Johnson Beach is a perfect location for a fun beach day!

Johnson Beach is a beautiful Pensacola beach option located on Gulf Islands National Seashore. The beach has soft white sand that is perfect for building sandcastles or laying out and relaxing. When we visited, the water conditions were great, and it was the perfect temperature to cool us down without getting too cold. Note that there are no lifeguards on duty. Bring along fun beach games to keep your whole crew entertained. Our favorites are spikeball and can jam. 

The beach is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, so you do have to pay to enter. If you live in the area we highly recommend getting a National Park Pass to gain access to this beach and other great locations in the area, such as Fort Pickens, but if not it is a $25 pass for the week for entrance to all of the parks. We have found that these beaches tend to fill up slower than the public access beaches, and they are very well maintained with great amenities.

This beach has 2 restrooms, giant picnic pavilions filled with tables, and a couple of outdoor showers to splash the sand off before heading out. There is a spacious parking lot right outside of these facilities, as well as a ramp to ease carrying up all of your belongings for your beach day setup. If the parking lot is fairly full, you can always drop people and belongings off by the front then park to avoid carrying it all far. The beach can get congested quickly in prime seasons, so if you are looking for a quieter beach, keep driving down the road to the other beach access points. About 2 miles from the main parking lot, roadside parking is allowed, so you can enter further beach access points that others don’t even know are there. Another option is to use the bike path, which begins about a half-mile from the park entrance at the public beach access 1 parking lot. However, it is a $15 admission fee per person, compared to a $25 vehicle admission fee. 

There are very limited food options in the area, so we recommend packing your own picnic lunch to enjoy on the beach or at the picnic tables under the shade. 

Be sure to explore the rest of Gulf Shores National Park during your visit, and you can plan to bike ride along the 3 mile stretch of road or hike the discovery trail once it reopens. Read the Gulf Shores National Park Happyly post for more information on what the park has to offer!