Old Borrow Pit Trail at Gulf Islands National Seashore’s Naval Live Oaks Area

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Note: A portion of the Old Borrow Pit 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 in Florida. 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 .6 mile of the Old Borrow Pit Trail’s .9-mile length.

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Length: .9 mile, one way
Difficulty: Easy

Old Borrow Pit Trail portion of the Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike

Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike (click to enlarge)

The Old Borrow Pit Trail runs north to south from Gulf Breeze Parkway to the Naval Live Oaks Area’s northern boundary, which butts up to a residential neighborhood. The southern trailhead is located on the opposite side of the Parkway from the Naval Live Oaks parking area, though quite a ways down the road to the east. A paved Multi-Use Path runs along the Parkway, and you can walk the path to the trailhead if you so desire.

As part of my Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike, I covered a good bit of the Old Borrow Pit Trail, though not all of it, starting from Brown’s Pond Trail in the north and exiting from the trail onto the Andrew Jackson Trail in the south. If coming from Brown’s Pond Trail, take a right on the Old Borrow Pit Trail to begin the journey back to the parking lot. Brown’s Pond Trail dead ends into it, so you can’t miss the turn.

Intersection of the Brown’s Pond and Borrow Pit trails in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

As with nearly all trails in the Naval Live Oaks Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, the Old Borrow Pit Trail is a former road. It is wide, sandy, and flat, and cuts through an ecosystem full of palmetto bushes and other brush, pine trees, and an occasional live oak.

Typical terrain on the Old Borrow Pit Trail at Naval Live Oaks, Gulf Islands National Seashore

The first major intersection you will come to is with the Old Quarry Trail, which is about ten minutes away. Stay straight to continue on the Old Borrow Pit Trail. There is another side trail prior to this, but it is very narrow. All the major trails at Naval Live Oaks are wide former roads, so you can’t mistake them for side trails that aren’t on the map.

Intersection of the Old Borrow Pit Trail (straight) and the Old Quarry Trail (left to right) in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

The farther south you travel, the more wide open the trail gets. The brush is much thinner and the pine trees much taller. At one point the trail comes out into an open field rimmed with palmetto bushes. You will also hear cars from Gulf Breeze Parkway as you get closer to the end of the trail.

Wide open terrain at the southern end of the Old Borrow Pit Trail in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

Pine trees and palmetto bushes at the southern end of the Old Borrow Pit Trail in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

The Old Borrow Pit Trail “temporarily” dead ends at the Andrew Jackson Trail—this is not identified with any trail signage. Whether you want to continue on the Old Borrow Pit Trail or on my Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike, take a right. A short ways down is a turn to the left, which is the continuation of the Old Borrow Pit Trail. Taking this will bring you to Gulf Breeze Parkway, but a good ways down from the Naval Live Oaks parking lot as mentioned earlier.

Intersection of the Old Borrow Pit and Andrew Jackson trails in the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

To continue on the Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike, stay straight on the Andrew Jackson Trail instead of turning left to hike towards Gulf Breeze Parkway on the Old Borrow Pit Trail. See the Naval Live Oaks Loop Hike Conclusion web page for information on the trails back to the parking lot.

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