leg by leg, the miles and drive times, the costs that catch people off guard, and how many days to give it. Each stop gets a short plan here, and the full days are in my guides.

Florida National Parks Road Trip at a Glance

• Parks: Everglades, Biscayne, and Dry Tortugas.
• Start and finish: Miami to Key West (one way), or a loop back to Miami.
• Driving: about 300 miles one way with the park detours, or about 460 miles as a loop, plus 140 miles round trip by water from Key West.
• Time behind the wheel: about 8 hours one way, spread over the trip.
• How many days: 6 at the least, 7 or 8 with a spare day for the ferry.
• Best season: December through April, with April the best of it.
• Pass: Biscayne has no entrance fee, and the Everglades vehicle fee and Dry Tortugas' per-person fee are usually less than the $80 America the Beautiful pass.

Orientation sketch, not to scale. Check the official park maps for detail. Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); state lines from the U.S. Census Bureau.

How Many Days Do You Need?

I'd plan on 7 days. Here's the math. The Everglades needs two days, because Shark Valley and the road to Flamingo are at opposite ends of the park and don't connect. Biscayne needs one day, built around a boat. The Overseas Highway takes a day if you stop along the way. Dry Tortugas is one long day from Key West, and I'd add a spare day after it, because the crossing can be canceled. Add a day to get home, and you're at 7.

In 6 days, you'd give up the spare day, which I wouldn't recommend in winter. In 4 or 5 days, I'd pick. The Everglades and Biscayne fit in a long weekend from Miami or Homestead. Key West and Dry Tortugas work as their own trip with a flight into Key West.

Which Direction to Drive It

This one's a straight line, so the question is really how you get home. Fly into Miami, drive south, and either fly home from Key West or drive back to Miami, about 160 miles and 3.5 to 4 hours. A one-way rental usually costs extra, and flights out of Key West tend to be fewer, so price both before you decide.

Book the Dry Tortugas boat or plane first, before you book anything else. Ferry seats, seaplane seats, and especially ferry camping spots are limited, while hotels and rental cars aren't. Once you've got that date, count backward from it and build the rest of the trip. If you're coming from Florida's Gulf Coast instead, Everglades City and the park's Gulf Coast area sit about 20 miles south of Interstate 75 on State Road 29, and you can pick up US 41 east from there.

The Route, Leg By Leg

Miami to Shark Valley: About 40 Miles, 1 Hour

Take Florida's Turnpike to US 41, the Tamiami Trail, and head about 25 miles west to Shark Valley, at 36000 SW 8th Street. Road work on US 41 may add up to 15 minutes. Shark Valley is a 15-mile loop road into the River of Grass, but it's only open to the tram, bicycles, and walkers, so you'll park and leave the car. The gate has set hours, so check them first.

The fee is $35 a vehicle, cashless, and it's good for seven days at every Everglades entrance, so you only pay once on this trip.

Everglades National Park. Sawgrass prairie under a big sky, April 24, 2019 (NPS photograph by Dylann Turffs). Photo: National Park Service (Dylann Turffs), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

Shark Valley to Homestead: About 1 Hour

Head back east on US 41 and south to Homestead or Florida City. That's your base for the next few days, since both the main Everglades entrance and Biscayne are close by.

Homestead to Flamingo and Back: About 76 Miles Round Trip

From Florida City, take Palm Drive (State Road 9336) west to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, the entrance that's open 24 hours. The Main Park Road then runs 38 miles through pinelands, sawgrass, cypress, and mangroves to Flamingo on Florida Bay. It's slow on purpose: the speed limit is 45 to 55 mph, the shoulders are narrow, and no food or fuel is sold between Royal Palm and Flamingo. Fuel up in Florida City.

Flamingo has a marina store, fuel, the newly built 24-room Flamingo Lodge, and a restaurant, which makes it a good overnight if you'd rather not drive back. How to spread your time among Royal Palm, the Main Park Road, and Flamingo is exactly what my Everglades National Park guide works out, with nine one- to three-day plans.

A short plan for Everglades: Use the Homestead entrance on Palm Drive and stop at the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. Walk the Anhinga Trail and Gumbo Limbo Trail at Royal Palm and eat the lunch you brought, since no food is sold beyond it until Flamingo. Drive to Pa-hay-okee for the River of Grass, then turn around at Mahogany Hammock unless you're going on to Flamingo. My Everglades National Park guide has the full days.

Everglades National Park. The Main Park Road runs through slash pines on Long Pine Key, March 6, 2006 (NPS photograph). Photo: National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

Homestead to Biscayne: About 7 Miles, 15 Minutes

Convoy Point is at 9700 SW 328th Street, at the east end of the road next to Homestead Bayfront Marina. There's no entrance fee, but this is the park that surprises people. Nearly all of Biscayne is water, so from the shore you get the Dante Fascell Visitor Center and the jetty walk, and that's about it. To see the keys, reefs, and Stiltsville, you need a boat.

