Explore Pensacola Beach

Isle de St. Rose

Celebrate Pensacola 450th logoCelebrating 450 Years

In 2009, the Pensacola Bay Area is celebrating the 450th anniversary of the founding of the first European settlement in the United States. The first out-of-town visitor to Isle de St. Rose was Don Tristan de Luna. In the summer of 1559, he sailed up the Gulf from Mexico, his 11 ships loaded with gear and food for survival.

Many do not know that Pensacola predates St. Augustine (1565) and Jamestown, VA (1607). Several months after the settlement was established in 1559, a hurricane destroyed the supplies, and within three years, de Luna and his group were forced to abandon camp.

The cross on Pensacola Beach commemorates the first Christian mass held in the United States when the first Spaniards arrived.

Fort Pickens

The Fort was completed in 1834 and used until WWII, when modern weapons made traditional coastal defense obsolete. Fort Pickens has changed over the years, so take the self-guided tour and peel back the layers of history. You'll see the plaster-lined rooms that were intended as officers' quarters, and later used to house Apache prisoners. The most famous resident, Geronimo, lived in identical rooms along the south wall, which have since collapsed.

Fort Pickens Update

The seven miles of beach from Fort Pickens Gate Park to Pensacola Pass is still only accessible to hikers, bicyclists and boaters. Fort Pickens campground “Loop A” recently opened to backcountry camping and is available on first-come-first-serve basis for $10 per night. Campers will have access to running water, grills, picnic tables and bathrooms with cold showers.

The campground is also only accessible to hikers, bicyclists and boaters. Boaters planning to camp can unload their passengers and gear near Battery Langdon located on the bayside of the island and west of the Ranger Station dock and hike on the bike path or Fort Pickens Road to “Loop A.”

Visitors planning to hike or cycle to the campground or to Fort Pickens should be physically prepared to walk or push their bikes with camping gear and/or supplies along unimproved roadway and areas of soft sand. The trip from the entrance of the Park to Fort Pickens is seven miles one-way. All visitors are reminded to stay in the designated travel corridor.

Historic Fort Pickens is open for self-guided tours during daylight hours only. The fishing pier is also open.

Before you go, you should know:

  • Shade is limited during the first four miles.
  • There is a one-mile stretch with only sand to walk on or push a bike across.
  • Bring plenty of water, sunscreen and snacks such as fruit.
  • No lifeguards are on duty.
  • Other than walking through the area, the section between the Ranger Station and the Battery Worth picnic area is closed due to safety reasons.
  • Do not dock at the fishing pier. Instead, anchor 200 feet away.
  • Restroom facilities are located at Battery Worth picnic area, firehouse area, Battery Van Swearingen and Fort Pickens.
  • Outdoor shower facilities are located at Battery Worth picnic area and at the jetties inside the seawall at the western tip of the island.