Fort Pickens Recreation Area campground has 200 single-family campsites and is located on Santa Rosa Island, a part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. There are 137 sites with water and electric hookups, as well as 41 standard tent sites. A group campsite is also available. Each campsite also has a table, fire ring and grill.
Campground amenities include drinking water, flush toilets and hot showers. There’s also a laundry, visitor center, swim beach, mixed-used trails and satellite TV access. Firewood is also available for sale from the camp host.
Fort Pickens offers white sand beaches to explore and a variety of outdoor recreation. Visitors can tour the historic Fort Pickents, a pentagonal fort built to defend Pensacola Bay in 1834. Outdoor recreation includes beach combing, swimming, boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, snorkeling, hiking, biking, picnicking and wildlife viewing.
There’s also restaurants and shops a short distance from the campground in downtown Pensacola.
You may also like Big Lagoon State Park, Rocky Bayou State Park, Henderson Beach State Park, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, Blackwater River State Park or Grayton Beach State Park.
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Fort Pickens Recreation Area sold out? Get an alert when a campsite becomes available at Fort Pickens Recreation Area!
Create Campsite Availability AlertA4, A12, A29, A30, A42, C11, C16, C44, E7, E17, E18
Year Round
4
200 + 1 Group
137 w/ Water & Electric
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A1 with us we have camped there the last two years and looking forward to going back this year
We love it right on the beach on Santa Rosa Island
Beautiful natural beaches, fairly isolated from the main tourist areas of Pensacola Beach. Located across the bay from the Naval Air Station, home to the Blue Angels, which you’re likely to see practicing overhead in season. If you need amenities and activities, it’s not your kind of place. If you like natural beaches, hiking and biking, Gulf fishing, it is! Here in December 2020, area still recovering from hurricane Sally.
E30 is not a good campsite. Please don’t say it is one of the 2 best. It is full Sun, not by the beach, and right by a transformer. Anything in A loop is what you want. Nice shaded sites, across the street from the beach, and you can hear the ocean from your campsite. Costs more, but there’s a reason. We love this campground! (And we are more boondocking type of people).
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your feedback and input on campsite E30. We will remove that from our favorite list! Happy New Year!
We have a very large tent. What is the best site for a huge tent? We would like a site with electricity
Hi Carissa,
Unfortunately we don’t have anyone on site (at Fort Pickens Rec Area), so not sure which would be the best for a very large tent. Hopefully browsing the photos will give you an idea, or perhaps someone can comment with suggestions.
When were these photos of Fort Pickens Campground taken? Thanks.
We shot the photos in 2014, but are planning to reshoot this fall.
Does Fort Pickens Campground have cabins?
Fort Pickens Recreation Area does not have any cabins, only campsites.