Fort Pickens

I camped at Fort Pickens along the Gulf Islands National Seashore so that I could check out the fort, and because it happens to be where the Florida National Scenic Trail has its Northern Terminus.  This is a really cool place that counts as a National Park, and a fairly unique one at that.  Where else can you camp on an island, have a national scenic trail run through the campground, and explore the ruins of a historic military fort?  Anyway the basic need to know here if you’re planning to camp is that you need to make a reservation with the park service prior to coming, there are in fact showers, toilets and running water, and you can do this in a small RV or a tent.  I’m a tent person, which made this low hassle.  By contrast when I was in the park office I overheard a staff member trying to be very patient with someone on the phone that wanted to bring a monster sized RV to the campground there that wasn’t going to fit, and the person on the phone just wasn’t getting that concept apparently, because not every environment is made for super sized vehicles.  I’m happy about that as a tent person.

Anyway here’s the map of Fort Pickens to start with.  You’ll see the Florida Trail running through it from the start, through the camping area, all the way to the actual Fort Pickens which is where the terminus is.  The entire outside of this is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay and is just gorgeous sandy beach.

Getting back to the camping for a moment, let me add that the major concerns here were wind because there’s no barriers out this far, sand which is going to dominate even in the campground, and since there’s no big animals out this way due to the location all I encountered were armadillos.  Here’s what a camp site looks like realistically at Fort Pickens.  There’s very little privacy from other camp sites because there’s just not much space to be had in the middle of this beachy wilderness.

The main attraction of course is Fort Pickens, which is a historic military fort that used to be used to defend Pensacola Bay over several different time periods.  You’ll see cannon battery areas, a maze of tunnels and rooms you can explore on your own.  Be warned, you’ll want a flashlight because this place is basically a labyrinth to get lost in.  I expected a guided tour, or someone making sure I didn’t go anywhere inappropriate since it is a national park, but in reality you get to wander this huge place unsupervised and it is really neat in the day to almost spooky as the sun sets.

You’ll also find beach to fish from, a store for visitors to buy merchandise in, a few things they call “trails” although the Florida Trail is the main event in that realm, and the cannons are at more than just the fort, there are smaller battery zones all over the place to check out.  Little plaques talking about the history abound, so you’re in for a treat if that’s your thing too.