Ft. Pickens Revisited

In 1990, we discovered the Florida section of the Gulf Islands National Seashore on Santa Rosa Island, a mile across Pensacola Bay from the city of Pensacola.  In 2007, we attempted to go there again, only to find that Hurricane Ivan had cut the road along the spit to the park, and that the park itself had been flooded by the tidal surge.  We had later been advised that the damage to the road and park were so severe that it was not planned to re-open it.  But always hopeful, we checked the internet as we were planning our trip "home" from Florida, and found that the park was indeed open again. 

We found many dead trees, denuded by the fierce winds of the hurricane.  The campground was more-or-less completely redone, with new power masts (much higher than the old ones, which had flooded), and many dead or damaged trees removed.  We were told it amounted to most trees, but we didn't remember the campground enough to note that difference.  We actually appreciated the more open and sunny spaces, although in the heat of the summer, probably not many folks would have agreed with us on that point.  The building inside the fort that had floated off it's foundation has been returned to it's original place, and the flooded-out park visitor's center and store have been refurbished.  There was lots of sand that had washed into the fort, but the pathways were clear, and we suppose grass will eventually re-cover the sand.

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For readers who have visited the many historic forts around the Puget Sound area, you would find that there was apparently only one plan for forts in those days --- the gun emplacements and ammunition storage areas seem almost identical to others we've seen.  Yet, the east coast forts were built sixty plus years before those on the west coast. 

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We had some fine weather to hike the sugar-white sand beaches and re-investigate the fort itself.  And when the weather cleared, we could watch the navy's Blue Angels aerobatic team doing some practice runs above us.  We also toured the city of Pensacola Beach, east of the park, to see how it has recovered from the hurricanes.  There were obvious repairs to some buildings, and more than a few empty lots where former beach "cabins" once stood.  And all the new homes are built on taller stilts (about 18') than the older homes.

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All in all, the park and the campground are a great place for our RVing friends to visit.  We recommend it.