Resources
Resources for exploring the area


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Exploring Niceville
Edged by Eglin Air Force Base and Choctawhatchee Bay, Niceville provides quick access to outdoor recreation on the water and in the woods without the beachfront crowds found to its south.
It’s home to one of the prettiest public campgrounds in Florida, at Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park, and a fine tubing stream at Turkey Creek.
Trails and Parks near Niceville
Anderson Pond Recreation Area A trio of interconnected trails loop a landscape of lush forests and clear streams in folded landscapes on this 2.1 mile hike at Anderson Pond on Eglin Air Force Base.
Cimmaron Trail Sunny sandhill communities transition to the deeply shaded Yellow River floodplain along the well-maintained Cimarron Trail at Eglin Air Force Base.
Florida Trail, Alaqua 12.8 miles. With significant botanical beauty, rugged climbs, and nice campsites, the Alaqua section of the Florida Trail in Eglin Air Force Base is one of the most scenic parts of the trail statewide.
Florida Trail, Eglin One of the most compelling sections of the Florida Trail for backpackers, the 98.3 miles through Eglin offers rugged elevation changes and crystalline waterways.
Florida Trail, Eglin East 41.8 miles. Simultaneously rugged and scenic: that's the beauty of a backpacking trip across the Alaqua, Catface, and Titi sections of the Florida Trail in Eglin Air Force Base.
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park Hugging the eastern shore of Rocky Bayou, this beautiful state park preserves both shoreline and forested uplands along a estuarine arm of Choctawhatchee Bay.
Harry A. Laird Park A wayside park with a short boardwalk along Four Mile Creek, Harry A. Laird Park provides a picnic spot and a place for birding on the western edge of Freeport.
Rocky Bayou Hiking Trails Explore the uplands of Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park in Niceville on a trio of showy nature trails that can be interconnected into a 3.3 mile day hike.
Rocky Bayou Nature Trail Stroll through sand pine scrub and bluff forest to savor a series of views on Rocky Bayou, a brackish arm of Choctawhatchee Bay.
Sand Pine Nature Trail After following the floodplain of Puddin' Head Stream, a steephead creek flowing to Rocky Bayou, this easy hike loops back through sand pine scrub and sandhills.
Turkey Creek Walk A clear tannic stream draining 67 square miles of forests in the sandhills encompassed by Eglin Air Force Base, Turkey Creek is the centerpiece of a linear boardwalk in Niceville.
