Grayton Beach State Park is one of several Florida State Parks along the Panhandle region of the state that I find to be completely interchangeable as far as having all the typical factors of gorgeous sand dunes, great beach access, camping, etc. For me this park stands out for the hiking opportunity, because when you pull into Grayton Beach State Park you see beach and dunes. If you turn around and look back across the road you came in on it turns out that there are miles of hiking trails that one might completely overlook within a different section of the park. In fact you can make it to the main trailhead and parking for it, known as the Flatwoods Trail, without ever driving through the main gate into the proper beach part of the park!
The Flatwoods Trail presents the option to have many outcomes in terms of mileage and goes to some nifty locations. In itself it is 4.5 miles long one way. My favorite thing to do is to walk about half of it and then veer off onto the Western Lake Loop Trail which is a 0.8 mile long loop that then dumps you back onto the Flatwoods Trail. That out and back makes for a fun hike. Alternatively you can make another loop by going less than halfway out on the Flatwoods Trail and veering onto the “Shortcut Trail” and using it is a loop to get back to the Flatwoods Trail. If you’re really adventurous the Flatwoods Trail runs to the edge of the State Park boundary and then drops you into the trail system for the adjacent Point Washington State Forest! So there’s a lot to be done here hiking wise. Back on the southern side of the park where the beach is you’ll find a simple loop nature trail that isn’t much of a hike at all. See the Flatwoods Trail map below to make that all a little more coherent for yourself.
As for what you can expect on the Flatwoods Trail and everything attached to it, it’ll be standard Florida vegetation. Lots of pine trees, a few prickly pear cactus somehow existing, palmettos, etc. All on top of hard packed sand. Vegetation sometimes gets dense near areas with perpetual water, wherein I’ve seen a few deer and cypress trees tend to reside. These sights happen at most Florida parks in the area, but this is still worth the hike if you want some mileage.
Address:
357 Main Park Rd
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459
