On our way out of Old Town, we tried a National Park Campsite, sticking with the Gulf Shores Theme. We stayed two nights at Fort Pickens Campground near Pensacola, Florida.
Fort Pickens is another former US Army Coastal protection fort. Completed in 1834, It is slightly older than Fort Zachary Taylor. The fort is located on the northwest side of Pensacola Beach.
The campground is located southeast of Fort Pickens between the fort and Battery Langdon. It was very nice, and the staff was friendly. Restrooms and showers were available. The campground had some rustic sites for tent camping and other sites with water and electric. The sites were very clean and roomy.
This campground, as well as the surrounding Fort Pickens area, offered plenty of recreational activities. Hiking and biking trails wound around the numerous battery positions on the island, including Fort Pickens and Batteries Langdon, Worth, Cooper, 234, Pensacola (inside Fort Pickens), Cullum, Sevier, Van Swearington, Payne, and Trueman. We made it to all except Langdon, Cooper and 234. We hiked roughly 7 miles from the campsite to and around the fort and nearby batteries.
Fort Pickens is enormous. It is a five sided post with (Kevin counted) 88 artillery mounts in the original design. According to the park website, the Fort provided 205 guns to protect the Pensacola Bay, and the nearby Naval Yard (https://www.nps.gov/guis/learn/historyculture/fort-pickens.htm ). Later, an upgrade to more modern coastal rifled guns was added. You can still see the paths in the floor that were used to traverse (swing side to side) the guns. An 1899 fire/explosion blew out one entire corner of the fort, which was not replaced. Looking at the remaining evidence of the blast is pretty sobering.
Entry point to the Fort (from the trail) 
The fort was completed in five years (1829-1834). It was named for Brigadier General Andrew Pickens who fought with distinction in the Revolutionary War. CPT William H. Chase, the US Army Corps of Engineers officer in charge of the construction, employed slave labor, paying the wages to the slave owners. He also forced negotiations for low-cost materials for the project. It is amazing that the brick and mortar building of such enormity was completed that quickly.
Predictably, we took an overabundance of photos. Donna cannot resist the flowers…or buildings…or the cool colors on the aged brickwork….or the birds on the beach…or pretty much any opportunity to take an interesting picture! Feel free to scroll through the various photo galleries on this (and other) blog posts. Or don’t….your choice!
Lavender… 
Langdon Beach (located, predictably, near Battery Langdon) offered access to extensive beach access along the Gulf of Mexico. A very nice covered pavilion and indoor bathrooms make this a really enjoyable beach experience. We enjoyed our foggy (and slightly blustery) stroll along the sand, listening to waves crash, wading in the water, looking at shells, and catching a few other fun sights.
Exposed ECM (Earth Covered Magazine) 
…starting to move… 
We watched these birds for awhile….. 
Napping Birds
Despite the haze that clung over our time at Fort Pickens Area National Park, it is definitely a destination that could keep a camper busy for a couple weeks. Lots to do and explore.
