Established Camping
Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore
Warning 1 Alert is In Effect
There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!
Warning 1 Alert is In Effect
There is 1 alert for this campground. Camp safely!
All Fort Pickens campsites are available to book up to 6 months in advance with 24 hour booking window. First-come, first-served sites may occasionally be available for visitors who arrive at the campground before 5:00 pm.
About
National Park Service
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Overview
Fort Pickens Campground is situated on Santa Rosa Island, a part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore south of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, Florida. Visitors are drawn to the Gulf of Mexico for Gulf Islands National Seashore's emerald coast waters, magnificent white beaches, fertile marshes and historical landscapes. Come explore with us today!__ Each camp site offers a fire pit, picnic table, and a paved pad to park on. There are heated showers and flush toilets. We offer electric and non-electric sites. Many of our sites have restrictions from low limbs or bushes so be sure you will fit. Limited overflow parking is available. Choose a site that will accommodate all of your equipment.__ Campers may not stay in the campground more than 14 consecutive days. This policy is strictly enforced. Entrance fees are required for the Fort Pickens area and are good for seven consecutive days from purchase.__ Pets are not allowed on any beaches sound and gulf side, ferries, piers, in forts, batteries, pavilions, or inside facilities.__
Recreation
Many visitors young and old come to Fort Pickens to enjoy its scenic location on the beach. The white sands of Santa Rosa Island are the perfect place for a long walk or an afternoon of building sandcastles. The warm ocean waters are great for swimming and snorkeling. Fishermen will find a pier just a short distance from the picnic pavilions. It can be used by visitors without a Florida fishing license. Many hiking trails through the sand dunes provide beautiful views and hours of exploration. Historic Fort Pickens, a pentagonal fort built to defend Pensacola Bay in 1834, is just 1 mile from the campground. The structure was fortified after the War of 1812 and was one of four forts in the South never occupied by Confederates during the Civil War.
Facilities
This campground is open for reservations year-round. It contains 137 family sites with electricity (30 & 50 amp) and water hookups, as well as 40 non-electric tent sites, one non-electric tent only group site with water hookup is also available. Fort Pickens also has 6 wheelchair accessible sites with electricity and 2 wheelchair accessible sites without electricity. Amenities include flush toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. There are no boat ramps in the Fort Pickens area. All Fort Pickens campsites are available to book up to 6 months in advance with 24 hour booking window. Fort Pickens does not have a wait list. You can set up alerts with your rec.gov account to be notified when a site opens.__Please feel free to bring your own firewood as the Park doesn't have any to sell.
Natural Features
The campground is located on a barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay. Groves of live oak trees are scattered across the island, providing shelter for resident and migrating bird populations, as well as shade for park visitors. The Gulf Islands National Seashore is home to sparkling blue waters, white beaches and coastal marshes. However, more than 80% of the national park is underwater, as it's a vital protective habitat to marine life.
Nearby Attractions
The campground is a short distance from restaurants and beach nightlife, downtown Pensacola, the Pensacola Naval Air Station and Naval Aviation Museum, the Pensacola Lighthouse and other historic sites. Campsites are within 1/4 mile of the beaches of the Emerald Coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay.
Charges & Cancellations
Cancellation and modification fees are non-refundable.
