Pavilion at the Battery Worth Picnic Area at Gulf Islands National Seashore

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See the Picnic Areas web page for an interactive location map.

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The Battery Worth Picnic Area in the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore is comprised of a covered pavilion and a few other tables scattered around the immediate area. The pavilion can be reserved for a fee. If interested, visit the National Park Service’s official Permits and Reservations web page for Gulf Islands National Seashore.

The pavilion actually has two separate sides with a restroom facility in the middle. Each side has a half dozen picnic tables and two grills.

Picnic tables at the Battery Worth Picnic Area, Gulf Islands National Seashore

A few individual tables are located under shade trees. Each one has a grill and a water spigot. These tables are taken on a first come, first served basis.

Picnic table at the Battery Worth Picnic Area in the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

For those who want to swim or sunbathe, a .1-mile path leads to the water and a nice, sandy beach on Pensacola Bay. There was a pair of osprey nesting in a tall tree during my visit, and since these birds tend to come back to the same spots each year, don’t be surprised if you see them on your spring visit.

Pensacola Bay beach at the Battery Worth Picnic Area in the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

Osprey nest near Battery Worth, Gulf Islands National Seashore

A marker for the William Bartram Trail is also near the picnic area. Bartram was a naturalist who explored the southeast in 1774 and 1775. He traveled by boat while in the Gulf of Mexico area and only stopped on Santa Rosa Island briefly. This is not a trail you can hike, but just a marker commemorating his route and visit to Pensacola. The sign is located near the park’s outdoor amphitheater.

William Bartram Trail marker near Battery Worth in the Fort Pickens unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore

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