Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf Islands National Seashore encompasses over 100 km of protected barrier islands and coastal areas from Mississippi to Florida, with the Florida district centred on Pensacola. The National Seashore protects the undeveloped portions of Santa Rosa Island (east of Pensacola Beach toward Fort Pickens) and provides the best beach access in the area, away from the commercial beach strip.

Within the Florida district, the National Seashore also includes Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas, and the Naval Live Oaks Reservation in Gulf Breeze. Entry requires a per-vehicle fee (annual National Parks pass accepted). The snorkelling around the Fort Pickens jetty is the best in the area; the hike to Battery Worth gives good Gulf views. Wildlife includes nesting sea turtles (marked nests are left undisturbed) and large flocks of shorebirds.

things to do sight
A story
The Gulf Islands National Seashore protects some of the last undeveloped barrier island habitat on the Gulf of Mexico — a string of white quartz sand islands and keys that once ran continuously from Mississippi to Florida before development filled in most of the gaps. The quartz sand is so fine and reflective that it stays cool even in intense summer heat, unlike tropical white coral sand. In early morning before the beach crowds arrive, the stretch of Santa Rosa Island inside the National Seashore looks as it did before humans arrived: white sand, turquoise water, shore birds, and nothing else.