The Biscayne National Park Institute, a program of the park's official nonprofit partner, runs the guided trips. They leave from three places: Convoy Point in Homestead, Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove, and the Deering Estate in Palmetto Bay, so check the departure point before you book. In fall 2026, the Coconut Grove listings included a 2-hour Stiltsville tour for $70, a 4-hour Boca Chita Key cruise for $83, and a 6-hour snorkel and island trip for $209, booked online. If you take one from Coconut Grove, do it on your way south, before you leave Miami. Don't count on ride-share at Convoy Point, where cell signal is minimal. My Biscayne National Park guide sorts out which trip fits which kind of visit.

A short plan for Biscayne: Book a boat first and check its dock, because you can only drive to Convoy Point. From there, check in at the park store, fill your bottles, and ride across the bay to Boca Chita Key, your turnaround. See the lighthouse, open only when staff have it open, walk the half-mile trail, and eat the lunch you brought; the park has no restaurant. My Biscayne National Park guide has the full days.

Biscayne National Park. Boca Chita Key's lighthouse and harbor, with downtown Miami on the horizon, in a National Park Service photograph by Judd Patterson. Photo: Judd Patterson, National Park Service. Public domain.

Florida City to Key West: About 125 Miles, 3 to 3.5 Hours

This is the Overseas Highway, US 1, and it's one of the great drives in the country, as long as you're not in a hurry. It's a single road from the mainland through Key Largo, Islamorada, and Marathon, across the Seven Mile Bridge, and on to Key West, with a long stretch of two-lane road and water on both sides. Traffic is the variable. Weekends and holidays are slow, and with only one road, a single wreck can stop everything. Leave early if you've got a ferry the next morning, and don't plan on arriving late at night and sailing at dawn.

Everglades National Park. Florida Bay from the shore at Flamingo, April 30, 2019 (NPS photograph by G. DeFalco). Photo: National Park Service (G. DeFalco), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

Key West to Dry Tortugas: 70 Miles of Open Water

You've got three ways to get to Garden Key and Fort Jefferson. Most people take the Yankee Freedom ferry from the terminal at 100 Grinnell Street. Check-in is at 7 a.m., it leaves at 8 a.m., reaches the fort a little after 10 in the morning, and heads back at 3 p.m., for about 4 hours and 45 minutes on the island. In 2026, adult fares were listed from about $235, with lower fares for children, seniors, and active military. That covers breakfast, lunch, snorkel gear, a fort tour, and the $15 park entrance fee. Full refunds require 60 days' notice. Park at the Key West City Parking Garage at 300 Grinnell Street.

Dry Tortugas National Park. Garden Key and Fort Jefferson from a seaplane, with Bush Key trailing east, August 11, 2021 (NPS photograph by Michelle Collier). Photo: National Park Service (Michelle Collier), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

The seaplane is the fast way. Key West Seaplane Adventures flies about 40 minutes each way and lands right off the beach. In 2026, a half-day trip cost $527 per adult, with about two and a half hours on the island, and a full day cost $910, with about six and a half hours, plus the park fee. The third way is your own boat, which is only for experienced offshore boaters.

Once you're there, you're on your own. There's no food, drinking water, fuel, shop, trash can, cell service, or Wi-Fi anywhere in the park. Camping on Garden Key is possible, but the ferry carries only 10 campers a day and releases each date six months ahead, so book the day your dates open. For how to spend your hours at the fort and in the water, see my Dry Tortugas National Park guide.

A short plan for Dry Tortugas: The ferry lands you at Garden Key, and the sally port is the only way into the fort. Join the ferry's 45-minute tour, go back aboard for lunch, then climb to the top of the walls. Walk the moat wall and turn back at any barricade, since sections were closed for repair as of October 2026. Finish at the south swim beach. My Dry Tortugas National Park guide has the full days.

Dry Tortugas National Park. A visitor walks the moat wall in morning light, October 11, 2020 (NPS photograph by Denise Diaz). Photo: National Park Service (Denise Diaz), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

Key West to Miami: About 160 Miles, 3.5 to 4 Hours

Back up US 1 the way you came. If you're flying out of Key West, you can skip this leg and drop the car there.

A Sample 7-Day Driving Schedule

This is the driving skeleton only, so you can see where the miles fall. The park days themselves are in the guides.

