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A lake fringed by sand dunes and pines

Northwest Florida

Northwest Florida extends across the Florida Panhandle. Forested and farmed, a region of extreme beauty, it has vast tracts of lightly explored wilderness and sparkling beaches.

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Explorer's Guide North FloridaAs the authors of Explorer’s Guide: North Florida & The Panhandle, we’ve probably crisscrossed Northwest Florida more than most visitors.

In addition to the notable white sand beaches and emerald waters stretching from Panama City Beach to Pensacola, this region has compelling terrain for hikers, particularly along the Florida Trail west of the Apalachicola River.

Spanning two time zones, the region includes a vast sweep of wild shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico, little-known springs, and Florida’s largest National Forest, the Apalachicola National Forest.

Along its westernmost shores, Gulf Islands National Seashore protects more than 15 miles of pristine shoreline. Central to the region are a string of coastal dune lakes, unusual bodies of water that periodically exchange their fresh waters with the Gulf of Mexico.


Regional Destinations

Apalachicola Raney House Apalachicola
Apalachicola River houseboat Apalachicola River
Bicycle resting against a split rail fence Blountstown
Tupelo swamp Bristol
Dock in Carrabelle Carrabelle
Obelisk with roses and green space Chipley
Gazebo in a park with pine trees Crawfordville
Mural in Crestview Crestview
Azaleas blooming with lake in background DeFuniak Springs
Beachfront with condos Destin
Bridge over a tannic creek in green glowing woods Eglin Air Force Base
Sunset in Fort Walton Beach Fort Walton Beach
Basin Bayou Choctawhatchee Bay Freeport
Outflow of spring into river with minor rapids Madison
Cave formations: dripstone, flowstone, stalactites and stalagmites Marianna
Riverwalk in downtown Milton Milton
Dense forest with swamp below Monticello
Waterfront park with tall pines and long bridge on horizon Navarre
Historic Army Air Corps uniforms in a museum display on military aviation Niceville
Jetty Beach Panama City Beach
View from a tower of a lagoon surrounded by coastal forest Pensacola
Tall cypress knees along spring below boardwalk Ponce De Leon
Historic train and WPA era building Port St. Joe
Bear Creek Tract Quincy
Pines reflected in water along estuary Sopchoppy
Misty dunes with lake beyond South Walton
Broad expanse of river St. Marks
Picnic grounds and a mound under trees Tallahassee

Recent Articles

Madison Blue Springs Spring Hopping Around Tallahassee (7/1/2019) Between Madison and Marianna and across Wakulla County, explore a colorful collection of natural springs for swimming and snorkeling, all within an hour of Tallahassee.
Sandra and her gear at Southern Terminus How To Prepare For A Backpacking Trip (3/19/2019) What does a hiker need to spend a week, or a month, or three months on the trail? Here are trail-tested suggestions for backpacking in Florida for trips of a week or more
Bears opening trash can Bear season in Florida (2/23/2019) As Florida black bears become active in late winter and spring, the chances of a bear encounter go up significantly if you leave food unsecured outdoors - whether in your campsite or at home.
Every Kid in a Park pass Every Kid Outdoors (2/21/2019) Got kids? If any of them are in fourth grade, they can get a free pass to ALL Federal public lands good for the whole family through the end of August. Here's how.

ALL Northwest Florida Articles & Destinations

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NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks River. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Crescent City. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

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MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail Lake Wales Ridge.

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg.Lithia. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Riverview. Ruskin. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Park. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction. Zephyrhills

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coconut Creek. Coral Gables. Coral Springs. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

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