Andrew Jackson Trail at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

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Note: A portion of the Andrew Jackson Trail is part of my Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike, a 6-mile hike that covers most of the Naval Live Oaks Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore. If you are interested in this hike, a link to the next trail segment is given at the bottom of this report. The Loop Hike covers 1.4 miles of the Andrew Jackson Trail’s 2.4-mile length.

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Length: 2.4 miles, one way
Difficulty: Easy

Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike map (click to enlarge)

Andrew Jackson Trail portion of the Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike

Like all trails in the Naval Live Oaks Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida, I seriously doubt anyone sets out to specifically hike the Andrew Jackson Trail. The only immediate access to the trail is from the Youth Group Campground, which you can’t get to unless you are part of a youth group on a camping trip. Other than that, you must hike other trails to reach it, making it a de facto part of a larger hike. I covered a good bit of it on my Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike.

The Andrew Jackson Trail is the longest trail in the area at 2.4 miles. It runs east to west from border to border of the Naval Live Oaks unit of the park. I met up with it near its west end at the intersection with the Boy Scout Trail and hiked it until coming to the North South Trail, a 1.4-mile trek. The trail is a former road built in 1824. What is left of it today is about as wide as a horse carriage road.

If you arrived at the Andrew Jackson Trail from the Boy Scout Trail and are following my Naval Live Oaks Area Loop Hike route, take a right on the Andrew Jackson Trail at the intersection and head east. No sign marks the intersection, but you can’t miss the wide and sandy trail. Most of the trail surface is hard-packed sand, but there are plenty of stretches that are like walking on the beach, which really slows down your hiking pace.

Andrew Jackson Trail at the intersection with the Boy Scout Trail, Gulf Islands National Seashore

Stretches of beach sand can slow progress on the Andrew Jackson Trail in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

There’s not much to the Andrew Jackson Trail. It runs straight and has a few hills, but it is easy nonetheless. It is open to the sun for most of its length. The surrounding environment is mainly brush and stands of Live Oaks, and it changes very little from east to west.

Andrew Jackson Trail at Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

Pensacola Bay is not far to the north, which accounts for the sandy terrain. About ten minutes down the trail is an actual sand dune covered in vegetation. Its orange-colored sand makes it the most unusual sight in the entire Naval Live Oaks Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Orange sand dune on the Andrew Jackson Trail in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

If you really want to see something bizarre, there is a side trail that climbs the sand dune and leads to a cliff overlooking Pensacola Bay (this is not on the map). Not only is there a great view of the bay from the top, but you’ll also find yourself on the side of an orange sand cliff with a tall tree just barely clinging to the dune by its exposed roots. It won’t be long before the tree topples. Even more bizarre is a rope swing that some adventurous hikers hitched to the tree. And by the way, it is possible to get to the shore of Pensacola Bay by walking / sliding down the sandy cliff. It is steep, so it’s a chore to get both up and down it.

Tree clings to life on an orange sand dune overlooking Pensacola Bay in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

Exposed tree roots attach the tree to the sand dune along the Andrew Jackson Trail in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

Swinging on a rope swing overlooking Pensacola Bay, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

Family on the shore of Pensacola Bay in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

In less than ten minutes from the sand dune, the Andrew Jackson Trail passes through the Naval Live Oaks Youth Group Campground. In addition to camping, there is a restroom, picnic tables, and a picnic pavilion. The campground is only available to youth groups and must be reserved. The road to the campground is gated otherwise. However, nothing stops a day-hiker from sitting down and having a sandwich as long as the place is empty, though the restroom is locked unless there are campers. The campground is about .6 mile from the Boy Scout Trail intersection, and it is located right on Pensacola Bay.

Picnic pavilion at the Naval Live Oaks Youth Group Camp, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

To continue on the Andrew Jackson Trail, after passing the campground, walk down the paved road until you see a couple of power boxes. A sign marks the continuation of the trail, and it gives distances to various destinations, one being the North Bay Trail, .1 mile farther. The North Bay Trail, and the Pine Scrub Trail another .2 mile beyond it, both lead to the bay.

Continuation of the Andrew Jackson Trail past the Naval Live Oaks Youth Group Campground, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

About three minutes farther ahead is a gate that keeps vehicles off the trail (other than National Park Service vehicles). Just prior to the gate is a four-way intersection. Though not marked, the trail on the left is the North Bay Trail. If you want to hike to the beach and back, according to the trail map it is .6-mile round trip (I did not hike it). The trail on the right leads to a parking area that I assume is for people wanting to hike the trails in the Naval Live Oaks Area. Keep straight to continue on the Andrew Jackson Trail.

Gate across the Andrew Jackson Trail at the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

At this point the Andrew Jackson Trail becomes nothing more than a walk on the beach. It’s tough to get any traction in the deep sand, and your hiking pace will definitively slow. This sandy stretch lasts close to .3 mile.

A long stretch of beach sand on the Andrew Jackson Trail just east of the Naval Live Oaks Youth Group Campground in Gulf Islands National Seashore

You’ll pass a very narrow footpath that intersects with the Andrew Jackson Trail in a tenth of a mile past the North Bay Trail, but this is not the Pine Spur Trail. It does lead to the bay, but I don’t suggest hiking it because it is so narrow, which means you’ll be brushing up against vegetation where ticks reside. Continue another tenth of a mile to reach the Pine Spur Trail, a left turn from the Andrew Jackson Trail. No sign identifies it, but it is much wider than the previous footpath.

Pine Spur Trail leads from the Andrew Jackson Trail to the beach on Pensacola Bay in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

The North South Trail is not identified either, but it is a major four-way intersection compared to the North Bay and Pine Spur trail intersections. Just keep in mind that these two trails come soon after leaving the Youth Group Campground, so the North South Trail is the first intersection you come to after walking a good ways past the campground, about twenty minutes to be exact (.7 mile).

Intersection of the Andrew Jackson and North South Trails, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

The Andrew Jackson Trail continues straight for another three-quarters of a mile, eventually ending at Bayshore Drive near a few tire shops. It crosses the Beaver Pond Trail and the Old Borrow Pit Trail along the way.

My Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike ends its journey on the Andrew Jackson Trail at the North South Trail. Take a left to continue the hike. See the North South Trail web page for further information.

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