Biking Gulf Islands National Seashore

Gulf Islands National Seashore is the largest of all the national seashores (spread over 12 different units) operated by the National Park Service, and is located south of Highway 98, which hugs the Gulf coast in the western section of Florida's Panhandle. We biked 15 miles of the Santa Rosa Unit off Navarre Island Causeway. Paved parking is available as you enter the island as well as in several sand lots as you drive along the bike trail, which parallels the road for 2 miles through the residential area as seen below..


Then you hit the National Seashore land and are greeted by expanses of white sand. I just left Chicago and it looked much like this, except it was snow. The bike path for the next 12 miles or so is simply a painted bike lane at the edge of the roadway, but since the road was closed for reconstruction due to Katrina damage, we had no vehicles to deal with and simply enjoyed the ocean to our south, the Santa Rosa Sound to our north, and the marvelous sand beaches.

The stunning sugar white beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore are composed of fine quartz eroded from granite in the Appalachian Mountains. The sand is carried seaward by rivers and creeks and deposited by currents along the shore.

Gulf Islands National Seashore's barrier island habitats, offshore waters, and submerged resources offer a variety of recreational opportunities for people year-round. In fact, more than 80 percent of the park is submerged lands teeming with marine life. Also, marshes collect fresh rainwater and support diverse communities of plants and animals. Live oak forests are home to resident and migrating bird populations.It is rich in natural resources, with sparkling blue waters, magnificent snowy-white beaches, fertile coastal marshes, and beautiful winding nature trails.