Fort Pickens Campground

This was our second time to camp here and it was as great as the first! The camp host were super nice.
The trails and proximity to the beach were awesome. The showers that are centrally located in the campground could use an upgrade but the ones that are in the same building as the laundry were great. The only problem we encountered here were the dryers. There was a note on one that stated that it worked but wouldn't blow heat and the other one didn't dry our towels very well but Gulf Breeze/Pensacola is just a short drive if you really needed to do laundry. Check-out is at 11:00am but we needed to stay until 5pm for my husband to work and the camp host said we could park at the Battery Worth Parking Lot which is right next to the campground.

The good: beaches and trails can’t be beat. A loop is nice and quiet, for more noise and activity, do a different loop. TV and satellite reception are tops. A37 is very private and spacious.
The not so good: A37 was the most unlevel campsite I’ve ever had when camping here. If you get this one, bring leveling blocks, you’ll need about 4in for back wheels. It is also full sun—fine in spring. Showers in A loop are not usable as spigot is flush against wall. The dump station does not have cover for sewer. You’ll either have to use your outdoor shower or drive to C loop bathrooms.

Our rate reflects the lifetime pass for seniors, so we had no entry fee and our nightly rate was half-price. But that was only a small reason to like this park. It was beautiful and quiet in January 2023. Our site had a Live Oak tree and we could hear the surf day and night. We walked on an isolated beach every day. People came out for the sunset, but still, there were small numbers. There are 200 campsites total in sections A through E. Many are tent sized. I think it is important to use the online tool to enter the length of the camper before selecting a site if you have not visited before. Section A is separate from B through E and has more tree cover than the other sections. Both Section A and Sections B-E are across Fort Pickens road from the beach, and each has a wood boardwalk of about 0.3 miles directly to the beach. The beach is wide, with white sand, and absolutely gorgeous. The campground has what I call the "state park feel" - not a lot of amenities, but definitely a lot of beauty and peace. There are bathhouses with laundry, and yes the showers could use updating, but still useable. There are dumpsters and a dump station; there is no playground, no camp store, and no sewer hookups. The electricity and water worked fine. The Florida Scenic Trail, 1299 miles ends here. And it also connects the two campgrounds and Fort Pickens. Fort Pickens, itself is a historic landmark and there are a number of batteries on the beach and along the trail. The Fort Pickens road travels from Pensacola Beach to Fort Pickens about 6 to 7 miles and is an excellent bike ride or drive.

The campground itself (we were in the non-powered loops) is a little cramped and the facilities a little old but amazing access to one of the most amazing seashores, we were only going to stay 1 night and ended up staying 3! Fort Pickens is totally worth a visit and the beaches are excellent. Warm water, we saw bioluminescent jellyfish, stingrays, fish - just amazing. Highly recommend this place!!

Stayed at Ft Pickens National Lakeshore in late April 2022 and the weather was low 80's. Campground B-E could use a few more trees but it was great with water and electricity. Paid $20 with my senior pass. No sewer hook ups but there is a dump station. Camp hosts were great! Many pads in the sites are short and you are not allowed to park your car on the grass or sideways on your site. There is limited off site parking to put your tow vehicle and you may be turned away if trailer AND tow vehicle are too long for the site. Before getting to the lakeshore the area is very congested with shops, hotels and tourists but as soon as you get to the park boundary it is pristine. After 8:00 only campers are allowed in and you are given a code to enter. The fort is somewhat interesting and you can watch the Blue Angels practice on most Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 10AM from the fort. Occasionally you will hear jets from the military base across the bay. You can fish off the large pier near the fort without a fishing license which was great fun. Saw dolphins, sea turtle and a manatee off the pier while fishing. There is a boardwalk to the ocean side beach across from the campground entrance and another path to the bay side beach from the campground. The beaches were wide, white and uncrowded. Walk the boardwalk to the beach at night to see the ghost crabs all over the beach and possibly see dune mice. There is a bike/hike trail to the fort and it is the northern most point of the Florida Scenic trail. I will be back!

We had been expecting to not like the campground, but had resolved to put up with it given its location & proximity to the beach.

We were wrong! We loved everything! We were in loop C. Boy! There are a lot of campers … it’s like watching a live moving RV show. Ur sorta camping in a field-type of environment. Not usually our thing. But? There was So much to look at. And almost everyone camping seemed very respectful. Daily cocktail loop walks were a highlight! Quiet nights & pretty quiet during the day too. I feel like we were one of the few staying the longest. Seemed like lots of campsite movement.

We did get evacuated. That was scary & unsettling. We were back in the next day at noon. As were 4 of our neighbours. So much wildlife. Ospreys. Dolphins. We might try Loop A next year. The only thing about that loop .. if u get one disrespectful camper, the whole loop will suffer. We saw that in action.

Bathhouse’s were not great and laundry was broken. Lots of tent campers so am guessing those facilities are well-used.

This campground will be evacuated and closed for any moderately bad weather. Any moderate rain or wind will cause potential flooding of the road/campground or sand covering the road. We got kicked out after 3 days of our 8 day stay, for a forecasted one hour thunderstorm. Have a back-up plan even if you are not there during hurricane season. Then they will keep it closed for several days. It is not worth the risk of getting kicked out. The ranger said this happens about once a month and usually remains closed for several days.

Ended up only being closed for one day, but there is no way to plan for how long the closure will be. We moved on and did get a refund for our cancelled days.

Be aware of pad lengths, ours said 32 feet, we could just barely get our 30 footer in and park our small car sideways in front. They will hassle you if you are off the pavement or not completely off the road.

You can watch the Blue Angels practice from the campground.

Lots of kids running around even during the week, I guess kids don't go to school anymore.

AT&T cell service is poor. 1-2 bars of 4G.

I was a bit nervous to stay here with our trailer based on several reviews that I read restricting a combined length of 32 feet. We have a 24 ft trailer and a 12 foot truck, but we had absolutely no problems. We arrived after 5pm on the first night and stayed in loop A for two nights. We were able to move our 24 ft trailer all the way to the back of the pad so that the axles touched the curb at the end of the pad. A good 6 ft hung off onto the grassy portion of the site. We were then able to fit our 12 ft truck onto the pad diagonally with all tires still on the pad. The next morning my husband went to check in with the rangers and they didn't even ask about our rig at all?!? I had read somewhere that you would need to provide your trailer registration to show proof of size, but that wasn't the case at all for us. Had our truck not been able to fit on our pad, there is overflow parking near the bathrooms in loop a that several trucks were parked in so we would have very easily been able to leave our truck there. Loop A is SO NICE! The walk to the beach is just a few short minutes away and despite the campground being filled up the entire time it was so quiet except when the Blue Angels flew over our heads. :) We fell asleep to the crashing waves and woke up to the birds chirping. The bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities were all clean and functioning well. We stayed one night in Loop C which wasn't as nice as Loop A. Loops B, C, D and E are all together making one huge campground. The sites are closer together and if you wind up with one in the middle you will definitely see your neighbors. We got lucky and were on the edge near the walking trails and it was super quiet. There is overflow parking for your truck in loop c near the walking trails. Most of the sites would allow for your trailer to hang over the curb at the end of the pad to add a few extra feet if needed. The bathrooms and showers were fine, but always crowded. The laundry facilities in loop c were out of order and there was a sign on the door directing people to use the laundry in loop a. The walk to the beach is a bit further depending on where your site is in the loop. Loops B-E are totally fine, but once you've had the taste of Loop A it's hard to go back. :)