Girl and heron on a bayside beach within Gulf Islands National Seashore

---

For those with toddlers and small children who want to avoid the larger waves on the Gulf side of Santa Rosa Island in the Fort Pickens Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, an afternoon at the beaches along Pensacola Bay is an excellent alternative. Even if you are a childless adult, the bayside beaches allow you to escape the crowds found on the Gulf, yet you can still sit in the sun and go for a swim. The only drawback is the lack of rinse-off showers, so expect to get sand in your car when leaving.

While there is just as much shoreline on Pensacola Bay as there is along the Gulf, the beach access areas are a little harder to find. Fort Pickens Road runs right along the Gulf shore, so Gulf-side parking areas are easy to spot. Bayside access points, on the other hand, are not obvious, and in most cases, not even identified by road signs or park maps. Thus, National Park Planner has provided the locations of these areas.

WESTERN END OF SANTA ROSA ISLAND

You can access the Pensacola Bay beaches at the far western end of Santa Rosa Island by staying on Fort Pickens Road, passing the fort and the fishing pier until you come to parking alongside the road or at the Battery Trueman parking lot. There is a jettie in the area that is a good place to snorkel, and a lot of people come here to fish as well.

Bayside beach near the Fort Pickens fishing pier, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Pensacola Bay beaches at the western tip of Santa Rosa Island at Fort Pickens

Heron on the beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore

BATTERY WORTH PICNIC AREA

If you are heading west towards the end of the island, be on the lookout for a right-hand turn shortly after you pass the Fort Pickens Campground. A sign at the road points to BATTERY WORTH PICNIC AREA. Take this right and follow the road all the way to the end. You will pass Battery Worth on the way and may want to stop there, for the battery tower is one of the highest points in the park and offers excellent views of the area. At the end of the road is the Battery Worth Picnic Area where you will find a pavilion and a few other picnic tables. Behind this is a .1-mile, sandy path that leads to the bay.

Path to Pensacola Bay beach near Battery Worth, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Bay-side beach near the Battery Worth Picnic Area, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Sailboat on Pensacola Bay near Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore

FORT PICKENS CAMPGROUND

For those staying at Fort Pickens Campground, there are three paths on the northern side of Loop E that lead to the bay. I did not venture out on these and therefore cannot comment on the quality of the beaches, but they are close to the Battery Worth Picnic Area and are most likely the same.

ROADSIDE PARKING LOTS #1 AND #2

From the park entrance up until Langdon Beach, Santa Rosa Island is not that wide. Along the way you will pass two roadside parking areas on the Gulf side of the road. It is perfectly feasible to walk across the street to the Pensacola Bay Beaches.

BATTERY LANGDON

Directly across the road from the Langdon Beach parking lot is a dirt road that runs to the right of Battery Langdon. If you take this all the way to the end—first passing a picnic pavilion and restroom—you will find a small parking area and a short path that leads to a Pensacola Bay beach.

Sandy path leads to a Pensacola Bay beach near Battery Langdon at Gulf Islands National Seashore

Family enjoys the Pensacola Bay beach near the Battery Langdon, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Bayside beach near Battery Langdon in the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

Back to the Top