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jessica oyster

We visited the Gulf Islands National Seashore to see Fort Pickens. There is a $25 entrance to gain access to the Seashore. The American the Beautiful pass is well worth it! There is a historic village near the fort which houses the Visitors Center with tons of info about the area history. We also really enjoyed the interactive exhibits about the wildlife and plants. We were camping on the coast and took the opportunity to fill our water bottles and recycle cans at the center! The fort has a fun (air conditioned) souvenir shop and a Ranger is always on duty to give short presentations and answer questions. There are a TON of Beach access areas and the driving tour on the NPS app was a big hit as we explored. The Florida Trail ends here as well so a fun photo op! On a cooler day we would have loved to explore via bike.

This is the third set of Mounds we have seen and they are magnificent! The view from the Great Mound is stunning. They have returned the artifacts so the museum is closed but the grounds are worth the side trip. We saw a groundhog, butterflies and bees, dragonflies and birds along our stroll. Lots of interesting placards along the route. The fields are well maintained so an easy walk.

Take the ferry and enjoy a full day, half day, or overnight camping trip on the Island! Well worth the $10 to bring your bike over. We rode 16 miles in just under 4 hours and had a blast! The road is mostly packed dirt but some areas further north were softer sand. There are many hiking trails for foot traffic as well. We visited the beach, the ruins, and the historic buildings and loved all the interesting signage. Picnicked at one of the trailheads and had the entire place to ourselves! Plenty of places to fill up your water bottle and the covered roads kept us cool even in early June. This was our first trip but next time we will do the early ferry and spend all day! PS don’t forget to get your National Park Passport stamped!

This is totally a hidden gem! It is slated to become the next national park so visit now before the crowds. Really interesting visitor center with lots of historical information presented in a fun way. The Rangers will answer any questions you have about the history of the area and their inhabitants. There are several nature trails on the grounds, as well as a completely paved walk to the major points of interest. As of now it is free admission however, once it becomes a national park, there will be an entrance fee. Even the visitors center itself is historical as it was built In the 40’s by the CCC! Appreciated the clean restrooms and the COLD water from the water bottle filling station!

We visited Fort Clinch over a weekend and really enjoyed ourselves. There are two loops in the campground if you are looking to stay the night. If you going on a day trip, there is a wonderful day use area on the beach side with lots of parking, an amazing bike repair and bike wash area, a super cool covered birdwatching Area, and of course the boardwalk to the beach. Check the website as the beach access has been closed due to damage, but hopefully will open back up soon. If you head to the northern end of the park, you will discover Fort Clinch itself and it’s museum. There are also two access roads to get to the beach with the Fort as a backdrop. The park also has a wonderful mountain biking and hiking trail as well as paved roads for cruising around. There is an entrance fee per vehicle and visiting the museum and fort is $2.50 per person. Go check it out!

We visited Fort Clinch over a weekend and really enjoyed ourselves. There are two loops in the campground if you are looking to stay the night. If you going on a day trip, there is a wonderful day use area on the beach side with lots of parking, an amazing bike repair and bike wash area, a super cool covered birdwatching Area, and of course the boardwalk to the beach. Check the website as the beach access has been closed due to damage, but hopefully will open back up soon. If you head to the northern end of the park, you will discover Fort Clinch itself and it’s museum. There are also two access roads to get to the beach with the Fort as a backdrop. The park also has a wonderful mountain biking and hiking trail as well as paved roads for cruising around. There is an entrance fee per vehicle and visiting the museum and fort is $2.50 per person. Go check it out!

Nice loop trail with wide paths. It’s well traveled so you’ll have lots of fellow nature lovers in the area. Nearly completely shaded with a beautiful canopy overhead. You can make it a longer hike by continuing on instead of looping back towards the trailhead. Restrooms located at the far end of connecting loops.

We think of EastBank as home base! The lakefront park has 3 loops... 2 on the water and one up top against the forest. There are 2 bath houses centrally located but a hike away if you're on the outer edge. Tents and huge A class rigs all get along here! C Loop is our favorite as most of the sites are of moderate size and paved. Each site has a picnic table, in ground pit/grill, and a heavy duty prep table. As with most Core of Engineer parks, they have strict rules which keep it safe, quiet and relaxing. If a group gets too rowdy, expect the hosts to reign it in. There is a nice walking path to the Federal Dam just around the corner and walking around the loop will give you just enough activity to keep you feeling good on vaca. There are open fields and a net for outdoor games plus a group shelter with grills for lunch. But the star of the show are the sunsets! You'll have adequate cell signal and get a few antenna channels, but just bring a book and relax!