Reservation Info
Fort Pickens Campground facility is open during the following season(s):
-September 03, 2019 – December 31, 2019 (Non-Peak Season)
-January 01, 2020 – February 29, 2020 (Non-Peak Season)
-March 01, 2020 – September 07, 2020 (Peak Season)
Location
Fort Pickens Campground — Gulf Islands National Seashore is located in Florida
Directions
Physical Address (NO MAIL SERVICE): 1400 Fort Pickens Road, Pensacola Beach, FL 32561 From I10W: 1. At Exit 12, head right on the ramp for I-110 South toward Pensacola Bch / Pensacola; 6.2 mi 2. Take the ramp on the left for FL-30 / E Chase St; 0.6 mi 3.Keep straight to get onto US-98 E Bus / FL-30 / E Chase St; 341 ft 4. Keep straight to get onto US-98 E / FL-30 / E Chase St; 5.5 mi From I-10 East of Navarre to U.S. 98, using State Road 87: 1. Take I-10, Exit 31 (State Road 87) south. 2. Continue to south on State Road 87 to U.S. 98 in Navarre. 3. Travel west on U.S. 98 to Gulf Breeze or Pensacola Beach.__ 4. Turn right onto FL Highway 399 to Pensacola Beach. A (Sunpass)__toll booth is on entering Pensacola Beach. Proceed to first light; turn right onto Fort Pickens Road. It is about 3 miles to the park entrance station where you pay to enter, then go 4 miles to the campground registration office.
Address
1400 FORT PICKENS ROAD
Pensacola beach, FL 32561
Coordinates
30.3227778 N
87.2741667 W
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiPoor
- VerizonGood
- AT&TGood
- T-MobileGood
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Cabins
- Tent Cabin
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- WiFi
- Drinking Water
- Electric Hookups
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
For Vehicles
- Sanitary Dump
- Water Hookups
- Big Rig Friendly
Nice Location w Some Nice sites
Fort Pickens CG: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 3.5. Most of the campsites do not offer much privacy. Bathrooms and showers look to be poorly cleaned.
Price 2023: $ 20 w interagency pass
Security: Gate w code.
Usage during visit: 90% over the weekend.
Site Privacy: Open sites
Site Spacing: Close
Site surface: Blacktop
Reservations: Required
Campground Noise: Not bad
Road Noise: None
Through Traffic in campground: There can be a little traffic for bayside beach access.
Electric Hookup: Yes
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: Yes. There is one in A Loop . There is also one at the entrance to B,C,D,E Loops
Potable Water Available: At sites
Bathroom: Flush toilets. Unfortunately, the men’s bathrooms have very small seats. Bathrooms seem sanitary, but there is a lot of grime.
Showers: Private. Not all doors lock. They need to be more thoroughly clean.
Cell Service (AT&T): 1-2 bas.
Setting: Open surrounded by dense forest and saw grass prairie.
Recent Weather: Cloudy and dreary w a front moving in.
Host: Yes
Rig Size: Large rigs
Sites: In my opinion A Loop is the best of loops. It is smaller and sits by itself.
Outside sites which have a little extra to offer: C35,C39,C45,A4,A27,A29,A30,A34,A37,
Nicer inside sites: E 14, E 13, E11 E9, E7,
C24, C 22, C 21 , C20, A 24, A26,
Nice Park
Level pavement sites. Stayed in C loop. Site are well spaced. Water and electricity at site. Dump station at entrance.
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History, Nature, Beautiful Beaches
I loved this place. The fort is so cool and the history of this place is fascinating. I like the campground, clean bathhouses, nice beaches and trails. The sites are a little bit close but not uncommon for national parks. Some are very short so check to make sure you are going to fit. They closely monitor the campsites to make sure that you are not extended past your site.
Would definitely recommend and come back.
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Watch the Blue Angels!
Nice campground in a beautiful area on the Gulf Coast. However, if you don’t like the sound of fighter jets then this may not be for you as the campground is directly across from the Naval Air Station at Pensacola. The Blue Angels practice there most Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the air show season. This is a good spot to base out of to explore Pensacola Beach, Ft Pickens. Beautiful sand beaches. Showers, laundry, fire rings, tables, and trees for shade in the heat of the day.
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June 2024
Camp ground In between Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay. White sand and clear waters. Had a blast! Blue Angels, dolphins, hermit crabs!
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Camping at the beach!
Our first time camping at the beach and it was amazing! The campground is crowded and lacks privacy, but we are only here to sleep!
The camp hosts we out working all day and greeted us at both campsites we stayed at (had to move one night to extend our stay).
