Gulf Islands National Seashore, a park rich in natural and cultural resources, is yours to enjoy and protect. There are sparkling blue waters, magnificent snowy-white beaches, and fertile coastal marshes. In the national seashore there are 19th century forts, shaded picnic areas, winding nature trails, and comfortable campgrounds. Diverse and abounding with wildlife, the park is not a single block of land - it is a mosaic. It includes 11 separate units stretching eastward 150 miles from West Ship Island, Mississippi, to the eastern tip of Santa Rosa Island, Florida.

The islands that make up Gulf Islands National Seashore are made of quartz sand eroded and washed down rivers from the Appalachian mountains. A sand dune today was perhaps once, thousands of years ago, a mountain top near the Georgia-South Carolina border.

Swept into the Gulf of Mexico, powerful currents pushed the quartz sand westward. Currents gradually built long, thin ridges of sediment on the shallow sea floor. Sand continued to deposit, the ridges grew higher and eventually islands were created.

• Barrier Islands -
• Davis Bayou -
• Fort Barrancas -
• Fort Pickens -
• Naval Live Oaks -

• Stroll along the magnificent snowy-white beaches, gathering sea shells and breathing in the gentle sea breezes.
• Explore the 19th century forts: Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas, Fort Massachusetts.