We had been on this trail several times in our pre-Footpaths days. The Florida Trail is a 1500 mile recreational trail that extends from the Everglades in South Florida, to Fort Pickens on the western tip of Santa Rosa Island, a 40 mile long barrier island offshore of the Florida Panhandle, near Pensacola. The island is unique in that it is largely undeveloped. There are three residential and vacation communities spread out over the island – Okaloosa Island near its eastern tip, Navarre in the mid section, and Pensacola Beach near its western tip. All total, these communities probably make up less than eight miles of the island.
There are several things that bring us back, one of which is the drive in. We access Santa Rosa Island via the bridge at Navarre, and after a short drive through town we enter an 8 mile stretch of the segmented Gulf Island National Seashore. Simply put, it is focused beauty – white sand, stout dunes, wind shapened stunted trees, swaying sea oats, and glimpses of the emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Other than the two lane highway, the preserve is largely untouched.
After a short drive through the city of Pensacola Beach one turns onto Fort Pickens Road, and again, are treated to largely unspoiled barrier island habitat. Here the island is a little wider, allowing for secondary and tertiary dunes farther from the coastline, which harbor different plant communities, including pine trees. Drifts of wind driven sands accumulate on the roadway and park staff address them like the road crews address snow in the north.
We parked at the Fort Pickens Visitor Center, the westward terminus of the Florida Trail. The added benefit of this location is seeing the historic remnants of Fort Pickens. The fort was built in 1834 and decommissioned in 1947. It protected Pensacola Bay and the U.S. Naval Shipyard during the Civil War, Spanish American War, WWI, and WWII. It is a compilation of a hundred years of military defensive technology.
The beginning of the trail runs across the outer rampart of the old fort and along a moat that was placed through the eastern approach to the fort.
We walked atop this fort outer wall that rose above a wetland.
We returned to the path and soon overlooked a larger part of the old mote. This pool is usually teeming with wildlife and I have seen massive turtles swimming by, but alas not this time.
Overhead we saw these Brown Pelicans landing in the wetland. Like the Bald Eagle, the population of Brown Pelicans was decimated by the pesticide DDT. They were placed on the Endangered Species List in 1972. With the banning of DDT in that same year, the species recovered. They were removed from the endangered list in 2009.
The path is arrow straight and bisects the island. To our right, closer to the Gulf of Mexico, the plant community is smaller trees and scrub understory. To our left, on the Pensacola Bay side, there are wetlands and large pine trees.
In one of the Lobbolly Pines we saw this Great Blue Heron roosting.
We stayed on the main path for about a mile, until we noted a smaller unidentified trail that headed north into an area with mature pines and oaks. We opted for the “road less traveled” so to speak, to explore the unknown.
We were immediately rewarded when we got a better view of an Osprey nest that we had seen from the main trail. It was uninhabited at this time, but we can expect more activity soon as the Ospreys nest in late February on the Florida Panhandle.
We also enjoyed seeing this stunning Loblolly Pine specimen. When compared to Longleaf Pines, Loblollies tend to have a more rounded crown as seen here. In addition, their pine cones are not as big, and their needles, while 4 to 10 inches in length, are somewhat shorter than those of the Longleaf Pine, which are 7 to 14 inches.
The trail wove through hammocks of arching Sand Live Oak trees, providing a tunnel effect.
And then the canopy opened up and we found ourselves weaving amongst some dunes.
Further on we caught a glimpse of Pensacola Bay through some Sea Oats.
We had beautiful views onto the unspoiled beach and Pensacola Bay.
We, and these Semipalmated Sandpipers, had the beach to ourselves.
After enjoying our time on the beach and studying the plants of the dunes, we retraced our path heading back.
Odds and Ends:
This end of the Santa Rosa Island is a haven for birders and we saw several with cameras or binoculars out on the trail. Throughout this hike we were serenaded by the “meows” of the Gray Catbird but they were too shy to pose for photos. We did however capture these:
Yellow-rumped Warbler and Blue Headed Vireo
Magnolia Warbler and Mockingbird
Pied-billed Grebe
While it was at a distance, we saw this Bald Eagle carrying some material in its talons to add to its nest. Eagles in Florida typically lay their eggs in December or early January and the brood is fledged by late April or early May.
The collection of wildflowers that we saw included:
Beggar’s Tick, Seaside Goldenrod, Creeping Wood Sorrel, Florida Rosemary, Coastalplain Goldenaster.
This Barred Yellow butterfly was a new species for us and is considered uncommon. They demonstrate significant variation in wing color depending on the season, as well as other factors. The summer versions have paler wing color.
Being from the Ohio River Valley, we are still excited when we see lizards along the trail. We saw a couple of common Florida lizards on this hike. The Green Anole is sometimes referred to as the American Chameleon, and can change colors from green to brown to match its background. It does not do plaid or paisley.
The Six-lined Racerunner, as its name implies, is renown for it speed of up to 18 miles per hour.
Somewhere in the past I heard that palm trees were not native to the panhandle but that was incorrect. The Cabbage Palm, the state tree, occurs all across Florida and we saw a couple in the scrub of the barrier island. The Windmill Palm, which is less common, is another tree form palm that is native to the panhandle. There are two shrub palms to be found as well, the ubiquitous Saw Palmetto, and Needle Palm that is limited to the eastern panhandle.
Fall and early winter are the season of the berries and we saw a wide variety along the trail. Yaupon Holly, with its red berries, occurred in large swathes.
The Southern Bayberry fruit has a whitish waxy covering that was, and still is, used in candle making. They add both a unique scent and coloring. The plant is quite flammable and is not recommended for landscaping near buildings. Another name for the plant is Wax Myrtle.
Lastly, Earleaf Greenbrier, which is a important food for many bird species. Seven types of Greenbrier occur in Florida.
One of the colorful stars of the fall landscape are the Sumacs and we saw two of the three species that occur in Florida on this outing. The first was Winged Sumac, which is identified by the “wings” of leaf tissue that occurs along the leaf stem (rachis).
We also saw Smooth Sumac. Its leaves do not have the wings, and its fruit is different than that of most sumacs, being larger and having more of a berry form.
In summary, this was another great outing on the public lands of the Florida Panhandle. The diversity of habitats on this barrier island make it a birder’s paradise. Marrying the hike with a visit to the historical Fort Pickens would be a great way to spend a day. And if you are not really a hiker, the drive in through the natural island landscape is worthwhile on its own. Be sure to go slow and consider pooling over, where allowed, to take it all in.
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Photo credits to Peggy Juengling Burns and Caroline Burns Grizzle.
Overview
Location – 1400 Fort Pickens Rd, Pensacola Beach, Florida. It is 19 miles from Pensacola and 44 miles from Fort Walton Beach.
Parking – large paved lot at Fort Pickens.
Facilities – toilets at Fort Pickens parking lot. If you stay on the trail for a longer distance it goes through the Fort Pickens campground as well as a picnic area that both offer restrooms.
Trail Conditions – This would be an out and back hike. The main trail is packed sand and crushed shells and is also a bike trail. The side trail that we took became soft sand as it approached and crossed the dunes.
Benches – several noted along the main trail.
Kids – should do fine. There is a lot to see, especially in the wetland, to keep their interest.
Dogs – Welcomed on a leash but the sand can be very hot on their paws.
Suggested Paired Hikes – the Florida Trail runs the length of Santa Rosa Island from Navarre to Fort Pickens. Through the national seashore it is a beach walk along the undeveloped gulf front.
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