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, it is Florida’s westernmost piece of public land.
The beach at Perdido KeyResources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: Perdido Key
Length: 3.8 miles (North Trail & beach walk)
Trailhead: 30.289130, -87.478093
Address: 15301 Perdido Key Drive, Pensacola, FL 32507
Fees: $3 per vehicle
Restrooms: Yes, at the beach, but not at the trailhead.
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 850-492-1595
Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs are welcome on the North Trail, but not the beach.
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.
Picnic pavilions in the dunesCovered 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.
The beach is a habitat for tiny coastal residentsThe park’s dunes provide critical habitat for an endangered species, the Perdido Key Beach Mouse. It was heartening to spot tiny mouse tracks in the sand on the oceanfront dunes.
Boardwalks provide beach access, keeping you off this critical habitat. We urge you, per park rules, to keep your pets off the beach and dunes for the sake of this native species.
Walkway to the beachHiking Perdido Key State Park
Between the eastern and western parking areas, you can walk a linear mile on the sand, or a 2-mile round-trip.
Hiking along the beach is a workoutLocated on the bay side with limited parking, the North Trail provides a 1.8-mile round-trip into coastal habitats.
Perdido Key State Park North Trail
Florida’s westernmost nature hike, the little-known 1.8-mile North Trail is a leisurely stroll through the dunes on the Intracoastal side of this popular beach park.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking the North Trail at Perdido Key State Park
Slideshow
See our photos of Perdido Key State Park
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
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
Explore a sweep of coastal forest and wetlands along one of Florida’s largest lagoons, with panoramas that stretch to Perdido Key and the Gulf of Mexico.
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.
Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park
Conserving a vast swath of wetland habitats in low-lying areas along the Perdido River floodplain, Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park is home to four species of Sarracenia – pitcher plants – unique to the Gulf Coast.