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Estuary at Bald Point State Park

Bald Point State Park

Where Ochlockonee Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico along the Forgotten Coast, quiet Bald Point State Park protects the tip of the peninsula, providing beaches to roam and estuaries and uplands to explore

Alligator Point      ( 29.937608,-84.337377 )      17.1 miles

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Along Florida’s Forgotten Coast, the beaches of Bald Point State Park arc out into Apalachee Bay where the Ochlockonee River flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

It’s a slender peninsula reaching off aptly named Alligator Point, fringed with extensive salt marshes and the slimmest of coastal hammocks along a quiet shore.

Bald Point State Park Coastal estuary at Bald Point


Resources

North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Overview

Location: Alligator Point
Trailhead: 29.937608,-84.337377
Address: 146 Box Cut Rd, Alligator Point
Fees: $4 per vehicle, $2 pedestrian or cyclist
Restroom: at the parking area
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 850-349-9146

Open sunrise to sunset daily. Dogs are not permitted on the beach. Picnic tables, restrooms, and the boardwalk are accessible.

Sunscreen and a hat are suggested, as shade is limited along the shoreline.

Carry insect repellent, as you may need it in the estuary for the mosquitoes. Yellowflies can be a major problem here in early summer. Unfortunately, repellant doesn’t work on them.

Bald Point State Park beach


Directions

 
From Tallahassee, follow US 319 to US 98 at Medart. Drive west on US 98 through Panacea to Ochlockonee Bay, crossing the bay on a long bridge. Continue one mile to SR 370, the road to Alligator Point. Follow this road for 3 miles to the turnoff for Bald Point Road. Follow Bald Point Road into the park entrance.

About the Park

Surrendering yourself to the coast of the Big Bend means tuning into both tiny details and panoramic landscapes.

You’ll want to sweep your view across the vast horizons, where waves dance in the foreground.

Bald Point State Park Looking out across the water


But don’t forget to look down. At Bald Point State Park, wildflowers put on a perpetual show.

Summer means splashes of purple and white, coming from runners of morning-glory with a parade of blossoms, and members of the pea family blazing in the sun.

Bald Point State Park Morning glory on the dunes


In fall, the park is in the migration path for both monarch butterflies and raptors, including bald eagles.

Even in winter, the beach walk is fascinating, with shorebirds dashing along the sand.

Bald Point State Park Picnic pavilion at the beach


Individual accessible picnic table pavilions front the beach at each of the parking areas.

Near the end of the park road, a boardwalk leads out to an observation platform overlooking the estuary. An accessible fishing pier is at the end of the road.

Bald Point State Park The sweep of sand to where bay meets Gulf


Hiking

The Sand Pine Trail off Alligator Drive is a 1.3 mile loop through the coastal sand pine scrub.

While it’s open to cyclists, the soft sand is challenging enough for hiking. Two spurs lead out towards Alligator Sound, each less than a mile round-trip.

Bald Point State Park Gate into the Sand Pine Trail


The Sundew Loop is a 1.6 mile loop off the Tucker Lake Trail, which is more popular with cyclists because it’s 6 miles around the larger loop.

The shorter loop will get you up close to carnivorous plants in the wetlands.

Bald Point State Park Expect birds along the beach


Hikers will appreciate the beach walk, which can be connected with the estuary boardwalk for a 1.3-mile loop.

Since we initially hiked it, a return trail has been blazed to parallel the park road and is now known as the Maritime Hammock Loop.

Bald Point State Park

Maritime Hammock Loop

Discover the beauty of a lightly-walked beach paired with the intimate details of a maritime forest and the immense panorama of a coastal estuary on this 1.3 mile loop at Bald Point State Park

Biking

Off-road enthusiasts can join hikers on a network of sandy trails through the coastal pine forests.

These follow a network of old roads where a subdivision was prevented by the purchase of this land for conservation, as well as forest roads for park management.

Bald Point State Park Exit from the Sand Pine Trail, which can be biked


Double Pond

The 1.4 mile Double Pond Loop can be accessed off the entrance road to the beach. Look for the gates on the left.

From it, the Sunday Reel Trail extends another 2.1 miles out to Ochlockokee Bay, for a 5.6 mile round-trip and loop ride.

Access to these trails is by biking Bald Point Rd from one of the trailheads north or south of the entrance point to the trails.

Bald Point State Park Wildflowers in bloom near the trailhead


Tucker Lake

The longest loop in the park is 6.9 miles around Tucker Lake.

Access it from the very first trailhead you see heading north on Bald Point Rd on the right after you turn off Alligator Dr.

Bald Point State Park Maritime hammock at Bald Point


Paddling

Chaires Creek and Tucker Lake, both tidal waterways in the estuary, can be reached by paddlers who put in off Range Rd just west of the Chaires Creek Bridge.

One paddle-in campsite is along Chaires Creek for the benefit of the Florida Saltwater Circumnavigational Trail. If you’d like to use it, just call the park in advance.

Bald Point State Park Mazy meanders of the estuary


Trail Map

Bald Point State Park Trail Map Bike trails in blue can also be hiked


Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos of Bald Point State Park


Nearby Adventures

More worth exploring while you’re in this area.

Expanse of blue water and pines

Ochlockonee River State Park

At Ochlockonee River State Park waters meet, the tidal bore of the estuary pushing upstream to meet two rivers draining the vast swamps of the Apalachicola National Forest.

Myron B Hodge City Park

Myron B Hodge City Park

Myron B. Hodge City Park offers a nature trail where you can linger along the Sopchoppy River amid the sweet spring scent of Florida azalea.

Apalachicola National Forest

Noted for its botanical beauty, the Apalachicola National Forest is the largest National Forest in Florida, sweeping south and west of Tallahassee

St Marks NWR

St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

Stretching across 70,000 acres in Florida’s Big Bend, St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge protects one of Florida’s longest wild shorelines, more than 43 miles in three counties.

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website

Category: Beaches, Florida State Parks, Northwest Florida, Parks, PlacesTag: Alligator Point, Bald Point State Park, Big Bend Scenic Byway, Birding, Boating, Carrabelle, Fishing, Florida State Parks, Gulf of Mexico, Sopchoppy, Swimming

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