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I came to Florida looking for sun and surf, and by happy accident found the most beautiful beach in the Panhandle – Gulf Islands. This is a National Park, unspoiled and pristine, with snow-white sand and emerald green waters. A lovely park to drive through and great place to camp.
Gulf Islands is part of the finger-thin Santa Rosa peninsula, with the Gulf of Mexico on one side and Pensacola Bay on the other. You could walk from one body of water to the other in about 10 minutes.
The stark landscape of Gulf Islands National Seashore is both terribly beautiful and desolately lonesome. It’s so far out there, with nothing else around, that you can feel puny and insignificant against this mighty backdrop of sea and sand. Or, you can opt to revel in the midst its solitude and natural splendor, as I did.
I stayed at Fort Pickens campground which is operated by the National Park Service. Even in the off-season, this campground fills up quickly and reservations are recommended. Some sites offer a bit of shade and all have electric (50 & 30 amp) and water service. Nearby boardwalks climb across the protected dunes to the beach.
It’s an easy walk or bike ride to Fort Pickens historical site from the campground. A sandy trail winds through pine brackens and across a backwater marsh. The ruins of this old army fort are open for visitors, and I had a good stroll around.
Fort Pickens was one of several barrier island forts built in 1829 for defense of New Orleans, should the British ever come a’knocking again. It was constructed of umpteen million bricks, locally made, and was built by slave labor under direction of the army. The walls are 4 feet thick with brick and are formed in a series of archways. Why bother with arches, you might ask? Because only an arched structure could carry the weight of the huge cannons on top.
The interior of the fort is a series of chambers and underground magazine vaults where black powder was stored. At one point a fire roared through the fort, ignited the black powder, and detonated the west wing into dust. Shards of brick from the explosion were found three miles away on the other side of Pensacola Bay.
Other than the magazine exploding, the only action Fort Pickens ever saw was during the Civil War, thwarting the Confederates from taking possession of this area. A nearby museum, recently renovated after near destruction from a hurricane, explains the area’s history.
It was a good tour and a pleasant walk to the fort. On the way back to camp I took a side trail and saw several osprey nests in tall pines, the birds very active feeding chicks. Later in the afternoon as I soaked up one more day at the beach, the same ospreys were hunting the Gulf waters and carrying back long silver fish to their nests on the bay side.
The beaches at Gulf Islands are highly recommended. Blazing white sand, truly green waters, and protected dunes make it a joy to visit. So come on down and soak up some sunshine and history at Fort Pickens campground.
March 8, 2023
