Grayton Beach State Park

One of our favorite parks on the panhandle. Nice walks.
The campground has 2 loops and 3 bathhouses (one by the beach)
I have not seen the cabins (no dogs allowed) but I here that they are very nice. Lots of places nearby for food, drink and music

Recommended. Nice place to get away for a couple days. Cabins are nice and about a 5 minute walk from the beach.
Forested and scenic walk to a beautiful white sand beach. Cabins are duplexes with a shower and everything you need. No tv. Gas fireplace and an outdoor grill.
Bring soap and paper towels. They provide dishes and coffee pot but you will need paper towels, bar soap and dish soap. Automatic dishwasher does have soap provided.
Very quiet and peaceful.

It was our last day in the area and this was on the list. We brought my dog. Dogs are allowed everywhere except on the beach proper. She had a blast. There are 2 trails. One is 0.7 miles and the other is across the street and is almost 4 miles. We did a little of both. The shorter trail has some gorgeous shrubs, trees, plants, and fences along the sand, but was flooded at the salt marsh, so we had to turn around. Definitely drive across the street! The 4 mile hiking trail, of which we just did an easy mile and half, was super gorgeous! Blue skies, bright green palms, gorgeous pines, nice trails, etc. We came to Florida just to hang out and relax on the beach all week, but this was my favorite thing we did all week. Definitely worth the drive! If you are an outdoorsy person, you will love this! I don’t know if it gets hilly or not, but the first 1.5 miles were flat and easy. I got some really pretty photos! I truly enjoyed it!

Great park and would recommend a visit if you are in the area!
I appreciated my time here!

Really enjoyed my stay here with my friends.
The beach was really beautiful. Clean sand, not very crowded, and clean bathrooms.
The actual campsite wasn’t ideal for privacy, we could see like 5 different people camping around us, and felt the need to be quiet at sunset and in the morning.
Our camping section had a little fire pit and a picnic table which were both really nice to have.
Hardly any trees in our area, so not a good location for stringing up hammocks.
Overall we had a wonderful time and would definitely consider going back

This park is BEAUTIFUL! The sand was like walking on baby powder, the water was crystal clear, the camping sites were very private. It was also VERY quiet. No highway noises, just the beach. You can rent pretty much anything at the beach or somewhere nearby. There are canoe rentals on the beach of the park for $ 15 the entire day. Just down the road, there are bikes for rent along with a ton of other stuff. The only thing with that is that they won’t deliver if you’re not renting for more than a day. Although it is nice that the park is away from the city noise, it also means you have to drive a couple miles if you need a store. The nearest Walk Mart is about a 15 – 20 minute drive. There are some nearby shops, but they’re mostly for rentals or souvenir things which means they’re, of course, overpriced. All of the campsites are close to the bathhouse, it’s kind of in the center. They’re all pretty secluded also. Each site has electric hookups for RV’s and suck along with fire pits, clothesline, and picnic table. During the night, we left some marshmallows and chocolates… turned out we had a couple squirrel culprits who took our goodies during the night. Destin is only about 30 minutes away and Panama City is just a little over maybe 40 minutes. The beach can get crowded, but it’s very clean and very quiet. No alcohol is allowed in public areas, so no alcohol or glass containers on the beach. It is a good little walk to the beach from each camping site. Maybe ¾ of a mile. But, there is also parking on the beach, it gets full quickly so make sure to get there a little early! There is also a huge lake you can canoe on. It is very pretty. They do have firewood at the ranger station and it is cheap, I didn’t buy any so I don’t know if it burns well. Be prepared for BUGS! Lots and lots of bugs. It gets pretty hot but cools down nicely during the night! Not to mention the staff is amazing. Overall, it is a very nice beach, cheap to camp, and definitely worth the money. I would absolutely come back!!!

We just returned from a trip to seaside, fl. This was our favorite beach. Quiet and secluded (even though there were plenty of other people there). A great beach experience for a no beach-​goer.

Looking forward to visiting this campground again in July! A great area away from all the crowds of Destin.

Awesome cabins if you reserve well in advance. Great beach access, nature trails and facilities. Recommend kayaking, canoeing or paddleboarding from the boat ramp over to Grayton Beach as you’ll avoid the parking dilemma and experience a scenic trip along the way.

Today I went on a trip with the family for a beach day and we loved every second of it. Perfect temperature, water temperature, and scenery. My mom loved the look of the sand dunes. The water was perfect as you can see your toes and the emerald color sets the scene. Highly recommend coming here with the family and is great for kids.

Ok so I found my new favorite campground… they have a new loop with full hook up…30 Bucks not a bad price… I love the fact that u can walk or bike over to the beach… or like some motor homes You can drive over to the beach and have cook ur meal with the sand dunes on ur left and right and the roar of the ocean at ur backside… if u like that sort of thing… the bath houses were clean… if u can get in this park it will be worth it… Happy Camping or I should say happy RVing to all my motor home friends…

Camped in the campground for 3 nights in June, had a really good time, bathrooms where clean and showers were pretty good with lots of hooks and shelves. Camp sites were a little small, but we only had one tent so we were good. If you have two large tents it would be a real tight squeeze. Clothesline was a nice touch. Beach was pretty close and the white sand and emerald water were great. Would definitely go back!

