December 15, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie
On the southern Alabama and Florida Panhandle Coastline
The Gulf Islands National Seashore on the southern coast of Alabama and the Florida panhandle is a magnificent area to see with its sandy white beaches and emerald blue waters. I didn’t realize there were so many different areas designated as national seashore and protected. We were fortunate to find so many wonderful parts to explore.
The first section we found was the Rosamond Johnson Beach area. This section is located east of Perdido Key, Florida. We are staying in Foley, Alabama and it is a straight drive south to Gulf Shores, Alabama. From there we simply drove east on Beach Blvd for about 15 miles until we entered the gate.
Rich and I have the National Park Pass which gets us into the National areas for free, but if you don’t have one, it will cost you to enter. $15 per person or $25 per vehicle.
Sadly, the road past the entrance going to Fort McRee is closed for repairs and won’t reopen until March 1. The furthest you can drive is to the Johnson Beach parking lot.
The second area we found was the Fort Pickens area. Fort Pickens is one of four military forts that was designed to protect Pensacola in the 1800s and is located west of Pensacola Beach on the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The drive back to the fort is filled with protected dunes.
Fort Pickens was the largest of a group of pentagonal-shaped fortifications designed to defend Pensacola Harbor in the 1800s.
It is located at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island, just offshore from the mainland. Fort Pickens guarded the island and the entrance to the harbor.
It was built with over 20 million bricks and was completed in 1834. I love exploring these old forts and imagining what it must have been like for the soldiers to live and work there.
Fort Pickens defended Pensacola Harbor along with Fort Barrancas, Fort McRee, and the Navy Yard. It guarded the island and the entrance to the harbor.
Today the fort is slowly being reclaimed by nature. Grass and weeds grow where soldiers once stood, and stalactites are forming as water drips through the bricks of the ceilings.
Fort Pickens is another pay area to visit. It will cost you $15 per person or $25 per vehicle unless you have a national park pass.
The next area we found was the Santa Rosa Area east of Pensacola Beach. We drove the road past Opal Beach to the end at Navarre Beach.
There are numerous parking areas along this road to stop and see the ocean.
I always search these beach areas for shells and just don’t find many.
Navarre Beach Marine Park is at the end of the road and is free to enter and park.
This is where most of the beach scenes were filmed for the movie “Jaws 2.”
The sand is white and the water is emerald green. It is breathtaking.
The next area we found was the Naval Live Oaks Area.
The Naval Live Oaks Nature Preserve is another part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and is near Gulf Breeze, Florida.
Notice the osprey nest in the photo in the top of the tree in the distance.
This is one of the most wooded areas in the park and features several miles of hiking trails, as well as a group campsite. The visitor center located at the park headquarters on the south side of Highway 98 is permanently closed.
I love that we stay in one area for such a long time and have plenty of time to see and explore all of the beautiful places. Staying in one place for at least a month at a time has been the best option for us. I hope you enjoyed seeing these many areas of the Gulf Islands National Seashore along the Florida and Alabama coastline.