Sandy beaches, ruined fortifications and alligators, explore Gulf Islands National Seashore!
Gulf Islands National Seashore runs along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and Florida, consisting of a bunch of barrier islands and a few coastal areas. Florida’s portion is famous for its white sand beaches. Both Mississippi and Florida have several islands. However, I started in a bayou in Mississippi.
My trip was greatly influenced on where I could get camping a couple of weeks ahead of time. Davis Bayou happened to have a campground. It was an easy decision. I went exploring fairly early in the morning. It’s not a very large part of the park, so it didn’t take long but I enjoyed it.
Jana Irving Coastal marsh views.
Jana Irving Can you spot the gator?
Jana Irving Ominous looking alligator.
Jana Irving A Green Backed Heron braving the water.
Jana Irving I hiked some trails. They all kind of wind into each other.
Jana Irving Early morning light.
Jana Irving Giant spider web, complete with spider.
Skipping ahead to the next day in Pensacola, Florida. I started my day at the Naval Live Oaks Nature Preserve across the Pensacola Bay. This is the most wooded section of the park in Florida. I really liked the trails here and I’m glad I went first thing in the morning. Not because of too many people later in the day, but because a wildfire started right after I left. I swear I had nothing to do with it.
Jana Irving The trails are all interconnected. I made some sort of loop. This was the main trail and impossible to walk on. Very loose sand.
Jana Irving Evan’s deer moss, I think. This stuff was all over the place.
Jana Irving A previously burned area.
Jana Irving A mockingbird.
Jana Irving I wasn’t surprised the preserve caught fire.
Jana Irving Not surprised at all.
My next stop was Fort Pickens. Completed in 1834, Fort Pickens guarded Pensacola Bay. It was originally constructed to protect from foreign invasion, but the only action it saw was during the American Civil War. It was one of the few forts in the South that remained in Union hands throughout the Civil War. Additions to the fort were later added, along with the constructed of other batteries nearby, until the fort was finally decommissioned after WWII.
Jana Irving The first thing you noticed at Fort Pickens is that’s obviously missing a section. A magazine caught fire and exploded parts of the fort all over Pensacola Bay.
Jana Irving Entering the fort. Some of the fortifications of this era still used moats. There didn’t seem to be one here.
Jana Irving Giant casemates.
Jana Irving In one of the bastions I think. They are on the corners of the fort.
Jana Irving No idea. Magazine, maybe?
Jana Irving Missing some cannons.
Jana Irving I guess you don’t need a moat if you have a counterscarpe? Fortifications are confusing.
Jana Irving Normally these kind of forts have ground and grass on top of the casemates. Looks like this one has not been fully restored.
Jana Irving A butterfly going in for a landing.
Jana Irving Closer to what the terreplein would have been like on top of the casemates.
Jana Irving One of the later Endicott fortifications. Battery Sevier was built in 1898 for more modern guns.
Jana Irving Part of the original walls of Fort Pickens were demolished to install Endicott fortifications inside as well.
Jana Irving The soldiers would use those rails to help them move artillery shells and things.
Jana Irving The Pensacola Lighthouse across the bay from the fort.
Jana Irving From Fort Pickens, I took the Florida National Scenic Trail to explore a bit of the interior of the island.
Jana Irving I found this cool butterfly, a Long Tailed Skipper.
Jana Irving A bit of a channel. Can you see the turtle?
Jana Irving There it is.
Jana Irving It’s a really nice trail, but do to the lack of shade, I would probably avoid it on Summer afternoons.
Jana Irving Battery Worth, another Endicott era fortification, finished in 1899.
Jana Irving On my way back to the parking lot, I found this guy getting some air.
Jana Irving A bunch of pelicans and the smoke from the fire at the Naval Like Oaks Area. I didn’t realized until about an hour later where it was coming from.
Jana Irving Of course, I found a cemetery. The gravestones are from the Chasefield Plantation Cemetery, originally located where Pensacola Naval Air Station is today. They were moved here in 1957.
Jana Irving To cap it off, a Pensacola white sand beach.
Gulf Islands National Seashore was a great visit. There is a lot to offer from wildlife to beaches to history. I quite enjoyed my visit. I barely planned this trip, but I’m glad Gulf Islands made the cut.
Check out my next update where I explore one of Georgia’s barrier islands!
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Explore more parks and public lands!
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