Grayton Beach State Park is a great place to enjoy the gorgeous beaches here on the Emerald Coast without being stuck in the middle of the high-​rise condo crowd. It sits between the Grayton Beach and Seaside communities, which gives you lots of opportunity for good food and drink, as well as shopping for people with lots of disposable income. Even if staying in the area is a little out of your price range as a visitor, driving out to Grayton Beach Park and enjoying its pristine beaches for the day is completely worth the trip.

Probably one of the most beautiful, yet short hikes I’ve been on. We decided to have lunch and scope out the one-​mile loop on the lake side. Prepare yourself for a walk in the sand as opposed to skipping through oak roots and such. The landscape is definitely maintained, almost to the point of appearing artificial, but funny enough it’s part of the appeal.
The hubs and I went in October, so the sun was warm but the breeze was blowing. Late morning, we were one of two couples that were on the trail so it felt like we had the paths to ourselves… well except for the butterflies, but who’s complaining there?
This was more of a see-​the-​sites kind of hike, and less of a get-​your-​heart-​pumpin’ kind of hike. Gorgeous and worth a return visit.

Grayton Beach consistently ranks among the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the United States. The beach provides an idyllic setting for swimming, sunbathing and surf fishing and is the backdrop for golden sunrises and silver moonlit evenings.
The nearly 2,000-acre park features a boat ramp that provides access to the lake’s brackish waters for both freshwater and saltwater fishing. Visitors can paddle a canoe or kayak on scenic Western Lake to get a closer look at a salt marsh ecosystem. A nature trail winds through a coastal forest where scrub oaks and magnolias stand, bent and twisted by the salt winds. Hikers and bicyclists can enjoy more than four miles of trails throughout the pine flatwoods.
Options for overnight stays include modern cabins and a full-​facility campground.

The process of both reserving, and staying at a cabin at Grayton Beach State Park was hilariously frustrating/​fulfilling at the same time.
When you call to make reservations you have to listen to an annoying recorded message before you get through to an agent. They always answer the phone with their name and then ask «how may I provide you with excellent service today?»
We tried to book a cabin for Friday and Saturday, but were told that it was only available Saturday. Bummed, but compromising we said we would be glad to have it just Saturday to which the agent replied, «I’m sorry, you can only book the cabins for a minimum of two nights.»
Me: «Well we want it for both nights, but you said we could only have it Saturday, so we will just do that.»
Agent: «Yes, but that is only a one night stay.»
Me: «I’m aware of that, but if it is available for one night during a holiday weekend, wouldn’t you rather rent it then leave it vacant? We would be fine with just the one night if you can make an exception.»
Agent: «I can’t override the system, sorry. Can I help you with anything else today?»
Me: «No, I just want that cabin, this seems kind of backward.»
Agent: «Y’all have a nice day!»
Click.
This was at about 10:00pm a week prior to our trip so I decided to call back and hope for a more sensible agent in the morning. I did so the next day and got through to somebody who actually was capable of providing «Excellent service» and got us booked for the one night.
They e-​mailed me confirmation information and said we would be staying in Cabin 6.
I brought this e-​mail along and when we pulled up to the window at the check in location stated «We are staying in Cabin 6, I have a confirmation number here if you want it.»
Kathy the State Park Lady: Well, no you aren’t, the whole park is Cabin 6.
Confused Me: Okay… well do we not have a cabin then, orrrr?
KSPL: Pull around front and we will get your information and assign you a cabin.
So now I am convinced that Florida State Parks hire right out of elementary school, but am determined to get us into that damn cabin and onto the beach. Check-​in time is no earlier than 4:00pm so you really don’t have much daylight to enjoy the beach for a one night stay.
Once inside the office shennanigans continue.
There is a couple in front of us asking a million questions about reserving cabins in the future, apparently they were still confused even after their stay.
Once they were finally done attempting to reserve a future cabin I thought it was finally my turn, when a couple pulled up to the window on a motorcycle. Kathy turned away from me and proceeded to have a conversation with them. Apparently they were planning a wedding and wanted to scope out the beach. Kathy had a ten minute discussion with them about all the regulations and precautions necessary to have a wedding on the beach while my daylight was ticking away.
The lovebirds pulled away and Kathy got back to me. We gave her our license plate numbers and she proceeded to explain why all of the state park was Cabin 6.
KSPL: When you reserve a cabin online, it just gives you cabin 6 as a generic cabin, but when you get here we place you by availabilty.
It would seem logical to me that if the computer system was intelligent enough to demand people make 2 night reservations, able to assess that only one cabin was open for one night, and send me a confirmation e-​mail, that it could predetermine exactly which cabin was available upon arrival.
Never-​no-​mind, I just want to get on the beach. Kathy goes through the laundry list of rules, shows us a map directing us to the cabins, which are located a couple miles up from the actual state park, and then another car pulls up.
She stops checking me out, even though we were moments from being finished, and turns to address some war veteran that wanted to know what appropriate paper work he had to bring in order to receive a discounted year pass to the park.
I am now ready to take off Kathy’s stupid park ranger had and fly it across the parking lot frisbee style. If there was a «ring bell for service» sign I would have been wailing on the thing like Joe Jack on MJ.
The veteran pulls away, dissatisfied with his treatment as a war hero and Kathy finally checks us out. We were given a code to access the «24 hour secured» cabin area and were on our way.
We found our cabin and were extremely pleased with its cleanliness, the screened in porch, the grill, and lush surroundings. It was about a 7 minute walk to the beach on a mulched forest trail from our cabin. There are 3 rows of cabins, each closer to the beach, but ours was furthest back. We were actually in Cabin 11B, not Cabin 6 if that makes any sense.
A cabin the sleeps 6 with no tv, but other great amenities $ 144.95 a night after tax and access to a stunning beach was worth all the hassle. I will return and have another go with Kathy.

