Fort Pickens Campground

We have stayed at Fort Pickens twice now, once in November and once in April. No worries about reservations in November but you'll probably want them in April. I picked up a cancellation for our April stay.

Our first stay was in Loop A which is has more trees and is smaller and therefore, quiet. It's a very short walk (.25 mile maybe) to the beach on a boardwalk. The sites are pretty short and we ended up parking the truck by the bathroom (the vehicles have to be fully on the pad and they're serious).

For our April stay, we were in Loop E which has large, grassy sites. We were there over a weekend and it was very busy with kids and party people but we weren't really bothered by any noise. People were pretty respectful after dark.

The sites we were in had water and electric.

Unfortunately, I don't recall what strength of Verizon service we had but we were able to make calls easily.

We camped here in March, 2016 in a 35 foot fifth wheel. The rate shown is with the National Park Senior Pass discount.

I hesitate to give this park five stars because it is hard enough to get into as it is but I have to be honest. I loved it!

There are several loops in the campground. Loop A is separate from the other loops and has fewer campsites and more trees than the other loops. Loops B - E are closer to the fort and the campground store. There is a separate bath house and dump station in loop A. There is also a boardwalk to the beach across from loop A. The other loops also have bath houses, a dump station, and a boardwalk to the beach.

The sites in Loop A are all narrow, paved pads with water and electric hookups. Each site also has a gravel area with picnic table and fire ring. All of the paved pads are narrow and none are extremely long but with creative backing in we were able to fit on the pad with no problem. Parking off of the pad is not allowed but there is an overflow parking area at the bathhouse. Some of the sites are a little difficult to back into with a large rig.

The campground is located about five miles from the entrance to Gulf Islands National Seashore. The beach was never crowded while we were there. There are restaurants and shopping in nearby Pensacola Beach. Historic Fort Pickens and batteries within the national seashore are interesting to explore. There is a nature trail behind loop A where we observed several Osprey nests. There is also a fishing pier inside the park.

If there is a negative to the park it is that the Fort Pickens Road is subject to flooding and you may have to evacuate the campground if the road is closed. We received a notice the afternoon before we were scheduled to leave that the campground would close at noon the next day. We were lucky that we were leaving anyway.

It was so nice to walk across the street every day to enjoy the beautiful white sandy beach and gorgeous sunsets. The bike ride to visit the fort was really nice, and visiting the fort was educational for my kids. We love to earn junior ranger badges at every national park, monument and seashore that we visit. It was really neat to stay right at a historic site and be able to ride our bikes there to do the activities for the junior rangers.

We have a 41 foot 5th wheel and our rig fit in site A4, but there was barely enough room for the truck. We made it work though by parking the truck under the hitch. Otherwise you have to park in overflow parking. The site was really nice though with a semi-private yard.

Verizon and AT&T worked well here.

Nice campground with great access to beaches, nature trails, and of course Fort Pickens. Biking and hiking opportunities are abundant. The beaches are fantastic. There are numerous birds to see; such as, pelicans, egrets, herons, gulls, etc.

Located at the entrance to Pensacola's harbor, you will see many boats of all shapes and sizes. Across from the fort, you have a great view of the Pensacola Lighthouse.

If you are into military aircraft, this is the place to be. Across the harbor is Pensacola Naval Air Station, which provides an excellent vantage point to watch the Blue Angels (this is their home base) on the days they're flying. Also, you will see Navy trainers and other military aircraft flying.

Be careful when selecting you site, because some sites are tight to get into from the access roads within the campground.

Not much privacy between spaces but plenty of room. There are five loops total. Only two dump stations on site. Beautiful trail leading from sites to Fort Pickens which is a definite must do if you are staying here. It is also a short walk to the white sandy beach which extends untouched for almost five miles. It is about a 30 minute drive to downtown Pensacola.

Nice park, reasonably large sites, bathhouses were modern and immaculate. Electric and water are a treat in a national park. Loved the sites to see inside the park.

