See the Beaches web page for an interactive location map.
Johnson Beach is the designated swimming beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore’s Perdido Key Area. By designated, this means that it is the only beach in the Perdido Key Area that has visitor amenities and lifeguards (typically from Memorial Day through Labor Day). Amenities include a large parking lot, two picnic pavilions, two bathhouses with modern restrooms and individual changing rooms, a lifeguard station, and a Ranger station. Outdoor showers to rinse the sand off your body and equipment are located on either end of the pavilions.
The two large picnic pavilions each have a couple dozen tables. Six grills are available outside between the pavilions, as no grilling is allowed inside. One pavilion can be reserved and the other is available on a first come, first served basis (as is the reservable pavilion if nobody has reserved it). To make a reservation, send an email to guis_information@nps.gov at least two weeks in advance with your name and the date you wish to reserve. If you have any questions, call Gulf Islands National Seashore at (850) 934-2600.
There is a fee to enter the Perdido Key Area. See the Perdido Key Area web page here on National Park Planner for entrance fees, operating hours, and information on other swimming areas on the island.
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Last updated on April 27, 2022