Day	Drive	Driving Time	Overnight Town
Day 1	Miami to Shark Valley, about 40 miles, then on to Homestead	About 2 hours	Homestead or Florida City
Day 2	The Main Park Road to Flamingo and back, about 76 miles round trip	About 2 hours round trip	Homestead or Florida City
Day 3	Biscayne, driving from Homestead, about 7 miles, or back north to Coconut Grove for a boat trip	15 minutes to Convoy Point	Homestead or Florida City
Day 4	The Overseas Highway to Key West, about 125 miles	3 to 3.5 hours	Key West
Day 5	Walk or drive to the ferry, then take the boat to Dry Tortugas and back	No long drive	Key West
Day 6	A spare day in Key West, in case the crossing's canceled	No driving	Key West
Day 7	Key West to Miami, about 160 miles, or fly home from Key West	3.5 to 4 hours	Fly home from Miami or Key West

Where to Stay Along the Way

• Everglades: Homestead and Florida City are the closest towns to the main entrance, and Miami works for Shark Valley. Inside the park, Flamingo has its lodge, houseboats, seasonal eco-tents, and a campground with 235 drive-up sites; call 855-708-2207. Long Pine Key Campground is near Royal Palm.
• Biscayne: Homestead and Florida City hotels are about 7 miles from the park, and Miami's hotels work for the Coconut Grove boat trips. The only campgrounds are on Boca Chita and Elliott keys, reached by boat, at $60 a night.
• Dry Tortugas: you'll sleep in Key West, unless you've got one of the campsites on Garden Key. Stay as close to the ferry terminal as you can afford. The morning of the crossing starts early.

Book Key West for the night before your crossing, and keep the room for the night after. Rooms there fill up in season, so that's the second thing to lock in, right after the boat.

Best Time of Year to Drive It

December through April is the dry season in the Everglades, with average highs around 77°F, fewer mosquitoes, and wildlife gathered around the remaining water. It's also Biscayne's busy season. The catch is Dry Tortugas: cold fronts from November through April bring strong winds, rough crossings, more cancellations, and murkier water.

April into mid-May is where those two calendars overlap best. The Everglades is still dry, the seas are usually starting to calm down, and spring bird migration at Dry Tortugas peaks. Summer is the opposite trade: calm water and the best snorkeling of the year at Dry Tortugas, but heat, thunderstorms, and mosquitoes in the Everglades.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. A storm can close any of these parks, or damage them, even without a direct hit. If you're traveling then, buy flexible fares and watch the tropics.

Road Trip Tips for South Florida

• Do the pass math. One car at the Everglades ($35) plus two people at Dry Tortugas ($15 each) is $65, so the $80 America the Beautiful pass only wins with a bigger group or more parks on your year. If you've got one, show it at ferry or seaplane check-in for the credit.
• Bring a card. The Everglades is cashless, and Dry Tortugas doesn't take cash either.
• Non-U.S. residents, plan on the extra $100 per person at the Everglades unless you hold an annual pass.
• Pack seasickness medication for the crossing, especially in winter. The nearest hospital is back in Key West.
• Bring bug spray, even in the dry season, and a lot more of it from May through November.
• Keep an extra day. The wind decides whether the boat goes, and you won't get a better chance once you're home.
• Check the Homestead trolley. The city's free seasonal trolley has run to Royal Palm and Biscayne on winter weekends, but check its website for 2026-27 dates.

Plan Your Days Inside Each Park

This post gets you from park to park, with a short plan for each stop. The full days are what my guides are for: each one has nine itineraries for one, two, or three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for bad weather or a closure, plus orientation maps, the park's history, and the animals you're likely to see. You get an EPUB and a printable PDF, so the day's plan can ride in the car with you.

• Everglades National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 6 maps, and 36 photographs
• Biscayne National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 3 maps, and 35 photographs
• Dry Tortugas National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 4 maps, and 34 photographs

Short on time at one stop? Just an Afternoon is my free four-hour plan for every U.S. National Park.

Florida National Parks Road Trip FAQ

Can you drive to Dry Tortugas? No. It's about 70 miles west of Key West by water, so you'll need the ferry, a seaplane, or your own boat.

Ferry or seaplane? For most people, the ferry. It's cheaper, you get more time than on the half-day flight, and meals and snorkel gear are included. If you get seasick or the crossing worries you, I think the seaplane's worth the money.

Is Biscayne worth it without a boat? Not really, unless you're already nearby. You'd see the visitor center and the jetty walk. Book a boat trip, and it's a different park.

Do I need reservations to enter? Not at the Everglades or Biscayne, though in winter you'll want to book Flamingo's campground and boat trips ahead. At Dry Tortugas, your ferry or seaplane ticket is the reservation. Check Everglades National Park alerts and Dry Tortugas National Park alerts before you go.

Before you go: roads, campgrounds, and visitor centers close for snow, fire, and repairs, so check each park's alerts and current conditions, updated daily: Everglades, Biscayne, Dry Tortugas. For every park at a glance, see the park conditions dashboard.

Planning a different route? See all my National Park road trips.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Driving times are estimates without stops, and conditions change; check each park's current alerts before you go.