Barrier Dunes Details

Barrier Dunes – Beach Front Community in the Florida Panhandle! 

Barrier Dunes takes it’s name from the soft, sugar white sand dunes sculpted here over countless centuries by gulf shore breezes.  Barrier Dunes, a gated, gulf front neighborhood located next to St. Joseph State Park which takes up the last 10 miles of the 20 mile long Cape San Blas (the last 7 miles of Cape San Blas has no roads—just pristine beach & bay!) on the St. Joseph Peninsula.

It is tucked peacefully away from crowded highways–heck, Cape San Blas doesn’t even have a traffic light! Quiet, secluded (though close enough to everything to have the BEST of both worlds!), with no high-rise condos or “bright lights,” with only St. Joseph Bay & the Gulf of Mexico to crowd it!

Barrier Dunes is a peaceful gated, community offering everything you need to make your vacation to Cape San Blas, FL memorable. Barrier Dunes has been carefully developed with a commitment to preserve this beautiful beach environment.

All of the Barrier Dunes townhouses are connected by a series of boardwalks that take you to 2 lighted tennis courts, private fresh water fishing ponds, 2 pools (1 direct beachfront & the 2nd HEATED in March, April, October & November), pet stations throughout, boat washing area, boat parking & a playground.

Barrier Dunes is set up to ensure that all homes enjoy privacy, are close to the beach, ocean & amenities.  At every turn you will find peaceful views of sand dunes, the sea & piney woodland that make Barrier Dunes a beautiful place to for your year around Florida Panhandle beach vacation.

Scroll down for a map of Barrier Dunes. I offer the following Cape San Blas vacation rental homes, all in Barrier Dunes: 1, 15, 41,  52, 67, 91, 177, 188 & 191.

END UNITS:   Barrier Dunes 1, 15, 4, 67, 91, 177, 188 & 191

DIRECT BEACHFRONT:  Barrier Dunes 1.  The other 8 rentals only 20 – 200 steps to the beach, so all are VERY close..

If you need more than 1 rental, they are all close & here are some great matches:

•   Turtle Crawl & Turtle Tracks are 2 end units in the same building and Cape    Escape II is just around the bend.
•   Cape Happy Hour & Cape Escape I are right across from each other.
•   Waters Edge & Sea Breeze are almost right across from each other
•   Gulf Breeze is just outside the front door of Walking on Sunshine

The map of Barrier Dunes makes the community seem very large. Even if you were to walk from the beach to the last building it wouldn’t take 5 minutes (none of our vacation rentals are beyond Barrier Dunes/Sand Pine Drive!).

The vacation homes we rent are between beachfront & no further than 200 steps to the beach–this is no more than a 90 second walk to the Cape San Blas beaches! Just to keep you oriented on how close things are, let us give you some walking directions:

• From Cape Happy Hour-Barrier Dunes 41, the clubhouse with the Gulf Front pool is 100 steps,
• From Barrier Dunes 91 – Cape Escape II, Gulf Front pool & beach are 200 steps.
• Cape Escape I & II are 100 steps apart.
• Tennis courts are about 65 steps from the back porch of Cape Escape I (67) & the beach, 150 steps
• The beach is about 75 steps from Turtle Crawl – Barrier Dunes 191, & 40 steps from Sea Breeze-Barrier Dunes 52.
• Barrier Dunes is not as big as the map makes it appear.

HOW WE FOUND AND FELL IN LOVE WITH CAPE SAN BLAS FL & BARRIER DUNES:
We looked for a beach home-away-from-home starting when our children (now 18 & 20) were born! We’ve owned in Barrier Dunes for 16 years now. We have ventured from the Alabama side of the Panhandle to Ft. Walton Beach, Seagrove, Destin, Destin, Hilton Head, SeaSide & Santa Rosa without finding the “perfect” place. We go to the beach to enjoy the BEACH & all it has to offer. We wanted a place to return to year after year — one that our kids would be excited about because of memories of the previous years.  We didn’t want them to remember putt-putt, t-shirt shops & other things we could find right here in Atlanta.  