What a beautiful place Grayton Beach is. Some of my family stayed in a cabin here. The cabin was very nice and I think they are newer. The beach is very clean and just like no other. One thing I loved about Grayton Beach is that you feel removed from everything yet you are still close enough to other attractions too. Will go again!

A relatively quiet and quite beautiful stretch of beach next to a variety of very interesting natural environments contained within the park boundaries, such as a partially brackish water dune lake (Western Lake); which supposedly is something only found in Walton County, Florida and in South Africa; and a tunnel formed by trees growing in the dunes which is quite enchanting to enter (this is along the hiking trail which leads to Western Lake) The beachfront in this area of Florida is highly (ridiculously) overdeveloped (condos, hotels, housing) and unfortunately the local governments and state governments have apparently taken little interest in environmental protection. This lovely park and its beach provide you with a rare opportunity to see what the area looks like in a quasi-​natural state without all of this development. I am pretty sure all visitors will walk along the beach here, but I also highly recommend you take the mile long hiking trail through the dunes and through the pine woods along the shore of Western Lake (that part of the trail was flooded today, I don’t know how often that occurs, but you might want to bring hiking boots for that, I was just in sneakers and turned around.) Across county highway 30A from the park vehicular entrance there is the beginning of a 4 mile trail through the forest which could make for a nice 8 mile round trip hike or jog and the opportunity to see some more types of natural environments. Oh, and there is a paved bicycle path along the whole length of highway 30A from Rosemary Beach to Dune Allen Beach, so if you can ride a rented (or your own) bicycle to the park if you are somewhere along or near 30A.

The park itself is beauitiful. It is well worth a visit. It has some habitats there that you just won’t find anywhere else. The dunes are massive and the sand is pristine. They have a very unique feature there called the «Hobbit Hole». The dune is so big that it covers entire tree trunks, which allows you to walk over the dune directly into the caonpy of the trees. Like I said, it’s extremely unique. And the beaches themselves are simply gorgeous. I’ve never seen a more beautiful place for viewing sunrises and sunsets.
You can camp in tents or in your RV inside the main park area. It puts you right near Western Lake and the dunes. If you want to stay in a cabin, like we did, you check-​in at the main gate, then go back out the main exit, and drive about a mile west to the cabin entrance. It is a separate area of coastal scrub flatwoods with its own private beach.
The cabins all have gas fireplaces. They have a queen bed in one room, and two single beds in another bedroom. You also have a futon in the living area. The appliances were nice. The stove was state-​of-​the-​art. Dishwasher is small, but gets the job done well. They provide sheets and blankets, as well as pots, pans, dishes, glasses, and silverware. Make sure to bring your own cleaning supplies (paper towels, hand soap, dish soap, etc.). They did offer dishwashing soap, but it only works for the dishwasher. Oh yeah, and no TVs or telephones in the cabins.
The cabins are duplexes. There are four in each of the 3 loops. So you get 8 cabins per loop. Loop 1 and 2 are closer to the beach, so they offer a shorter walk. Loop 3 is about twice as far of a walk. We stayed in Loop 1, and it took us about 5 minutes to reach the beach at a slow walk.
Wildlife viewing is really good. You get to see all sorts of birds. We saw many terns on the beach, a pileated woodpecker probing a pine tree on the trail, and two deer right on the side of the road leading to the cabins. Awesome!
As far as shopping goes, there isn’t much. There is a StarBucks near the park in a small shopping complex. We got drinks there once. For groceries, you can go to Publix in Seaside, which is east of the park entrance.
I’m definitely a fan of this park. I highly recommend you visit, especially if you have never been. Stay in one of the cabins. We went in the offseason when cabins are $ 110 per night. They are $ 130 per night beginning February 1^st. The cold weather made it special. It was very peaceful and quiet. I highly recommend this park as a great place to get away from it all for a few days.