The bathrooms stayed clean the whole time we were there. There is also a dish washing sink at the bathhouse.
I loved being able to ride my bike via the FCT to get to different beaches or to ride around the Fort extremely early in the morning. So peaceful!
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Good spot close to beaches
Clean sites, good bathrooms and hot showers. Nothing fancy here but it’s a solid campground. Dog friendly in the campground and on the trails/walkways, just not on the beach. Camp staff were friendly and helpful at check in.
Beautiful
We enjoyed our stay at Ft Pickens campground very much. Everything was well maintained and clean. There are walking trails you can access at the campground. The Pensacola Bay is on one side and the Gulf of Mexico is on the other. We went in December- a few days were cool and cloudy, and a few days were sunny and warm. The campground did close due to a flood warning, so we had to leave a day early. The attendants went site to site to make everyone aware. Make sure you have what you need, the nearest store is 12-15 miles away. We also toured the Fort while we were there.
Fabulous and so close to the beach!
We love the Fort Pickens A campground. It’s really hard to get a site so plan at least 6 months to get a site. We’ve been here in June and Dec but, Feb - March is the best time.
The laundry room is small and only has 2 washers and dryers so come prepared.
The beach is a quick walk and the trails are great for walking and biking.
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Fort Pickens
Friendly staff. Walking trail is great. There are historical sites to climb and explore with a building with educational information and a gift shop within the old fort.
Fort Pickens Campground
Fairly quiet campground with shower and laundry facilities. Spaces are spread out in most cases.
What an experience!
A wonderful park. Nice and quiet and plenty of exploring! The beach was on both sides as you drive in. The spots were definitely smaller than most other campsites I have seen. They do have struck policies on making sure your rig, vehicle and or boat all fit into the space provided. We booked through recreation.gov.
It was a great experience and I recommend exploring the fort. It’s all self exploration and it’s interesting to see how life and battles were back then.
Hidden Gem
We love Fort Pickens! We’ve been here several times and enjoy the hiking trail to the fort and the beach is a short walk from campground A. The campground is well kept and host are always close.
Downside is campsites in A are tight and there isn’t much privacy.
The dump sites was closed during 3-4 days of freezing temps and apparently A campground had issues and remained closed for extended days. Campground visitors had to travel to the other campground for dumping.
We’ve stayed several times in Feb, June and Dec.
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Our favorite so far
Campground not too private but dead quiet despite being full. Clean restrooms and showers with good water pressure and nice laundry facilities. Stayed 6 days and wish it could have been more. Interesting history, amazing wildlife, great fishing, pristine beaches. Friendly people. Really felt like we were on vacation!
Gulf Coast Paradise
This is located in the Gulf Islands National Sea Shore. It is on Santa Rosa Barrier Island just off the coast at Pensacola FL. They have left it as natural as possible. Paved roads and level paved sites. Water and electricity. Easy walk to the Gulf of Mexico or the bay. Park is exceptionally clean and well cared for. You will have to plan ahead to stay here it is always full
Great place to camp
For campers that like things closer to basic camping in unspoiled nature, this is great place to camp. The rates are great especially for national park pass holders. Loved $20 a night at discount. It has nice bath houses and most sites with electric and water. Also laundry available and dish washing station. There are also primitive tent sites available. Short walk to bay or ocean. Easy drive to Ft Pickens and numerous battery sites for site seeing. Easy drive over to Pensacola Beach when you wish to go for dining or shopping or other activities. We love it. Highly recommend for campers who wish to get away from high priced resort camping.
Awesome campground
So many things to do here. You have several historic Forts to explore. A discovery center to learn the history of the island and the wildlife. A bookstore with wifi. Beaches to swim . Pier fishing and land fishing. Many trails to ride your bike or walk. And a gated group tent camping as well as tent camping in campground. And the Blue Angels practice and fly right over the campground and forts.
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Best of Beach Worlds!
