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How To Spend A Weekend In The Beautiful Fort Pickens Area Of Gulf Islands National Seashore

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Need a weekend at the beach? Spend a weekend in Fort Pickens National Seashore on the Florida Panhandle, just 59 miles from Pensacola.

This stretch of seashore is an amazing place and has many things to enjoy. The history is fascinating. The wildlife is amazing. The Fort is worth exploring and the birding is superb. Oh, and let’s not forget about the miles and miles of white sand beaches.

How To Spend A Weekend In The Beautiful Fort Pickens Area Of Gulf Islands National Seashore

 

How To Spend Two Full Days In Beautiful Fort Pickens Area

(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking those links. See disclosure page for more information.)

Stopping at the gate to Fort Pickens Area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

General Information About Fort Pickens Area Of Gulf Islands National Seashore

  • Fort Pickens is a fee-required area of the National Parks system. However, if you have an American The Beautiful Pass, then you don’t need to pay further fees.
  • Dogs are allowed on the trails and in the campground but not on the beach or in the historic buildings. However, there is a dog-friendly beach not too far from the entrance of the park.
  • If you are planning to stay in the campground, your RV needs to be under 12 feet in height and less than 32 feet in length.
  • The park is open from sunset to sunrise.
  • Due to the park being a narrow barrier island, it can close with little warning due to storms that could cause potential flooding.

Soaking up views of the Pensacola Harbor from our truck camper.

The view of the fishing pier in Fort Pickens as seen from the window of our truck camper.

Take In The Views Of The Pensacola Harbor

We last visited Fort Pickens in January. Although one day of our visit was in the 70s (21 degrees Celsius), the temperature was in the low 50s (10 degrees Celsius) for most of our trip. With ocean breezes, that was a bit chilly, so we grabbed a spot near the seawall each day and enjoyed the views of the Pensacola harbor. Several large ships passed and a few dolphins jumped out of the water. We got to view them all from our warm and cozy truck camper. Just one more reason why I think truck campers are superior.

The seawall at Fort Pickens, Florida.

Jack walking along the seawall at Fort Pickens, Florida.

Walk Along The Seawall

The seawall was completed in 1910 and was created due to a hurricane causing damage to the post buildings as well as the gun batteries.

It now makes a great spot to watch the sunset over the Pensacola harbor and offers a somewhat bird’s eye view of the area it protects.

The official sign for the Northern Terminus of the Florida Trail.

Marsh area inside of Fort Pickens area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Hike A Portion Of The Florida Trail

You will find the Northern Terminus of the epic Florida Trail just past the end of the seawall near the fort. This trail is over 1,000 miles long! The Southern Terminus is found in Big Cyprus National Preserve.

Jack and I hiked a mile or two of it to say we have hiked some of it.

View of Battery Worth from the bottom of the hill.

Up close view of Battery Worth in Fort Pickens, Florida.

Inside Battery Worth at Fort Pickens, Florida.

Explore Battery Worth

Completed in 1899, Battery Worth was one of many concrete gun batteries created to protect Pensacola bay from hostile ships.

Now it provides views of the miles of beaches found along Santa Rosa Island.

Boardwalk through the sand dunes of Fort Pickens National Seashore.

Walk The Boardwalks To The Beach

White sand dunes along most of the 7 miles of sandy beaches make up the Gulf of Mexico side of Santa Rosa Island.

To protect the dunes, beach access is via boardwalks. Not only do they provide protection, but they are also very picturesque. We saw a couple doing their engagement photos on the boardwalk and a high school senior getting her graduation pictures done along a boardwalk.

The white sand beaches along the gulf side of Fort Pickens, Florida.

Miles and miles of beaches along the gulf side of Florida.

Walk The Miles Of White Sand Beaches

Both days during our last visit to Fort Pickens, we walked a loop from our campground and back again along the beaches. The beaches along the gulf side are filled with white sand that squeaks when you walk on it. The Pensacola bay-side beaches have coarser sand that is light tan in color and, unfortunately, have more garbage that has floated up to shore. A big thank you to the clean-up volunteers that we saw picking up that garbage.

A broken sand dollar found on the beaches inside Fort Pickens National Seashore.

Jellyfish washed up along the gulf side shores of Fort Pickens.

Hundreds of shells along the gulf side of Fort Pickens.

A crab found on the Pensacola bay side of Fort Pickens Area.

A starfish found on the Pensacola bay side of Fort Pickens, Florida.

Enjoy The Shells & Sea Life

If you love shells, then you will love the barrier island where Fort Pickens is located. However, you cannot collect the shells since it is a National Park. You have to leave them for others to enjoy, which means there is an abundance of shells to photograph.

I am not sure why there were so many jellyfish swept onto the beach during our last visit to the area, but they were interesting to look at.

