Gulf Breeze, FL. - Gulf Islands National Seashore crews were able to complete assessments this morning which revealed that J. Earl Bowden Way (Hwy. 399) is safe for traffic and will remain open. Fort Pickens Road has several inches of water and some sand. Staff anticipate that the water on Fort Pickens Road will recede and allow the park to reopen the Fort Pickens area on Friday, August 28. Pensacola Bay Cruises and the Fort Pickens tram service will resume on Friday, August 28. Fort Pickens campground Loop A (50% capacity) will reopen on Saturday, Aug. 29, and Loops B and D (50% capacity) will reopen on Monday, August 31. Several parking lots in the Fort Pickens area will remain closed due to standing water.
On Thursday, Aug. 27, the Seashore will reopen Johnson Beach/Perdido Key, Opal Beach, and Okaloosa Areas. Roads have been cleared and these areas will resume normal operations tomorrow. Naval Live Oaks day use areas will remain open and the picnic area restroom will reopen on September 4.
Fort Barrancas, the Fort Barrancas visitor center, and Advanced Redoubt fort remain closed due to the restrictions on Naval Air Station Pensacola.
About Gulf Islands National Seashore: Created in 1971, the national seashore stretches 160 miles along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and Mississippi, and includes barrier islands, maritime forests, historic forts, bayous, and marine habitat. Visit us at www.nps.gov/guis, on Facebook www.Facebook.com/GulfIslandsNPS, Twitter www.Twitter.com/GulfIslandsNPS, and Instagram www.Instagram.com/GulfIslandsNPS.
About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice and Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice.
~NPS~
Tags: news news release gulf islands national seashore severe weather florida
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
