In mid-April, the pitcher plants of Santa Rosa County are at their peak of bloom. During the 2013 Panhandle Trace Hike, we went in search of them and here’s what we found.
Navarre Beach
Articles about places to explore near Navarre Beach, Florida
Florida Trail, Eglin West
Bordered by the tangled floodplain forests of the Yellow River to the north, this 14.3-mile segment of the Florida Trail traverses high, dry sandhills topped with longleaf pine forest and planted pine.
Florida Trail, Seashore
32.3 miles. The Florida Trail’s northern terminus is at Fort Pickens on Pensacola Bay, a fitting place to complete a grand adventure. The Seashore section, which also includes the Pensacola Bike Path, the Navarre Bike Path, and the wild and scenic UWF Dunes Preserve, is the only National Scenic Trail section with walks along a beach.
Fort Walton Beach
One of the largest and oldest communities in Okaloosa County, Fort Walton Beach sits between Choctawhatchee Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, with Eglin Air Force Base to the north.
Garcon Point Trail
On a peninsula separating Blackwater Bay and East Bay, Garcon Point Preserve presents an open landscape of wind-swept prairies punctuated by oak hammocks and tall longleaf pines
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Stretching across three Gulf Coast states, Gulf Islands National Seashore protects portions of the barrier islands between Navarre Beach, Florida and Gulfport, Mississippi.
Milton
Known as Florida’s Canoe Capital thanks to the rivers and creeks of Blackwater River State Forest, Milton is a major destination for outdoor recreation.
Naval Live Oaks Preserve
Naval Live Oaks Preserve outside Pensacola was our nation’s first tree farm, established in 1828 by President John Quincy Adams to protect a significant coastal stand of live oaks for military use
Pensacola
The northern terminus of the Florida Trail is at Pensacola Beach, but the wonders of this region extend far inland to the vast Blackwater River State Forest.
Trail Angel Peggy
Trail Angel Peggy runs shuttles at the western end of the Florida Trail and guided, supported hikes on the Appalachian Trail.