Must-see Florida Panhandle beach! Johnson Beach of Perdido Key in Gulf Islands National Seashore 🌞 swimming, picnic, VIEWS 🌞 Florida vacation travel tips

Hi there!

So Johnson Beach is a part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

It is one of the many spots on Perdido Key where you can get gulf coast beach access in Florida.

It’s one of the Florida Panhandle beaches.

 

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You can also see low-lying coastal dunes at Johnson Beach!

 

 

And it is just to SEE the dunes!

You don’t want to walk across the sand dunes in Gulf Islands National Seashore in an effort to preserve them.

 

 

Dune grass is said to be fragile and an important part of the coastal ecosystem so take care not to step on any no matter where you are!

 

 

More specifically, Johnson Beach is a part of the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

 

 

There are many different areas to the national seashore in Florida around Destin, Navarre Beach, and Pensacola, in completely separate areas that aren’t connected… like the Fort Pickens area and Santa Rosa area. (There are also Gulf Islands National Seashore areas in Mississippi too!)

 

👆 National Park Service map: The Perdido Key Area of Gulf Islands National Seashore is located on Perdido Key near Pensacola FL and the Alabama border.

 

So the way it goes in the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore is that there is one main beach.

And then there are a couple other beach access spots you’ll find as you are driving through Gulf Islands National Seashore in the Perdido Key area.

Johnson Beach is the main beach of the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

This is also the main day use area of the Perdido Key area.

 

 

This basically means that it has the basic conveniences of beach facilities.

 

 

Beach facilities at Johnson Beach

Most notably beach facilities means that there is a bathroom.

 

 

There are also basic outdoor beach showers at Johnson Beach so you can rinse off sand.

 

 

 

Johnson Beach pavilion: Perdido Key day use area in Gulf Islands National Seashore

 

As the day use area of the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, there are also many picnic tables at Johnson Beach so you can eat with views just a short walk from the parking lot!

 

 

Stop by a Publix grocery store on your way to Johnson Beach, and have a picnic along the coast at Gulf Islands National Seashore!

There is the Publix Perdido Key about a 5 minute drive from Johnson Beach. (map)

 

 

Lifeguards at Johnson Beach

As per the National Park Service about Johnson Beach:

During the summer season (mid-May through August) lifeguards may be on duty.

 

Outside of summer months, you can still go swimming at Johnson Beach if there is no lifeguard.

 

 

That is, if you can don’t think the water temperature is too cold!

In the winter, spring, and fall, the highest water temperature you will encounter will probably be in the low 60s… mid 60s if you’re lucky! 🥶

For many people, this is too cold for swimming.

But there will almost always be a few people swimming along Florida’s gulf coast even in these temperatures!

I was at another beach access spot a bit further down from Johnson Beach, and there were people who had just come out of the water when the air temperature was in the 40s!!! 🥶🥶🥶

As one of them said… when you’re in the water it’s not so bad, but it’s coming out of the water that you’ll feel it!

 

 

The boring safety message for swimming at Johnson Beach and any of the Florida gulf coast beaches!

 

The ocean is powerful!

Rip currents exist! Know before you go!

 

 

Take care out there!

Look for the beach flag warnings… and take extra caution based on those beach flags!

 

 

As you approach the national park entry station for the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, you can look for the beach flag.

 

 

 

Cost to visit Johnson Beach

 

There is a national park entry station for the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

This means that there is a cost to go to Johnson Beach, and Johnson Beach is not free.

So the cost to visit Johnson Beach is $25 per car.

This will get you a 7-day pass for Gulf Islands National Seashore, and it will be good for all areas of the national seashore park.

If you have an annual national park pass, then you can use that at Gulf Islands National Seashore.

 

 

Black history in the US: Segregated “whites only” beaches + Who is Rosamond Johnson?

You can go to Johnson Beach for a piece of American history too.

By going to Johnson Beach, you will be in a spot that represented a darker time in American history.

Johnson Beach is named after a young black man named Rosamond Johnson.

Rosamond Johnson lived in the Pensacola area during a time when Florida beaches were not equally available to all.

There were “white beaches” of sorts with beaches for white people and “black beaches” of sorts with beaches for black people.

According to the National Park Service, one of the beaches in which black people were “allowed” to go to was the area around what is now known as Johnson Beach.

 

👆 Across Florida, there were “whites only” beaches. St Augustine FL was another Florida town with such beaches. To protest these segregated beaches in St Augustine, there was what’s been called the “St Augustine wade-in.”

 

This present-day Perdido Key beach of Gulf Islands National Seashore was named after Rosamond Johnson after he made the ultimate sacrifice, dying during war while attempting to save a fellow soldier.

 

 

When you visit Johnson Beach and the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, you can take a moment to reflect upon the times, then and now!

 

 

 

Gulf Islands National Seashore beaches in Florida

Whether it’s for swimming, picnic, or VIEWS, for gulf coast beaches in Gulf Islands National Seashore, you will want to go to one of these 3 beach areas:

• Johnson Beach (Perdido Key beach)
• Opal Beach (Santa Rosa beach)
• Langdon Beach (Fort Pickens beach)

aka if you’re just driving through and want to stop somewhere so you can go to a “national seashore,” then navigate to one of these Gulf Islands National Seashore beaches!

 

More below about getting to Johnson Beach parking!

 

 

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Johnson Beach of Perdido Key in Gulf Islands National Seashore

 

My visit to Johnson Beach was in March 2022.

Your experience may vary!

 

 

Getting to Johnson Beach parking

Johnson Beach is on google maps.

Once you are near, you will see the entry sign for the Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore!

 

 

You will then pass through the Perdido Key national park entry station.

Soon after you pass the national park entry station, you will see a turn-off from the main road.

This will take you to the Johnson Beach parking area!

 

 

Then after you park, you can head for the beach and/or picnic area!

 

 

 

Perdido Key shelling and beachcombing at Johnson Beach

I wasn’t looking very hard for shells, but I did come across some small shells.

So for shelling in Florida, you might try beachcombing at Johnson Beach to see what you can find!

 

 

As per the National Park Service about beachcombing and shelling in Gulf Islands National Seashore:

You may collect sea shells from the national seashore that do not have living creatures in them.

 

 

Driving more of Johnson Beach Road through Perdido Key area of Gulf Islands National Seashore

 

It will also be worth driving further along the main road past the Johnson Beach parking area.

If you continue driving, you will be driving with coastal dunes on both sides of you!

The ocean will also come into view at times too!

If it’s a windy day, you might see sand blown across the road!

 

 

 

And that’s a bit about going to Johnson Beach in Florida!

 

More of Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida:

• Opal Beach in Santa Rosa area
• Langdon Beach in Fort Pickens area

 

More of the Florida Panhandle:

• Blue Mountain Beach

 

Also see: What to pack for Florida beach vacation

 

In addition to national seashores, there are also national lakeshores in the US, also managed by the National Park Service:

• National lakeshores with amazing views
• Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
• Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

 

HAPPY OCEAN VIEWING OR SWIMMING AT JOHNSON BEACH!