South Walton Area Parks & Trails

The 30A Trailhead in Seagrove Beach , next to The Lodge 30A at Greenway Station, connects hikers to the Eastern Lake red, yellow and orange trails typically accessed from the Eastern Lake Trailhead on County Road 395 between Scenic 30A and US Hwy 98.

Tucked away on the north side of Alys Beach is a boardwalk trail that winds around through the untouched wilderness of the 20-acre nature preserve.

If you can only take one hike in South Walton – this is it!

Camp Helen State Park is bordered on three sides by the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Powell , one of the largest coastal dune lakes in Florida.

Cessna Landing is a county park on Highway 393 a few miles north of US 98 on Hogtown bayou.

Cowford Landing is on the Choctawhatchee River, just off Hwy 20 east of Ebro and Hwy 79.

Deer Lake State Park is a 1,920-acre park which shares its name with the coastal dune lake within its boundaries.

Eastern Lake Park is a small park just south of Scenic 30A on the east side of Eastern Lake in Seagrove Beach .

The Eastern Lake Trail System was the first trail established in Point Washington State Forest .

Eden Gardens State Park is a magical place many visitors never see becasue it’s not on the beach.

About an hour northeast of SoWal, just off I-10 at Chipley, Florida, Falling Waters State Park features huge trees and fern-covered sinkholes that line Sink Hole Trail, the boardwalk that leads visitors to Florida’s highest waterfall.

Florida Caverns State Park is about an hour and a half northeast of SoWal just north of I-10 in Marianna, Florida.

The 60-acre Freeport Regional Sports Complex at Hammock Bay is nestled within the Hammock Bay community and can be accessed via Great Hammock Bend or Bay Loop Road.

Grady Brown Park is located on the north side of the bay at the Clyde B.

The Grayton Beach Flatwoods Trail is within Grayton Beach State Park on the north side of Scenic 30A.

Grayton Beach State Park is one of the most popular state parks in Florida, with massive dunes, winding trails, abundant wildlife, and shimmering 100-acre Western Lake, one of many coastal dune lakes gracing Scenic Highway 30A along Scenic 30A in South Walton (SoWal).

At Henderson Beach State Park in Destin , pristine white sugar sand beaches and more than 6,000 feet of natural scenic shoreline border the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Is it a park?

Legion Park has picnic tables, shelters, playground, basketball court, Pickleball court, volleyball court, restrooms and a boat launch on the Choctawhatchee Bay in Miramar Beach.

Marse Landing at Four Mile Creek in Freeport is a beautiful spot to launch your boat, park your boat, or sit and watch boats go by and enjoy the scenery.

The McQuage Bayou Park & Trail in Point Washington is open to hikers, cyclists, and equestrians.The bayheads, titi swamps, and cypress strands in this very soggy part of the forest feed bayous that flow north into Choctawhatchee Bay.

The Monarch Art Trail is an outdoor sculpture project along Watersound Parkway at Camp Creek created by the Cultural Arts Alliance Of Walton County (CAA) with support from The St. Joe Community Foundation.

Morrison Springs is one of the most popular diving spots in northwest Florida and well-known throughout the southeast.

Padgett Park is named for Timothy Padgett – a decorated army ranger medic who was killed when his unit came under attack in Afghanistan in 2007.

Panama City Beach officials – along with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Corp of Engineers and the Florida Department of Fish & Wildlife – developed an innovative system to restore thousands of acres of protected wetlands, leading to the creation of the 2,900-acre Panama City Beach Conservation Park.

Point Washington State Forest is not as recognizable to SoWal lovers as the beaches or State Parks, but the protected forest is crucial to the entire ecosystem of the area.

The beautiful freshwater spring at Ponce de Leon Springs State Park is named for Juan Ponce de León, who led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513, as legend has it – in search of the “fountain of youth.” Visitors might well regain their youth by taking a dip in the cool, clear waters of Ponce de Leon Springs where the water temperature remains a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.

Rocky Bayou State Park was transformed from a bombing practice range during World War II to a picturesque state park.

Panama City Beach has a fun-loving reputation and is also well known for its sugar-white sands and emerald green waters.

The St. Joseph Peninsula is in Gulf County on Cape San Blas, about a 2 hour drive east of South Walton.

Whether you are looking to drop a line in the Choctawhatchee Bay, launch a boat or wave runner, or just enjoy a breathtaking view at lunch or sunset, Thomas Pilcher Park is just the place.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in Santa Rosa Beach offers a wide variety of natural resources including 3.2 miles of secluded, white sand beaches with majestic dunes over 25 feet tall.

The Underwater Museum of Art is the first permanent underwater sculpture garden in the U.S.

The official name is Walton Sports Complex , also often referred to as the South Walton Sports Complex or the SoWal Sports Complex.