For several weeks this fall, I visited The Gulf National Seashore near Pensacola, Florida. This National Seashore is listed as one of the top ten National Seashores in the country http://www.coastalliving.com/travel/top-10/top-10-national-seashores-lakeshores-00400000000404/.
It is no accident so many people come here because what you see are miles of magnificent fine, white sand and emerald green, glistening water that really creates one of those “wow” moments. I had been to this area before, but had not stayed in the Fort Pickens Campground which is located on Santa Rosa Island; a barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and Pensacola Bay.
As I soon learned, Fort Pickens is one of those “secret destinations” that all journeys have but require time spent uncovering the more obscure parts. What I thought was just a nice trip to a barrier island turned out to be that and much more.
On our drive through the Gulf National Seashore area heading to Fort Pickens Campground, I was so impressed to see such a pristine natural coastline and equally impressed with this preserved piece of our American history because to be perfectly honest; I had no idea what Fort Pickens was other than the name of the campground located on this narrow piece of real estate. (Actually the fort was named after Revolutionary War hero General Andrew Pickens, as I later learned.)
The road to the campground is about five miles long and very scenic. This narrow road and a sand beach on either side are all that separate the Gulf of Mexico from the Pensacola Bay. There is plenty of evidence that the wind blows a lot of sand onto the road because there are large mounds of white sugary sand heaped up along the road like piles of snow from a giant Nor`easter. On one side of the road are lots of tall, bare trees with branches that look like birds standing on the ends of them. (During our stay, I spent alot of time trying to decide whether there was really a bird sitting there or not. Most of the time "not".) Later, we learned these were dead pine trees that didn’t survive one of the hurricanes that surged the Gulf of Mexico over this island. Glad I wasn’t here then, but so glad to have the opportunity to visit now.
About halfway to the campground, I realize this area houses a “real fort” with “bunkers” or “batteries” peeking out from behind small hills covered with dirt and sand. Not much of them are exposed and there are several of them on the island. Some have large, visible doors to enter from the front, others present nothing from the road side except a lookout on top that once held a giant cannon; more evidence that this area is much more than a scenic coast.
At our campsite, we set our motor home up for what would end up being a 44 day stay. Afterward, I set off for my “adventure run” because I learn a lot about my surroundings on these runs. This is one of my favorite things to do when I am in a new area. Our campground neighbors told me to take a trail from the campground to the end of Santa Rosa Island. So about a mile and a half run down a nice, sand packed trail, I found the main part of Fort Pickens complete with a wall surrounding it. It was so amazing to see these well-preserved remnants of our American history just sitting there on the end of this picturesque island.
To get a better view, I climbed the wall and ran the perimeter of the fort which is surrounded on three sides by the bay, the harbor, and the gulf. What a view! Not only of the water, but also of the many structures that make up this large fort. I knew I wanted to learn more about this place so I located the visitor’s center and found out there is a free tour every day at 2:00 pm, guided by a park ranger.
After watching what would be one of many gorgeous sunsets I would view here, I drug myself back to the trail and ran back to the motorhome to let Mick know about the hidden gem I found at the end of Santa Rosa Island.
The tour and history of Fort Pickens next... hope to see you "there".
The tour and history of Fort Pickens next... hope to see you "there".
