Ft. Pickens Road Opening Up for Business

It's taken close to five years, but officials at Fort Pickens want you to visit!
Fort Pickens Road is opening up Friday morning, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend.
Hank Snyder with the National Park Service says the demand has been huge!
"It's a familiar park to many many people. We had 6 million visitors before Ivan annually, and now we are down to about a million visitors."

Snyder also says a lot of trees were damaged in the camping area, so there will not be as much shade as they use to be.
The campsite has been opened since 2007 for people with bikes, or people who could walk to the site, but no cars were allowed.

Since animals and humans have had limited contact on the island for the last few years, officials want you to be mindful of the wildlife.
This is nesting season for the birds, so the speed limit is only 15 mph.

Park officials say there's still a lot of work to be done. If you plan on visiting the island this weekend, make sure you have enough food and water for each person in your group. For more information about the Gulf Islands National Seashore and Fort Pickens Rd., call 850-934-2600.