Stretching from the tannic waters of Old River to the Gulf of Mexico, Perdido Key State Park is a 247-acre island of natural habitats among subdivisions and condos.
Protecting more than a mile of oceanfront on the Gulf of Mexico, Perdido Key State Park is Florida’s westernmost piece of public land.
Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: Perdido Key
Length: 2 mile round-trip
Trailhead: 30.289130, -87.478093
Address: 15301 Perdido Key Dr, Pensacola
Fees: $3 per vehicle at honor box
Restrooms: Yes
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 850-492-1595
Open 8 AM to sunset. No dogs permitted.
Directions
From Pensacola, follow SR 292 west around Pensacola Naval Air Station. After crossing Gulf Beach Highway, continue another 3.7 miles, crossing over the bridge onto Perdido Key, following Perdido Key Drive (SR 292) to the park entrance on the left. There are two entrances less than a mile apart.
About the Park
With two large parking areas and facilities for beachgoing, Perdido Key State Park attracts visitors and residents who crave beach access.
Sitting two miles west of the Alabama state line and directly south of it, it is Florida’s westernmost outpost for a public beach.
Covered picnic pavilions, restrooms, and a bathhouse are provided for your state park entrance fee, as well as beach access.
Anglers looking to fish for flounder, pompano, and other nearshore species are welcome to try their hand at surf fishing.
Hikers can follow the beach. Between the eastern and western parking areas, you can walk a linear mile on the sand, or a 2-mile round-trip.
While we made a point of looking for the old nature trail on the north side of the park, we could find no access points remaining. It appears to have been abandoned.
This might be to protect the habitat of the Perdido Key Beach Mouse, as so little natural habitat otherwise remains for this tiny species on the brink of extinction.
It was heartening to spot tiny mouse tracks in the sand on the dunes at this park. Boardwalks provide beach access, keeping you off this critical habitat.
Unfortunately, we also spotted visitors ignoring the “No Dogs” signs. Particularly on public beaches and in habitats with endangered species, we urge you to follow the rules and take your pets to a pet-friendly park instead.
Explore More!
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area. Perdido Key is shared with Alabama and the Alabama state line is only a few miles west of this park.
Perdido Key Discovery Trail
Showcasing the habitat diversity of Perdido Key at Johnson Beach, the accessible Perdido Key Discovery Trail is a gentle boardwalk over wetlands, forests, and dunes
Johnson Beach
As part of Gulf Islands National Seashore, the windswept tip of Perdido Key goes on for miles at Johnson Beach. Discover natural habitats and wild shores along its length
Big Lagoon State Park
At Big Lagoon State Park, enjoy exploring the sweep of coastal forest and wetlands along one of Florida’s largest lagoons
Gulf State Park
Stretching west from the tip of Perdido Key, Gulf State Park encompasses more than 6,000 acres of natural habitats on barrier islands between Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama.