Where the Blackwater River broadens into Blackwater Bay, Escribano Point protects over ten miles of fragile estuarine coastline.
Although it is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, this 4,000 acre tract is entirely surrounded by Eglin Air Force Base.
Following a footpath to the pointSeveral residential inholdings adjoin its frontage on the eastern shore of Blackwater Bay. Once renowned for coastal camping, its remote location led to abuse of that privilege.
The WMA is now strictly day use, which makes its launch and hiking trails the reason why you’d drive out here on the rough clay roads of Eglin.
Mucky when damp, miles of red clay roads lead to and through this preserveStarting at three separate trailheads, four named trails make up the trail system at Escribano Point.
With how remote this preserve is, they were surprisingly well maintained. We tackled them from south to north, parking at each of the trailheads in succession.
A junction along the Bayside TrailResources
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Overview
Location: Holley
Length: Up to 3.3 miles
Trailhead: 30.516600, -87.007255
Address: Choctaw Landing Rd, Milton
Fees: Free
Restroom: Portalets at Bayou and Bayside trailheads
Land Manager: Florida FWC
Phone: 850-488-6411
Open dawn to dusk. Leashed dogs welcome. No camping. Trails are multi-use. An Eglin Recreation Permit is not required to drive through the base to this WMA.
Check on scheduled hunting seasons in advance of your visit. Wear bright orange if you choose to visit during hunts, especially if you plan to hike or bike.
Directions
From Interstate 10 exit 31 at Milton, follow SR 87 south for 9.2 miles. Inside Eglin Air Force Base, turn right onto Choctaw Field Rd, a paved road (Range Road 213). The pavement ends when the road reaches the airfield gate. Just before it, turn right to continue 4.2 miles on a graded clay road that circles the north edge of the airfield. Keep to the broader main road at all junctions. Signage indicates you’ve entered the WMA. A small trailhead is on the left but no trails led from it on our visit. Continue straight ahead 0.2 mile to a split in the road. Veer left to continue 0.4 mile to the Bayou Recreation Area and trailhead on the left, or right for the drive to Blackwater Bay, the showier destination. Within a quarter mile there’s trailhead parking on the left for the Bayside Trail. The road turn right and passes several homes, ending in another quarter mile at the large Bayside Recreation Area on Blackwater Bay.
About the Preserve
Fronting Blackwater Bay and buffered by the massive wooded acreage of Eglin Air Force Base west of SR 87, the preserve is a haven for wildlife.
Its unique location means you’re as likely to see blue-winged teals and blue crabs as crab spiders.
Pelicans cluster on an oyster bar in the bayPay close attention to muddy and sandy footpaths to see the tracks of Florida black bears, turkeys, and white-tailed deer.
With both saltwater and freshwater marshes, this is an excellent birding destination.
Botanically, bogs with carnivorous plants lie not far from vast needlerush marshes.
Needlerush marsh traverseBayside Recreation Area is the go-to for shoreline fishing, with a stretch of beach right on Blackwater Bay.
It’s a great place to launch a kayak or canoe into the watery expanse. Picnic tables provide scenic views.
Hand launch at Bayside Recreation AreaBayou Recreation Area perches on a bluff but also has a launch at the end of its road.
Sandhill and scrub habitat dominate this area, unlike the coastal pines at Bayside. Picnic tables are also provided in this breezy location.
Anglers can access the sinuous channel of Fundy Bayou. Warnings about alligators are posted in both areas, as they have no problem with brackish waters.
Fundy BayouCyclists can follow the extensive network of forest roads crisscrossing the WMA.
As we discovered, lines on the offical WMA map don’t translate to the realities of actual terrain.
Titi swamps and coastal marshes create natural barricades where you think roads and trails should connect.
A forest road used as part of the Fundy Bayou LoopA map from any of the trailhead kiosks will guide you to and along a quartet of named trails open to hiking, biking, and equestrian use.
Three of the four trails start at or near Bayside Recreation Area, while the fourth begins at the Bayou Recreation Area.
An accessible trailhead built right inside the WMA gate implies another trail may be in the works.
New kiosk at the time of our visitHiking
Bayside Trails
Access two of them through a gap in the corner of the parking corral at Bayside Recreation Area.
The Eagles Roost Trail and Catfish Basin Trail explores coastal flatwoods along the shoreline of Blackwater Bay.
From a separate trailhead along the entrance road, the Bayside Trail loops through much drier scrub and sandhill.
Bayside Trail entranceFundy Bayou Loop
Starting near a scenic sand bluff above Fundy Bayou in the Bayou Recreation Area, the Fundy Bayou Loop explores a variety of uplands habitats along an easy 0.7 mile loop.
Along the Fundy Bayou LoopTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hikes at Escribano Point WMA
Slideshow
See our photos from Escribano Point WMA
Nearby Adventures
Florida Trail, Weaver Creek 14.3 miles. Along the western side of Eglin Air Force Base, the Florida Trail traverses high, dry sandhills with some impressive views.
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Naval Live Oaks Area Spanning from Santa Rosa Sound to Pensacola Bay, Naval Live Oaks Area is one of America's oldest federally protected forests, now part of Gulf Islands National Seashore.
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