Discovering the Gems: Florida's Panhandle State Parks
A view of the barges working the bay at sunrise from our spot at St. Andrews State Park, FL
As we have traveled the country for the past four years, one constant has remained: our love for the state park system. While the registration process varies from state to state and can take a few minutes to figure out, the one consistent factor is that state parks will usually return you to nature. You get camping with or without hookups in some states, long showers in the bathhouses, and close (usually walking distance) proximity to trails, lakes, rivers, not to mention great views of sunrises and sunsets. The best part is state parks are a very budget-friendly way to get million-dollar views for up to two weeks!
As full-timers, working from the road, we are always balancing maintaining our budget while experiencing the beauty of the area we are in. State Parks allow us to do this, especially when we are east of the Mississippi, where free camping (BLM, Forest Service, State Trust Lands) is extremely limited.
If you are ready to get that camper out of storage, load up, and head south to Florida, here are three of our favorite state parks in the Panhandle region. This part of Florida, lovingly called “Old Florida” by locals, resonates with us with its southern hospitality, rural landscapes, and amazing views of the Gulf of Mexico!
3 Florida State Parks in the Panhandle Not to Miss!
St. Andrews State Park: This place is awesome! Located on Panama City Beach, this park offers a beautiful experience in nature with sandy beaches, trails, lots of birds, and water views, all just minutes from the high rises, shopping, and fun that PCB is known for. St. Andrews also has 6 "glamping" tents mixed into the campground, so you can have friends or family who don’t have their own rig come visit as well. These tents are equipped with a queen bed, a cot, their own private bathrooms, an electric cooler, a coffee maker, and all the necessities to enjoy the outdoors in comfort.
If you stay at our favorite site, #53, there are 3 glamping tents right next to you, which is nice because if they aren’t rented, you don’t have neighbors! While this park has fewer trails to explore than Big Lagoon, you can spend your afternoons watching egrets and pelicans fishing, the barges working on the bay, and occasionally, seeing dolphins following some of the cruise ships. St. Andrews is the most popular and easiest to get to of the three parks we are listing, so it will take some planning to get a spot, or the courage to last minute it and hope for a cancellation.
The perfect view for watching the world class pilots of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels practicing overhead at Big Lagoon State Park.
Big Lagoon State Park: Located just outside Pensacola, this park is one of the “hidden gems” of the Florida State Park system. It is not nearly as well-known or as expensive as some of the other state parks in the Flora Bama area like Topsail and Fort Pickens. This means it is less crowded and easier to get a spot in! From the numerous dog-friendly hiking trails for a good walk or run, the 3-story observation deck overlooking the lagoon, the boardwalks to look for alligators, to the swimming beach to see sunsets and dolphins, there is plenty to do right from your campsite.
When it’s time to venture out, you are only a short drive to the sugary sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and all the modern amenities of Pensacola. One of our favorite things to do was to sit in the afternoon sun, watching the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels practicing overhead. There’s something about the roar of those jets that made us stop what we were doing every time they came by, even if we were watching the armadillo walk through our site!
What about #3?
Alright, change of plans! #3 is one of our favorite spots in the whole world and is very special to our family! We have vacationed there twice when the kids were still at home, and Andrea and I make it a point to visit anytime we are in Florida!
We’d love to share our favorite “hidden gem” of the Florida panhandle with you, but only after you subscribe to our newsletter! :) That seems like a fair trade for both of us. We get to share more stuff with you directly, and you get to see more of our favorites and learn why!