Parks

A time-honored wonderful holiday tradition in South Walton! 

Walton County Coastal Dune Lake Advisory Board is hosting Coastal Dune Lake Day at Grayton Beach State Park on Saturday, Oct. 21 from 10:00 am til 2:00 pm. The community is invited to come out for a celebration of South Walton area coastal dune lakes on the shores of Western Lake in Grayton Beach. The Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance will have a booth full of information about how to protect the dune lakes, as well as a few tanks of native dune lake marine life. 

The South Walton Run/SUP Series 2017 takes place on Saturday, September 30 from 7:45 am til 1:00 pm at Grayton Beach State Park! Entering it's third year with a huge surge in popularity, Run/SUP is the perfect sports competition for our area combining  a scenic beach and dune run with a stand-up paddle across beautiful Western Lake. Registration is open online.

SoWal.com Photo Gallery: Run/SUP At Grayton Beach State Park 2016

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is one of South Walton's jewels. The park is on the western end of Scenic 30A where it meets Hwy 98, encompassing two coastal dune lakes and three miles of beautiful beach.

On the east side of South Walton just east of Inlet Beach, turn off Highway 98 and through the gate of Camp Helen State Park and be amazed how fast you go from freeway frenzy to total tranquility.

Grayton Beach State Park has showcased the best natural environment South Walton has to offer for nearly 50 years. 

The park encompasses 2,200 acres of pristine rolling dunes along the Gulf and Western Lake, and a magnificent coastal forest habitat with unusual scrub oaks and magnolias twisted by winds and time. Western Lake is the centerpiece of the park, one of our rare, freshwater coastal dune lakes.

We’re at Deer Lake State Park in Walton County, Florida, tracing this bond through a coastal dune lake watershed.  

Water, of course, unifies this system.  But for that water to move through the system how it should, it needs fire.

Walton County Commissioners approved covering entrance fees for day use at Grayton Beach State Park and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park from May 29th running through September 4th.

About 50 people attended the opening of Pilcher Park on Friday, April 7th. The crowd was was wowed by the gem of a park underneath the 331 bridge on the south shore of the Choctawhatchee Bay.

Walton County Commissioners joined the celebration along with representatives of the Florida Department of Transportation to dedicate the new Thomas Pilcher Park and the second span of the Clyde B. Wells Bridge.

Camp Helen State Park invites everyone to their 20-Year Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, March 25 starting at 8:30am in The Lodge and continuing until 12:30pm with presentations, walking tours and special guests such as Elam Stoltzfus - producer of Coastal Dune Lakes: Jewels of Florida's Emerald Coast. 

8:30 – 9:30 am
Option 1:     Explore birds on the park’s Nature Trails with the Bay County Audubon Society - Wear comfortable shoes, binoculars provided.
Option 2:     Walking history tour