The 8th annual Explore The Outdoors Festival comes to Live Oak Landing on the Choctawhatchee River on October 14, 2017. Walton Outdoors publisher Lori Ceier shares details.
Freeport
Hiking and other outdoor recreation around Freeport, a small town near the Florida Trail and home to Nokuse Plantation
Florida Trail, Central Panhandle
99.3 miles. Crossing the Apalachicola River, the Florida Trail enters the Central Time Zone. Public lands are scarce through this section so there is a lot of connecting roadwalk and some multi-use trails like the Blountstown Greenway, but the trail does show off the beauty of places like Econfina Creek, Pine Log State Forest, and Nokuse Plantation.
Florida Trail, Choctawhatchee River
Providing a hike through majestic longleaf pine forests in Nokuse Plantation, the Florida Trail along the Choctawhatchee River also showcases natural features in the river basin between Cypress Creek and Seven Runs.
Florida Trail, Eglin
98.2 miles. Florida’s largest military reservation was once the Choctawhatchee National Forest, and thanks to more than a century of conservation, the Eglin section includes vast stands of old-growth forests and steephead ravines. Eglin East has a continuous long east-west segment of trail, while Eglin West offers a shorter segment through the sandhills near East Bay.
Florida Trail, Lafayette Creek
From a tricky traverse of the floodplain of Lafayette Creek to a roller-coaster of steep dips through wooded ravines, this scenic and surprisingly hilly section of the Florida Trail will give you a serious workout.
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park
It’s hard to believe that Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park was once a bombing range! Thank US Air Force Colonel Fred Gannon for the transformation of this upland area hugging the shoreline of Rocky Bayou in Niceville.
H.A. Laird Park
With a boardwalk paralleling Four Mile Creek, Harry A. Laird Park is a quiet stop to enjoy a short walk tunneling into the forest at this small City of Freeport park.
Niceville
Surrounded by Eglin Air Force Base and Choctawhatchee Bay, Niceville provides quick access to outdoor recreation on the water and in the woods without the crowds
Rocky Bayou Hiking Trails
With 3.3 miles of hiking in three loop trails above the shoreline of Rocky Bayou, the trails of Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park offer gentle breezy walks near Niceville.