Observations of hurricane impacts on coastal communities and predicted increases in tropical storm activity have spurred an interest in protection and restoration of coastal dunes. Dunes are valued for their role in the protection of infrastructure and aesthetic beauty. Past research on dune erosion has focused primarily on laboratory research or mathematical models. We directly assessed impacts of Hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Dennis (2005) on coastal dunes along Santa Rosa Island, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico. We recorded dune area for foredunes and secondary dunes, examined the spatial context of each dune, and recorded structural features of each dune before and after each hurricane. Both hurricanes severely impacted foredunes, and removal of foredune protection by Ivan led to severe impacts on secondary dunes from Dennis. Structural features of the dune, such as height and width, influenced resistance against storm-related erosion, but spatial context, such as location with respect to shoreline, also was important. Coastal dunes on this barrier island may be shifting to a state where their formation, recovery, and restoration are influenced heavily by tropical storm activity. The future success of coastal restoration efforts for maintenance of infrastructure or habitat protection should be cognizant of the importance of spatial context in addition to the structural and vegetation characteristics of dunes.