PENSACOLA SCENIC BLUFFS HIGHWAY

By  Mike Miller May 19, 2025

The Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Highway is an 11-mile drive along U.S. Highway 90 in Pensacola, Florida. It stretches from the Bayou Texar Bridge to the Escambia River Bridge.

The route offers views of Escambia Bay and red clay bluffs. Wetlands, forests, and parks line the path. It’s a peaceful drive with natural beauty and history.

Designated as Florida’s first scenic highway in 1998, it attracts visitors seeking a quiet escape. 

Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Sign

The highway traces a route explored by Spanish settler Don Tristan de Luna in 1559. He noted the red bluffs as an anchorage point.

A hurricane sank his ship, leaving a 16th-century galleon wreck off the bluffs, discovered in 1992. In the 1750s, clay from the bluffs supplied brickyards. Some bricks built Fort Pickens.

In 1973, the state named it a Scenic Parkway. Local efforts in 1995 led to its scenic highway status, finalized after a three-year process. 

The highway is in east Pensacola, accessible from I-10 and I-110. Drive north from the Bayou Texar Bridge or south from the Escambia River Bridge.

It’s open year-round, with no set hours. Bring water and comfortable shoes for walking. Stop at Gaberonne for picnics or Stony Point for bay views.

Bay Bluffs Park, at 3400 Scenic Highway, has a boardwalk and trails but is temporarily closed indefinitely pending repairs and improvements as of May 2025.

Spring and fall offer mild weather. Check for park closures before visiting. 

• The bluffs are the highest natural points along Florida’s Gulf coastline. 
  
  
• Red clay tints the sand pink at Bay Bluffs Park.  
  
  
• The highway passes wetlands with diverse plants and animals, like fish and shellfish. 
   
• Longleaf pine and live oak trees dot the route.  
  
  
• An 1854 sawmill’s chimney remains at Chimney Park. 
  
  
• The Blue Angels sometimes practice overhead, visible from the highway. 
  
  
• Local groups maintain the corridor to preserve its beauty.  
  
  
• The route inspired a trolley tour and bay cruise to highlight its history. 

PENSACOLA SCENIC BLUFFS HIGHWAY WEBSITE