Then we found Cape San Blas FL & Barrier Dunes.  During our 1st trip to Barrier Dunes & Cape San Blas we decided on the 3rd day that this was it!  We loved (and still love) Barrier Dunes because of all the things outlined above, but also because:

• We like all (ok, a vast majority) of the people we have met, both owners & renters — they are the type of people we would like to have as neighbors!
• There are always other kids for our kids to play with but never a noisy crowd, or the wrong crowd! Spring break was always a safe, family-friendly environment.  Cape San Blas is NIGHT & DAY different from the Panama City spring break experience!
• It’s SAFE! We loved the freedom our kids have to explore the beach, play with friends & do other things in & around Barrier Dunes without worrying.  My kids are now grown & I look forward to the grands enjoy the same experience.
• You don’t need to get up early to mark your spot at the beach or the pool to have a spot to call your own.
• We can do everything we want to do on vacation without starting the car: Fish in freshwater, the ocean or bay, swim in a pool or the ocean, take our dogs out for a swim, build sandcastles & dig holes, skimboard, watch the dolphins, catch some crabs for dinner, watch a romantic sunset on the beach, take our flashlights out at night and see 100+ crabs in one place, &, if we’re lucky, maybe catch a glimpse of a turtle making a nest or the nests hatching hatching sea turtle!
• If we want more, we can go out to dinner at a variety of restaurants without getting dressed up, rent a boat or kayak, ride a horse on the beach, take a deep-sea fishing charter, go scalloping in St. Joseph State Park & any number of other great activities!
• Where else can you have a bonfire on the beach, go horseback riding on the beach and have your dogs join you too?
• There are NO high rise condos & no commercialism on the Cape–heck, there isn’t even a stoplight! We’re thrilled our kids can’t get a nose ring or tattoo for 40 or so miles!

Our only hope is that it remains as undiscovered & uncrowded as it is today—we know why they call it “The Forgotten Coast! Once you experience the beauty & pristine Cape San Blas beaches, high sand dunes & friendly nature of Barrier Dunes & Cape San Blas (actually, all of Gulf County), you will never choose another vacation destination.

“We had a wonderful stay at Barrier Dunes!  The beach was amazing!  My family & I loved the fact that it was not crowded & very family-oriented.  We didn’t have to worry about loud & annoying music or obnoxious people.  We were able to enjoy the peaceful sounds of the waves during the day and a bonfire with the waves at night!  Very dog-friendly.”  The Coleman Family Cape San Blas Trip Report (June 2015)

MAP OF BARRIER DUNES

There are boardwalks running throughout the neighborhood that are not pictured on this map.  All of our rentals are in the FRONT 1/2 of Barrier Dunes.

Learn more about our Cape San Blas Vacation Rentals in Barrier Dunes:

View of the #1 rated beach in America (“Dr. Beach” Stephen Leatherman in 2002)!

Barrier Dunes beachfront pool. One of 2 pools in Barrier Dunes, this one is built into the sand dunes and overlooks the Gulf of Mexico! It is attached to the clubhouse that has an upper deck–great for viewing spectacular romantic sunsets!  Pool hours are 9 a.m to dusk.  Open year-round.  

Barrier Dunes clubhouse–available for your private events, wedding receptions etc. as well as host to many potluck dinners & other events open to everyone throughout the year!

Enjoy the upper deck of the beachfront Barrier Dunes clubhouse. Great for enjoying the sunset before dinner! Have a wedding or a family reunion? The clubhouse is available to rent & has a full kitchen, TV & lots of great seating!

The second pool and tennis courts. This Barrier Dunes pool is heated 4-months of the year!!

Barrier Dunes has an ALL-NEW playground on-site. Include picnic tables to enjoy lunch while the kids are having fun! Barrier Dunes is gated so the streets are quiet– great for scooters, rollerblades or bikes!  

One of 3 stocked fishing ponds at Barrier Dunes–1 is just outside the back door to Cape Escape II (Barrier Dunes 91)–you can fish FROM the back porch of Cape Escape II and three is also one off of Sea Breeze.  This one is just outside  Sea Breeze – Barrier Dunes 52

The lighted tennis courts are the only tennis courts on Cape San Blas! Centrally located near all of our vacation rentals!  Tennis courts have been completely resurfaced October 2020 & now also have pickleball lines.

Barrier Dunes is a wonderful, safe, family friendly gated neighborhood just outside the gates to St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.

Proud Member of the Gulf County Chamber of Commerce!

Links to more information:

Read more about Cape San Blas and the area. This page includes information about:

• Average temperatures
• Distances to Cape San Blas from various cities
• Airport Information
• Area map and a variety of links

Looking for a great restaurant in or around Cape San Blas? The Forgotten Coast has the best seafood in the country— unless you’re staying for a month or more, it will be hard to decide how to narrow the choices?

You can also see all of our Cape San Blas vacation rentals in Barrier Dunes on VRBO, but book directly to save the VRBO Fees!