Johnson Beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore’s Perdido Key Area
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 beach is open 5 AM to 9 PM from March 1st through October 31st, and 5 AM to 6 PM the rest of the year. The entrance is gated, and there is a fee to enter. See the Perdido Key Area web page here on National Park Planner for entrance fees and information on other swimming beaches on the island.
Riding the surf at Johnson Beach on Perdido Key in Florida, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Johnson Beach at Gulf Islands National Seashore’s Perdido Key Area
Outdoor showers at Johnson Beach on Perdido Key, Gulf Islands National Seashore
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). See the National Park Service’s official Permits web page for more information on renting a pavilion.
Picnic pavilion at Johnson Beach on Perdido Key, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Grills at the Johnson Beach picnic pavilions on Perdido Key, Gulf Islands National Seashore
Inside a picnic pavilion at Johnson Beach on Perdido Key, Gulf Islands National Seashore
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Last updated on March 9, 2025
