In the heart of Northwest Florida is a county that incorporates all of the best of what there is to see and do in this once forgotten part of the state. Walton County Florida stretches from the Alabama state line, where the highest point in Florida, Britton Hill, is marked by a small park and a stone monument, to the stunning white sand beaches of the Gulf Coast.
In between, there is the historic town of Defuniak Springs, built by the L & N Railroad and home of the Florida Chautauqua Festival, miles of creeks and rivers that offer boating and fishing, 200 miles of hiking and bike trails, and over 63,000 acres of state parks and both state and privately protected lands.
Outdoor Activities in Walton County Florida State Parks
Altogether there are four Florida state parks and one Florida state forest within the borders of Walton County. There is also a popular state owned, county maintained park called Morrison Springs that has a 250-foot diameter spring-fed pool that produces approximately 48 million gallons of crystal clear water per day and is popular with divers.
The state parks, Deer Lake, Grayton Beach, Topsail Hill Preserve, and Eden Gardens are all located in the southern portion of Walton County Florida, as is Point Washing State Forest. Collectively they offer hiking trails, picnic areas, canoeing and kayaking, beach areas, camping and RV hook-ups. In addition, two sections of the 1400-mile cross-state Florida Trail are located in Walton County as is the privately owned Nokuse Plantation, a 42,000-acre preserve.
Northwest Florida Beaches
Walton County Florida offers some of the most stunning beaches in the world. Known as the Beaches of South Walton, the area is comprised of fifteen quaint beach towns that dot this 26-mile stretch of Northwest Florida beaches between Destin and Panama City Beach. Some, like Grayton Beach, are historic beach towns, and some like Rosemary Beach and Seaside reflect the upscale, new urbanism of the 21st-Century.
Between these towns are one of the earth’s rarest aquatic ecosystems - coastal dune lakes. Found in only four places in the world, these lakes have a unique relationship with the Gulf of Mexico, occasionally spilling out and merging their tea-colored waters with the blue-green gulf waters, a practice that has continued since long before humans came to the region.
Gulf Coast Walking and Bike Trail
Named for Walton County Florida’s most famous Native American, Timpoochee Kinnard, a Chief of the Euchee Indian tribe, the Timpoochee Trail is a paved, fully accessible, 19-mile long walking and bike trail that runs parallel to Scenic Highway 30A. The path winds through twelve of the beach towns and passes over or near 11 of the coastal dune lakes. Along the way there is an abundance of shops, restaurants and galleries that make great rest stops.
Walton County Florida is reachable from east or west on Interstate-10 and from the north and Montgomery on U. S. Highway 331. For more information about Walton County Florida things to do, contact the Beaches of South Walton, 1-800-822-6877. For more information about Northwest Florida, visit Exploring Northwest Florida.
Pamela Watson - I first hit the road at the tender age of three weeks when my career-Army dad packed up my mom and me and moved us from Indiana to New ...
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