A broad boardwalk trail that showcases a clear, healthy tannic stream draining the sandhills of Eglin Air Force Base, the Turkey Creek Nature Trail is a community park and gathering place where children are almost always at play, thanks to platforms that enable visitors to jump into the cool water for a swim or a drift down the waterway.
The meandering boardwalk keeps to the shade of the floodplain forest and bayhead swamp, ending at a canoe landing. A side boardwalk, the “Path of Memories” leads to a shaded pavilion along the creek with a memorial.
Resources
Overview
Location: Niceville
Length: 1.8 mile
Lat-Long: 30.523743, -86.498015
Type: Round-trip
Fees / Permits: none
Difficulty: Easy
Bug factor: Low
Restroom: Yes
An interpretive trail guide can be picked up at City Hall. Tubing is welcome, bring your own flotation device. There are several put-ins and a critical take-out for drifting down the creek.
Directions
The trail is located along SR 20 in Niceville just west of SR 85 on the north side of the highway, immediately before the bridge across Turkey Creek.
Hike
This boardwalk trail parallels Turkey Creek, a clear tannic stream draining 67 square miles of forests in the sandhills encompassed by Eglin Air Force Base. You’re walking amid the floodplain forest of tall cypress, sweetgum, red bay, and Atlantic white cedar, passing a bayhead swamp at 0.6 mile as the boardwalk crosses the creek. At the fork, turn left to walk down the “Path of Memories” to a shaded pavilion along the creek, or follow the right fork to the boardwalk’s end at a landing beneath the cypresses.
Where can I find a map of the trail?
A map is shown at the bottom of this page. There are attendants at the boardwalk who may have a paper map.