Fort Pickens
Pensacola Beach, FL
Fort Pickens occupies the far west end of Santa Rosa Island, where a Civil War era brick fort sits a short walk from fifteen miles of Gulf and bay beach inside Gulf Islands National Seashore. Rooms and tunnels in the fort are open to explore most days, and the campground nearby is the only one inside the seashore's Florida district.
The combination of a real fort to explore and one of the only pet-friendly beaches on this stretch of the Panhandle makes it a genuine local favorite, though the entrance fee and afternoon parking crunch in summer are the price of that popularity.
How we score beachesThis is the one beach in the whole seashore where leashed dogs are allowed right on the sand, worth the extra fifteen minutes past the gate if you're traveling with one. Fort tours run without a guide most of the year, bring a flashlight if you want to see into the darker casemates.
The entrance fee runs 20 dollars a vehicle, 15 for a motorcycle, and 10 for anyone walking or biking in, good for seven days across every seashore area. Parking near the fort and the main beach lots fills by late morning in summer.
Paved roads and lots lead right up to the beach dune line, with a short walk of soft sand from there to the water. The fort itself has uneven brick floors and stairs, not stroller or wheelchair friendly throughout.
Leashed dogs are welcome on Fort Pickens's beaches, an exception to the no pets rule that applies everywhere else in Gulf Islands National Seashore.
Summer draws the heaviest crowds and warmest water, well into the 80s, along with the start of hurricane season in June. Fall and spring keep the fort and beach both usable with far fewer people around.
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