We also enjoyed watching several crabs, starfish, and various birds.

A sunset inside Fort Pickens area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

A bird watching the sunset over Pensacola Bay in Fort Pickens.

Take In An Epic Sunset Over Pensacola Bay

Grab a spot along the seawall or the beach along Pensacola Bay near the fishing pier and soak up every last minute of the sunset. We have done this multiple times during our three visits to the area (and we will again).

Another beautiful sunset in Fort Pickens, Florida.

The sun setting over the sand in Fort Pickens area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore.

And If You Stay More Than One Evening, Enjoy It Again!

Seriously! Let nothing stand in your way of enjoying a Fort Pickens sunset every single night you are in the area.

A blue heron in Fort Pickens, Florida.

Go Birdwatching

This blue heron stayed on top of our truck camper for over an hour, watching the sunset with us!

Other birds that you can see in the area are gulls, terns, pelicans, and the black skimmer.

Truck camper at Fort Pickens campground.

What a typical campsite looks like in Fort Pickens National Seashore.

Go Camping

We tried several times over the years to get a reservation for one of the close to 100 camp spots within Fort Pickens. Finally, in January 2021, with a decrease in snowbirds due to the pandemic, we got a spot! And we got the same spot for three nights in a row! We thought for sure that since we were booking only a month before the availability would be slim and we would be required to move campsites each night to make it work.

If you have the opportunity to camp in the park, grab it! The sites themselves are nothing special, but their proximity to the beach is amazing. Walk five minutes one way to enjoy the beach along the bay side. Walk five minutes the other way to enjoy beach on the gulf side. And all at a price that is super affordable.

Amenities include electricity at your site, flush toilets, and laundry. The bathroom facilities were clean and the showers were hot. There was a fair amount of campground noise, but people quieted down plenty early enough to get a full night’s sleep.

If you are a tent camper, there is one area of the campground reserved for tents only.

There is a 14-night stay maximum, which is pretty usual for both national and state campgrounds. What isn’t common is the maximum height restriction of 12 feet. If you have a fifth wheel, you will probably not be able to camp here.

Sunrise over the gulf side for Fort Pickens, Florida.

Enjoy The Sunrise

The sun rises over the gulf side of the island and is just as spectacular as the sunset over the bay side. You could pick one or the other, but I think you should do both!

Hiking the Blackbird Marsh Trail in Fort Pickens.

A sign along the Blackbird Marsh Trail in Fort Pickens.

Tree along a trail in Fort Pickens.

Marsh area in Fort Pickens National Seashore.

Hike The Blackbird Marsh Trail

This super short trail has several plant markers along the way that explain what the plant is, why it is found in this environment, and what it has been used for in the past as well as the present.

Bird watchers love this trail as it is a good spot to find Osprey nests.

The walls of Fort Pickens

Crumbling wall of Fort Pickens in Florida.

Tour The Historic Fort Pickens

These pictures of the Fort are from a previous trip we took in our minivan camper. You can learn so much history about the Fort just by reading the signs around the area. However, if you want to learn more, you can attend one of the National Park Service programs.

The brick Fort was created in 1834 and named after the Revolutionary War commander Andrew Pickens. Its location on the western end of Santa Rosa Island, a low-lying barrier island, was chosen for the natural protection of the bay and the mainland of Florida. The fort held as many as 200 cannons on top of its five walls.

It was used during the civil war and became a prison after the war was over. The most famous person to be imprisoned inside its brick walls was Apache chief Geronimo.

During World War One, new defensive batteries were constructed but never used.

More Things To Do In The Fort Pickens Area Of The Gulf Islands National Seashore

  • Head into the Pensacola beach area to enjoy the local restaurants, etc.
  • Climb to the top of Battery Langdon for an impressive view of Santa Rosa Island and its miles and miles of beaches.
  • Climb to the top of Battery Payne and look over the harbor channel between Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key.
  • If you are lucky enough to be there when the Blue Angels are practicing, you can enjoy their aerial acrobatics over Pensacola Bay.
  • Bike along the miles and miles of trails located on an old railroad bed through the marshes.
  • Visit the Discovery Center to learn more about the area and its history.
  • Go Fishing off The Fort Pickens Pier
  • Go swimming at Langdon Beach (a lifeguard is on duty from Memorial Day to Labor Day).

Are you looking for an alternative to busy and expensive campgrounds and one-night Walmart stops on the way to your destination? Check out our post about our first time using Boondockers Welcome.

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About the Author

Hi, I am Victoria and I am married to Jack. We have 3 kids ages 20 to 26 Now that the kids are grown we have more time on our hands for travel. Sometimes our kids join us but mostly we travel just the two of us. This blog is where we share our adventures as well as travel tips.

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