Grayton Beach State Park
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Greaton Beach State Park
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| location | Walton County (Florida) , Florida , USA | |
| surface | 8.9 km² | |
| Geographical location | 30 ° 20 ′ N , 86 ° 9 ′ W | |
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| Setup date | 1968 | |
| administration | Florida Department of Environmental Protection | |
Grayton Beach State Park is a state park in the US state of Florida . The approximately 890 hectare park is located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle between Panama City and Destin in Walton County .
geography
The state park is located on the flat coastal plain of the Panhandle. The park area surrounds the settlement of Grayton Beach and is divided by this into a larger eastern and a smaller western part of the park. In the north the two parts are connected by a narrow forest area. In the eastern part of the park there is the 40 hectare Western Lake , a so-called dune lake with brackish water . In the eastern part of the park there is the smaller dune lake Alligator Lake , and there are also other smaller bodies of water in the park. The Florida State Road 30A runs from east to west through the park. To the north and west of the park is the Point Washington State Forest .
Flora and fauna
Behind the beach is a dune belt overgrown with Pinus elliottii and beach grass, to which the Western Lake and Alligator Lake connect to the north. To the north of these dune lakes there is a coastal forest of bush oak and magnolias . On the beach in summer, sea turtles lay their eggs in the sand. The sand dunes provide habitat for the endangered Choctawhatchee Beach Mouse , a subspecies of the coast mouse . The park is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail and is home to numerous species of waders , including bald eagles , ospreys and other bird species. Black bears , white-tailed deer , gray foxes and numerous other mammal species live in the wooded parts of the park .
Tourist offers
There is a fee to visit the park. The main attraction of the park is the fine, 1.5 km long sandy beach in the main part of the park. A spur road leads from State Road into the park, on which there are parking spaces and sanitary facilities. There is a wooded campsite on the east bank of Western Lake, picnic areas and a boat ramp are available. You can go kayaking, canoeing or fishing on the lake. A total of 6 km of hiking and biking trails lead through the wooded part. In the smaller, western part of the park there are 30 huts that are rented out for overnight stays.
history
On September 21, 1964, the Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials signed a lease with the Florida Board of Education through which it acquired 356 acres (144 hectares). This area was opened for tourist use in 1968 as the Grayton Beach State Recreation Area . The area was named after the neighboring settlement of Grayton Beach, one of the oldest settlements on the Gulf Coast of Walton County. In 1985, 1993 and 1995 the park area was enlarged by purchasing land. The park administration is supported by the Friends of Grayton Beach and Deer Lake State Parks Association. Dr. Beach named the park's beach the best beach in the United States in 1994 and 2020 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ GRAYTON BEACH STATE PARK # 1 BEACH IN AMERICA 2020. Accessed May 22, 2020 .