| Hi Folks,
In this week's trip highlight, we're heading to Florida's Emerald Coast and the Gulf Island National Seashore! | | | We RVers may wander far and wide but it's true for most of us that we end up with some favorite "Go-To" places – places that draw us back again and again. Montana is one such place for us. So is Wyoming. Michigan's Upper Peninsula is on that list. And so is that spectacular stretch of Florida Panhandle shoreline known as the Emerald Coast.
Stretching from Panama Beach to the east and going all the way to the Alabama border (and beyond) this is an area of contrasts. There are more upscale shopping centers, fine restaurants, and busy little chic boutiques along the main east-west route of US-98 than you will find just about anywhere else.
But just off that highway are the most glorious sugar sand beaches we've found anywhere in America. And the water, Oh man. Crystal clear. Turquoise and emerald colored. In some places, it looks like you are in the Caribbean.
While now isn't the safest time to be there (even though we have been!), from October on through the winter this area is spectacular and a great RV destination. | | | One of our favorite tracts in this area is the Gulf Islands National Seashore, a 160-mile stretch of gorgeous and very secluded beaches, undisturbed by development and characterized by blue-green sparkling water. So big is this property that it lies in two states – Florida and Mississippi – and is divided into 12 district areas.
The area we visit the most is known as the Santa Rosa Sound and it is found between Okaloosa Island and Fort Walton Beach, FL and the eastern outskirts of Pensacola.
To the south is the Gulf of Mexico, an area of the Florida Panhandle known as the Emerald Coast because of the beautiful turquoise color of the water. To the north is Santa Rosa Sound, a popular saltwater area that connects Pensacola Bay and Choctawhatchee Bay and is part of the Intercoastal Water Highway.
We cross over on a bridge from US-98 in Navarre and head west. This stretch of the Seashore is about seven miles long and there is no development, once you get past the pier at Navarre Beach and the high rise waterfront condos nearby. The two-lane road – perfect for cyclists – is bordered by the Gulf and the Sound, so you have water off both sides. There are beautiful white sand dunes as well.
There are numerous pull-offs and plenty of parking, plus a large picnic area. Besides swimming, bicycling, snorkeling, fishing, hiking, beachcombing, bird watching, and boating, there are two historic forts:
The Fort Barrancas Area is onboard Pensacola Naval Air Station where visitors can tour Fort Barrancas and the Advanced Redoubt.
The Fort Pickens Area is located west of Pensacola Beach features historic fortifications from the early 1800s through the mid-1900s, as well as miles of beaches.
Another area we like to visit is the Okaloosa Day Use Area, between Destin and Fort Walton Beach, FL. | | | But it's the stretch just west of Navarre that keeps drawing us back. We drive our rig out early and stay till sundown, day camping. We haul out our beach chairs and take them down to the water and use the RV for picnic preps. And it's totally free.
For overnight campers, the Gulf Islands National Seashore does maintain two developed campgrounds, one in Mississippi and one in Florida. Each campground offers water, grill/fire rings, restrooms, and picnic tables.
In Mississippi, the Davis Bayou Campground near Ocean Springs, Mississippi has 51 sites. Each site is $22 per night and some sites can accommodate RVs up to 45 feet long. All sites have water and electricity. The bathhouse has restrooms and hot showers.
The Fort Pickens Campground is located near Pensacola, Florida and has 200 campsites, ranging in length from 16 feet to 50 feet, and one group tent site. All sites are $26 a night with water, electricity, grills/fire rings, and picnic tables. Restrooms and dump stations are nearby.
There are also three great Florida State Parks on the Emerald Coast – Grayton Beach, Topsail Hill Preserve, and Henderson Beach. The sites at each park are flat, relatively large, well-landscaped for privacy, and many have full hookups. We've been at all of them and none will disappoint. The only downside is that they are very hard to get in during the peak summer season. | | | Grayton Beach is an eclectic mix of hot Caribbean colors and soft pastels, with architecture to match each community's charm, whether it be Old Florida's traditional 2-3 story homes, or the packed together and upscale cottages of Seaside with white picket fences and pedestrian pathways to the shops and eateries.
Yet it never feels urban, thanks to miles of greenway trails connecting state parks, preserves, and residential areas.
Grayton is about 2,000 acres in size and contains the brackish (salt and freshwater) Walker Lake, which offers excellent fishing.
A nature trail winds through a coastal forest where scrub oaks and magnolias stand, bent and twisted by the salt winds.
Hikers and bicyclists can enjoy more than four miles of trails throughout the pine flatwoods. The campground only has 59 sites and is one of the nicest camping areas along the Gulf Coast. Each site comes with electricity and water and some sites have sewer hookups. | | At Topsail – which, if pressed, would be our favorite of these state parks – you can explore 3.2 miles of secluded white sand beaches with majestic dunes over 25 feet tall.
Three rare coastal dune lakes provide excellent freshwater fishing at Topsail. Although boats are not allowed, fishing from the shoreline yields bass, bream, panfish, and catfish.
Lakes, pristine beaches, old-growth longleaf pines, sand pine scrub, and a variety of wetlands offer a bird-watching and hiking paradise.
Henderson Beach, a few miles west of Topsail down 98, is in the community of Destin. Despite all the busyness of US-98 and the trendy town of Destin, you will notice signs at Henderson advising campers to bring in food each night because there are black bears in the area.
You feel like you are in the middle of the wilderness at Henderson, though you are in the heart of one of the busiest tourist areas in the region. The beach is sugar sand and takes up 6,000 feet of natural, undeveloped scenic shoreline.
A three-quarter mile nature trail provides visitors a rare glimpse of the coastal dune ecosystem and abundant wildlife and is pet-friendly.
Pets, though, are not allowed on the beach. Camping at Henderson Beach State Park provides 60 campsites that are located in a secondary dune system. | | | All are quiet, relaxed and have a wilderness feel to them, even though you are a few minutes drive away from one of the busiest tourist areas in Florida.
Again, bring your own chairs and umbrellas. You'll want to spend a lot of time on those fantastic beaches. There are also several commercial campgrounds in the area though they come with a steeper price tag! | | | We'll see you on the road!
- João & JoAn Silva
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