We had a couple issues which keep this from being s 10. First, distance to other area attractions off the peninsula is longer than we'd like. More importantly, the site lengths are challenging. We saw only a couple sites that could accommodate a 40' RV. Tree heights are not trimmed well for taller rigs. We managed to avoid tree damage because we have a lot of experience towing, but we saw several RVs with damage from the overhead trees. Loops B through E are better in this regard, but the sites are shorter and harder to back into.

Stayed 4/30/17 & 5/1/17. We arrived just before a storm and were glad to have reservations as the campgrounds were full. Loop B seemed more suited for tent campers & smaller trailers; the parking pads were short. We walked the loops (but not Loop A), and it seemed all pads were back-in. We had a level site, and although there were some sandy areas within the grass, it was hard and wasn't an issue. There wasn't much privacy; even though there were many campers, it wasn't bad - there was more jet/aircraft noise from the Naval Air Station across the bay.

Bathrooms & shower rooms were nice with soap, hand dryers & ceiling fans. The handicapped bathroom stall even had it's own sink, soap & hand dryer. Large individual shower rooms had body dryers!

Camp hosts were friendly and informative. We were told Ft. Pickens Road is new and isn't subject to flooding anymore. The camp host told us the old road had gone along the beach and that's why it flooded. However, on one trip to town after the storm, they were plowing sand off the road.

Camp host also told us the camp store was closed since the park didn't renew their contract.

We saw a variety of birds, and many people were bicycling. The fort was awesome to explore, which you can do on your own. There are boardwalks to the beach for Loop A and another for Loops B-E, but we preferred the short drive down the road to Langdon beach. It has a bathroom building with a large deck w/picnic tables and outdoor showers. Surf was fun to swim in, and the beach was mainly deserted and clean.

We can't wait to go back!

We really stayed at this campground for access to the fort. We camped in December however the campground was pretty full. The rangers were great at letting us switch our site once we got there and realized how little privacy we had. We stayed in 24 I think under some trees. We were new to camping and heard nuts falling on our camper all night long during the rainy night. They have great little walking trails behind the campground and the fort was amazing to see. The beach is also across the street and they have a dog park a ways down. There are all sizes of RVs here and we were surprised some could fit. We had a 24 foot pull behind and our site was one of the shorter (height wise) spaces. The bathrooms were fine however the showers weren't great. They had hot water but the spigot was low and really tight to the wall. Honestly if felt like a prison set up. But we were thankful for showers. This campground is pretty removed. We did however stop at Peg Leg Pete's on the long stretch of road before the fort for lunch and it was delicious! We loved the surroundings but not our favorite campground as far as privacy and access to other things.

The park is located in a beautiful location, with the sound on the north and the gulf on the south. Enough white beach for everyone!! Better yet, due to it being many miles down the road (with no through traffic) you're not going to have the public visitors that you might have at beaches further east (so it seems more private, as far as the beach goes).

Fort Pickens is a nice place to visit, but I would suggest visiting the interactive museum on-site before exploring the fort itself (they have a great educational video about the fort, which adds to your experience walking around exploring the grounds).

As some have mentioned, there are a few negatives to this campground. First -- THE TREES!!! If you're in a full-height motorhome or large 5th wheel, you're almost guaranteed to hear the brushing and scraping of tree limbs on the MAIN LOOP ROADS as you find your camping spot. I find this almost to be unforgivable for any park, considering it's a campground for RVs, yet they do not keep the trees in-check for height clearance.

Another HUGE problem is that the sites are NOT accurately measured. For example, we made reservations in one of the last remaining spots... and it was listed as a 40' spot. When we arrived, the front of our 40' Class A motorhome spilled out into the road. We immediately pulled out, looked online, and went to one of the "first come-first served" sites in the A loop while we waited the next morning for the registration office to open (This was on January 1, and while the park staff had the day off there was absolutely NO indication that the offices were closed... in fact, signs were still up asking people to register at the front door, and an "OPEN" sign was clearly on and visible. A large number of people were backed up, waiting in the registration parking area thinking that maybe the ranger was in the restroom, or out for a short patrol. Eventually, people would give up and go to their assigned sites anyway... and their spots were quickly taken by new people who waited and waited in the freezing temperatures until they, too, gave up and went to their spots).

