Federal land means the rules are different. No alcohol. Dogs on leash on the bay side only. No fires. Pack out what you pack in. The reward is the only stretch of Perdido Key that looks the way the photos in the chamber brochure want you to think the whole Key looks.
Walk east from the parking lot for ten minutes and the crowd thins to nothing. Walk thirty and you might be the only person on a half-mile of sand. There’s no shade. There is no shade. Did we mention there’s no shade. Bring an umbrella, bring water, bring sunscreen you actually plan to reapply. The Gulf out here is the same Gulf as everywhere else but it feels different when there’s no construction behind you.
This is also serious sea turtle nesting habitat. May through October you’ll see roped-off nests in the dunes — leave them alone, turn off beachfront lights at night if you’re in nearby lodging, and don’t flash a phone light at a hatchling making its run.