Dubbed the “Forgotten Coast,” the stretch of Florida coastline between Apalachee Bay and Apalachicola Bay remains relatively rural and wooded.
It’s a protected coastline along the Gulf of Mexico, a scenic drive along the Big Bend Scenic Byway.
Dog Island and St. George Island temper the tenor of the waves reaching the beaches flanking tiny Carrabelle. Bald Point defines the entrance to Ochlockonee Bay.
Bald PointTwo decades ago, we stumbled across the tiny Camp Gordon Johnston Museum not far from the wharf where the shrimp boats moored.
It’s since moved to a larger location across from the wayside park at Carrabelle Beach, a quiet arc of sandy shoreline where tanks once rumbled.
At that beach, a historic marker acknowledged Camp Gordon Johnston and its key role in the success of D-Day.
Sunbathers at Carrabelle Beach, Dog Island on the horizonBut the camp itself remained elusive, hidden in plain sight. It once encompassed everything surrounding Carrabelle. The condos at Lanark Village are a part of its legacy.
As more public lands have opened between Sopchoppy and Apalachicola, more of the on-the-ground story behind Camp Gordon Johnston has come to light.
Interpretive marker at Bald PointA specialized Army training camp, Camp Gordon Johnston blanketed 159,000 acres along the rural shoreline of Franklin County, now an hour southwest of Tallahassee.
The camp opened September 1942, nine months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor urged the United States into the war against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
To train infantry in support of amphibious operations, the Army selected this particular location because of its remote and varied beachfronts and sand bluffs.
Using natural features along Ochlockonee Bay, Alligator Harbor, and St. George Sound, they could learn how to establish a beachhead.
Sand bluffs on Ochlockonee Bay (Chris Stevens)Along with traditional infantry preparation, trainees practiced landing and disembarking amphibious watercraft. Among these were LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) for combat use and DUKWs (“Duck Boats”) for logistical support after a beach had been secured.
At this remote location, the offshore shallows were unapproachable by the German submarines that troubled our Atlantic Coast.
Training in Florida, soldiers wouldn’t be under fire as they practiced reaching a beach and quickly setting up heavy equipment and munitions.
Establishing a beachhead during WWII: first US troops ashore in Sicily (Library of Congress)Their greatest challenges during training would be learning to handle new equipment while coping with the inherent dangers of this particular Florida landscape.
Dense titi swamps could be impossible to navigate. Cypress-gum swamps and bayheads had boot-sucking mud. Rattlesnakes and scorpions called drier habitats home.
Ancient, wizened cypresses in Tate’s HellThe unforgiving itch of bites from chiggers and ticks were new to men shipped in from beyond the south. Mosquitoes and sand fleas were a given.
The men persisted. They had to. Once they landed on enemy shores, they needed to be able to move as a unified team, each unit working with speed and precision on its assigned role.
Camp Gordon Johnston from the air, left. Right: A landing exercise. (Florida State Archives)Eighty years ago, those skills came into play on June 6, 1944. More than 5,300 ships crossed the English Channel to the fortified beaches of Normandy to drive the Germans out of their occupation of France.
The US Army 4th Infantry Division that trained at Camp Gordon Johnston led the landing at Normandy. Nearly 175,000 troops made it ashore. Against a taken-by-surprise force of nearly 850,000 German troops, 3,400 Allied fighters died or went missing.*
Details on a replica of the historic markerAlthough we now think of D-Day in Normandy as the only such landing, many other landings, each one called D-Day, occurred during the course of of World War II.
Training along Florida’s beaches saved lives. The Camp Gordon Johnston Museum across from Carrabelle Beach tells the story of this incredible effort.
Artifacts on display at the original museumOn the Atlantic Coast, the National UDT-Navy Seal Museum in Fort Pierce outlines the Navy’s success in training their men on breaching fortified beaches.
Established in 1943 after several U-boat attacks off Fort Pierce, the 19,000 acre Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base occupied the south end of North Hutchinson Island.
Underwater demolition skills refined here by Navy divers proved crucial to clearing intentional obstacles the Germans sunk off the European coast to tear up landing craft.
Left: Artifacts at Round Island Oceanfront Park. Right: Interpretive panel on the objects.While the physical aspects of these wartime installations have largely vanished over the past eight decades, reminders linger. Parks and preserves protect parts of these former WWII training bases.
Some have signage or interpretation to remind you of this chapter of Florida history in the not-so-distant past. For others, the past lives on in their names.
At Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, Dynamite Beach acquired its name from underwater demolition training offshoreFlorida residents were displaced to make these training camps a success, but the cause was an important one.
After Normandy, at Sicily and Anzio in Italy and on uncountable islands in the Pacific Ocean, the men who trained on Florida’s beaches helped bring the horrors of World War II to a positive conclusion.
Cheer on the faces of Floridians in a news photo displayed at the Camp Gordon Johnston MuseumCamp Gordon Johnston
Bald Point State Park From its namesake point at the Gulf of Mexico to the sandy heights of St. Teresa Bluffs, Bald Point State Park protects miles of waterfront along Ochlockonee Bay while providing extensive trails to roam.
Bald Point Maritime Hammock Trail A remote beach, a sweep of estuary, a broad bay, and the Gulf of Mexico: the beauty that surrounds this 1.3 mile nature trail at Bald Point invites full exploration on a 2 mile hike.
Bluffs Overlook Trail Within pine forests planted on WWII-era Camp Gordon Johnston atop high ground above the Ochlockonee River, enjoy vistas of the river and its bay from the St. Teresa Bluffs.
Granite Point Loop Traversing ecosystems undergoing degrees of habitat restoration, the 4.8 mile Granite Point Loop at Bald Point State Park features fantastic views of Ochlockonee Bay.
Tates Hell State Forest One of Florida's more enormous state forests with over 202,000 acres, Tate's Hell is a vast coastal swamp sliced and diced by timber barons before being preserved by the state.
Bald Point Sand Pine Trail Crossing a rolling landscape of sandy ridges, the Sand Pine Trail explores the largest scrub community found in Bald Point State Park. Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base
Fort Pierce Inlet State Park When the waves start crashing at Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, surfers command the beach. Offshore shoals of the rocky Atlantic Coast Ridge create strong surf.
Round Island Oceanfront Park Learn the story of one of Florida's more important roles during World War II along a wave-strummed shoreline halfway between Vero Beach and Fort Pierce Inlet.
Round Island Riverside Park Trails, boardwalks, and a boat launch on Round Island provide excellent opportunities to explore coastal habitats and spot manatees in the Indian River Lagoon.
Jack Island Preserve State Park A cluster of mangrove islands in the Indian River Lagoon, Jack Island Preserve north of Fort Pierce Inlet is a perfect destination for birding.*statistics from the D-Day Encyclopedia via History on the Net
- Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park - November 3, 2026
- A.J. Henry Park - November 1, 2026
- Okeeheelee Nature Center Trails - October 22, 2026