When I checked-in the next day I told the Ranger on duty about my "change" of sites, explaining that the reserved site was too short. She looked it up, said that it was a 40' spot... but she quickly told me not to worry about it and let us stay in the spot we snagged temporarily the previous evening.

Two days later I spotted one of the Camp Hosts outside "measuring" sites with a tape measure. I had a brief conversation with him and he informed me he was measuring the sites, as they weren't accurately listed. WOW. It's nice to see that they're taking action to clarify things rather than just ignoring things. That right there demonstrates some positive action on behalf of the staff and hosts.

Speaking of the Rangers/Staff/Hosts -- absolutely amazing people. Very friendly, in good spirits, and super nice (even during freezing weather, while they were dealing with people who got their rigs stuck in the sand, which they weren't supposed to be on, and freezing/bursting hoses, pipes, etc.) The staff was dealing with a LOT of issues (mostly due to people just not understanding how to camp in freezing temperatures, or not following directions/rules like keeping OFF the grass or sand)... but they did it with a great attitude. Again -- GREAT staff all around.

Power (30/50) was good... water pressure was adequate... and all the sites, that I saw, were concrete and required minimal leveling.

Many of the sites have overhanging trees -- and those might not be listed on the reservation website, so I think it would be wise for anyone making a reservation to check with the Ranger station at the time of the reservation to make SURE the site is long enough, and that the height will be good as well.

Speaking of the length of the sites -- until they get accurate measurements of the sites and post them to the reservation system, as a general rule you need to SUBTRACT 6-10 feet from their listed length. It seems that they consider a 30' site suitable for a 40' rig, currently -- as they assume that there will be a 10' overhang behind your back tires. For us, this wasn't the case. So be warned that you need to add 6-10 feet when trying to find a site for your rig. There are also concrete parking 'stops' at the end of each pad... so you need to know where your rear jacks will land before putting them down. If, like us, the rear jacks are directly behind your back tire line it means you will NOT be able to back up all the way to the parking stop (unless you like your jacks resting halfway on the parking stop, potentially bending the foot pads).

The location of the campground is either great, or just okay, depending on what you're looking for in a campground. If you're looking for peaceful, quiet, and away from things just a little... this is a nice place. If you're the type that prefers to walk to restaurants or shopping centers, you're not going to like the location (although the drive into town is beautiful... as it's all dunes and beach and water views).

Peg Leg Pete's is the first restaurant that you'll encounter past the condos as you leave the park towards town... and it is VERY good. Filet steak was good... and I'm sure a lot of people go there for the oysters (we don't eat them)... but the grouper was awesome. Both as a main, included in the grouper chowder, and also in the grouper nuggets (which are what we wish standard fish-n-chips tasted like -- they were super good!).

So -- with those few issues now known to us, I would say that we would love to return (in warmer weather) for the beautiful beaches... but we'd likely only venture to Loop A, since we're not interested in the top of our rig getting scraped and damaged by overhanging branches in the other loops.

I though the price did not reflect the campground. No sewer, just electrical and water. The restrooms and showers were a bit dated. But the beach makes up for all of that. We stayed in loop E which is right across the street from a beach access point. Gorgeous!!

The fort and museum were really neat to explore - car ride away. The sites were quite short. We only have a 31’ class C motorhome and it was a tight squeeze in our spot. Some motor homes were sticking out of their sites with red scarves tied to their mirrors! Navigating the campground roads was a bit tricky - I could t imagine trying to get a class A through there- but there were many!

We came during a three day stretch of rain and the roads were covered with water. Pretty nerve racking driving through all the water. We thought about turning around - the water was so deep. Many campsites were flooded! Careful during the rain- call ahead and check your site.