Nice to sleep when you can slightly hear the waves. Great facilities. Explore the Fort. Hang out at the beach. Kiting is great because it is not as crowded. Known for best shark fishing in the pass.
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All about the beach
We were here 1/27/22 - 2/2/22 for stop 2 on our 3 month winter escape The campsites themselves are quite close together and not much for vegetation between them. Excellent clean bathrooms and locking individual shower rooms. Several little trails for dog walking. Good recycling set up. Lots of wildlife and easy walking access to miles of gorgeous beaches IMO sites # 29-30 -31 would be great. We will definitely be back. Also we were able to make a reservation in 10/21 for this time in late January with no problem
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Nice place
We have a 44ft Roadwarror Toyhauler and the campground was designed years ago so its tight and spots are small we were in #C46 and had to park our 3500 Ram in overflow parking. Its beautiful on the white sand beach 🏖
One Of Our Favorite Campgrounds
This campground is on a national seashore, which means you either need a national parks pass to get in, or you'll need to pay the entrance fee (in addition to the campground fee). We paid $40/night but seniors get half off.
Water and power at sites, dump station with non potable water for sewer needs.
We rode our bikes to the fort one day, very interesting place.
The beaches were so nice and warm and the sand was so soft and white when we were there in December. Not too buggy at all, and there are resident armadillos that roam around the campground, so cute.
Free hot showers.
No privacy between sites at all, luckily we didn't have neighbors on both sides otherwise we would have felt really cramped as the sites are pretty close together.
There are different loops, and one dedicated for tents only.
Recycling bins on site. There's also a take a book / leave a book at the ranger station where you check in.
Really cool nice mellow campground, very peaceful.
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Wow! Incredible location!
I stayed here one night to camp off my motorcycle. The national park is absolutely gorgeous. Very short walk to the beach from the loops. I wish I could have stayed longer, but will be making a special trip back just to enjoy it more than I could in one night. I highly suggest getting a site on the outside of a loop and near the end. Sites are kind of small and the ones in the middle are very close to each other. I was on the inside and super close to my neighbors who happened to be a very large group of college aged kids that were drinking. It was very loud and obnoxious. I just put in my noise canceling ear buds to tune them out.
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Awesome park!
Amazing location within walking/biking distance of the fort and beach. Only downside was the wifi and cell signal wasn't strong enough to work so we only stayed the weekend.
Gulf island seashore
One of the nicest places to camp! Great facilities. The beaches and sunsets are breathtaking
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National seashore
We camped for 14 days and loved it. The beaches with there white fluffy sand and beautiful sunsets, will take your breath away. The campground is very clean and well maintained. They even have a laundry room. People would put dvd to share which was nice with so many rainy days
White sand heaven
Such a beautiful, unspoiled place! Shelling, hiking, watching sunsets, and a peaceful well run campground.
10 days same spot
Our recommendation would be to book early in order to avoid having to move from spot to spot. Be advised there is no sewer hook up so water conservation will be in necessity. Also they have a great bathroom/bath house facility as well as a dishwashing station which came in handy because there is only a dump station.
The beaches were spectacular and we enjoyed great fishing as well as other ocean activities. 
Lovely place
Aside from the campsites being a little too close together, this park is wonderful. Within walking distance to the beach, great fishing, beachcombing, and lots of trails to walk. Bathrooms are cleaned regularly, plenty of hot water, and camp hosts are friendly and helpful, as are the park rangers, who can always easily be found.
Beautiful beaches, Spartan accommodations
The beaches cannot be beat. The campground is reached through an unavoidable toll and a park entrance fee ($25/week personal vehicle). The grounds are well maintained but the bathrooms are basic as basic can be. There is no market contrary to what is listed on here. Firewood can be purchased at Tom Thumb or back across the bridge at the Publix in Pensacola. The drive to the campground from Pensacola beach is a long and winding road where you can see the bay and gulf at the same time. Definitely go visit the fort, bunkers, and batteries. Langdon beach is beautiful and clean with flyovers from the naval base often.
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