Start of the Dune Nature Trail at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

Length: .15 mile, one way
Time: 10 minutes (one way)
Difficulty: Easy

There are two boardwalks that lead to the beach near the Fort Pickens Campground at Gulf Islands National Seashore. The one closest to Loop A is called the Dune Nature Trail, though both boardwalks feature the same wayside exhibits that describe the plants and animals that live in the grass and dunes that you are walking past. The name only appears on a map of Fort Pickens and not on any of the signage along the trail.

Boardwalk leads to the Gulf Coast beach at Fort Pickens in Gulf Islands National Seashore

The boardwalk at Loop A is .15-mile long, and the boardwalk near the campground store is double that distance, .3 mile. Stated distances and times are for one-way travel. Most people using the two boardwalks are coming from the campground, so plan to walk much farther depending on where in the campground you start from.

Sand dunes along the Dune Nature Trail near Fort Pickens Campground in Gulf Islands National Seashore

There is no reason to hike the Dune Nature Trail simply for the sake of hiking. Nearly everyone using the trail is heading to the beach and probably couldn’t care less about the wayside exhibits along the way.

End of the Dune Nature Trail at Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Beach near the Fort Pickens Campground at Gulf Islands National Seashore

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