Backcountry camping on Perdido Key (photo by Joelmutate)

Backcountry camping is allowed in the Florida Unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore on Perdido Key, but only if you arrive by boat. Walk-in camping is no longer allowed due to people trashing the place, though I don’t know what the thinking is to still allow boaters to camp. Are boaters a higher class of people? Those arriving by boat are allowed to camp on the beach as long as they are at least a half mile east of the end of the road that runs through the National Park property on Perdido Key. No permit is required.

Per the National Park Service’s Backcountry Camping web page, the following rules apply:

• Backcountry camping at Perdido Key is only available via camping by vessel. Walk-in or drop-off camping is not allowed.
• Backcountry campsites must be on relatively flat, level beaches without damage to vegetation or dunes. Camping on dunes, foredunes, or on vegetation is prohibited.
• Campsites may not be used by more than 10 people at one time and must be separated 500 feet apart (approx.1/10th of a mile).
• Refuse must be packed out leaving no trace (pack it in/pack it out). Campers must have an approved device to receive human waste that must accompany and be used by them. Human waste and used toilet paper are to be removed and not buried in the National Seashore.
• Camping is limited to fourteen (14) consecutive days in the boat-in backcountry and wilderness areas. At the end of fourteen (14) days, campers must completely remove themselves and their property from the National Seashore for a minimum of 2 days (48 hours) before returning for another overnight visit. There is a 42-day maximum timeframe for camping in the backcountry and wilderness areas during the calendar year.
• Camping, cooking, or other activities are not allowed in areas closed for the protection of shorebirds, osprey, or eagles, including any area within 300 yards of any nest which is being used by adult or juvenile osprey or eagle.
• Portable gas and charcoal grills are allowed. All burned and unburned material from portable grills must be placed in park service provided ash receptacles or removed from the area. Such material may not be placed in trash receptacles or placed on the ground.
• Campfires are allowed below the mean high tide line and not in any vegetated area. Campers must bring their own firewood to use and must take any unused firewood with them when they leave.
• Collecting driftwood for use as fuel for campfires is prohibited.
• Practice Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics.
• Keep a respectful distance from wildlife.

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