lynzi2004
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2016
Hi all! We are constantly looking for new adventures and fun places to camp. We especially like exploring the National Parks and decided to give beach camping a try over Memorial Day. We booked 6 months in advance and I'm glad we did bc there weren't many shady sites at Fort Pickens. We actually had a nice, secluded site on the outside of a loop. We had never tent camped at the beach, but tried to go in with an open mind! Lets just say Fort Pickens is NOT Fort Wilderness! lol The beaches were gorgeous but we ended up driving from our site to a parking area and then walking the boardwalk to the beach. One of the boardwalks was quite a distance and wouldn't be fun lugging a days worth of beach toys each day. The sites were overgrown and nothing had been mowed ahead of the weekend. It looked like we were offseason camping instead of a main holiday weekend. The bathhouses were new, but not air-conditioned. Talking with a lady one day, she said the old ones used to have AC. Why you would decide to take AC out is beyond me in Florida! There were only 4 unisex showers total per loop. We managed to get lucky most times, but we also planned to come in from the beach earlier to beat the rush. Often times, by the time we were walking out of the showers there were anywhere from 8-12 people waiting for 4 showers! We were mostly in a tent loop, so it might have been better if you were in a loop with more campers, but this definitely should have been taken into consideration. Also the showers were basically one stream of water, not a spray at all. Very difficult to get sand out of my 5 year old DDs hair! Hot water was plentiful though!
On a positive note, the beaches were completely uncrowded for a holiday weekend. It was fabulous! We drove into Pensacola Beach for dinner one night and couldn't wait to get back out to the campground due to the crowds. Also, the actual old Fort is definitely worth a visit. It was a highlight of the trip. They have old cannons and you can climb up on the ruins and look in the old builidngs.
We are willing to try beach camping again, but I think we are going to look at the campground in Orange Beach instead!
On a positive note, the beaches were completely uncrowded for a holiday weekend. It was fabulous! We drove into Pensacola Beach for dinner one night and couldn't wait to get back out to the campground due to the crowds. Also, the actual old Fort is definitely worth a visit. It was a highlight of the trip. They have old cannons and you can climb up on the ruins and look in the old builidngs.
We are willing to try beach camping again, but I think we are going to look at the campground in Orange Beach instead!