Florida Trail Stop 3
in Florida
Standing in front of you is a wooden footbridge surrounded by vegetation. On the south side and closest to Fort Pickens, you'll notice a metal plaque enclosed by a brick structure. It was installed by the Florida National Scenic Trail Association to mark the northern terminus of the trail.
If you look into the water below the footbridge, you may see fish or alligator snapping turtles. Look above you and you may see herons nesting in the treetops or eagles flying overhead. Enjoy observing and taking pictures of wildlife, but please do not feed any animals.
Be wary of other hikers on the trail, especially those on bicyles or with dogs.
- States
- Florida
- Trail type
- National Seashore trail
- Centroid nearest city
- New Orleans, LA · 168 mi · ~5 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 30.3276°, -87.2872°
About Gulf Islands National Seashore
This trail is inside Gulf Islands National Seashore, a national seashore managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/florida-trail-stop-3.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/guis/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Florida Trail Stop 3 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Other trails within 50 miles
Florida Trail Stop 2
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida National Scenic Trail Northern Terminus
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida Trail Stop 4
0 miles from this trail's centroid
Florida Trail Stop 5
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Fort Pickens Campground: Loop D
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Fort Pickens Campground: Loop B
1 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.