From Tallahassee we moved 80 miles southwest to Florida’s Forgotten Coast, more specifically, the Coastline RV Resort right outside of Apalachicola, Florida for a 6-day stay.
Here we had plans to explore coastline, beaches, hikes, biking, kayaking and picture taking excursions. Our favorite’s in this area are highlighted below.
Mike consistently leaves reviews for all of the campgrounds we visit. You will find them detailed, informative and sometimes amusing. It is rarely that he will award a 5-Star review but Coastline hit the spot – they were awarded the ultimate compliment for these reasons: easy access, location, level sites, friendly staff, paved patio, cable, Wi-Fi, pool, luxury bath house, nice laundry and great views from our site.
You can see his review here by scrolling down to find the review by James Frazier.
If interested, stay tuned for a separate post on where to find his many other reviews, rating criteria and much more information on selecting campgrounds vs resorts.
The activities within the park are limitless for every skill level. Walking/hiking, biking, fishing, sunbathing are the highlights.
We took only one day to hike the Campground Trail, a 5 mile out and back that took us through pine forest scrubland to the bay. The trail was mostly unremarkable but the views from the bay were very pretty and it was a great way to spend the morning with a brisk walk.
The Biking Path, although we did not get to take the opportunity to bike within the park, it will be something we do when we have the opportunity to return. The path we were particularly interested in is the off-road path that leads to the tip of the island.
As we enjoyed the beautiful sandy beach, we watched many people fishing along the shore.
This day we set out to do a paddle trip on the Ochlockonee River. Mike had come across information the river by various online searches and was curious as to what it had to offer. When looking for a paddle trip, his top three criteria are tranquility (how can we enjoy without crowds and chaos), photographic scenery, wildlife viewings.
As we pulled into the park on a Tuesday, we realized that we seemingly had the whole place to ourselves, which is just the way we like it! As we were unloading, we encountered a very nice and informative ranger who clued us in on a few of the sightings along the way as well as provide a laminated map for us to borrow.
We launched from the beach area and of the two paddling trails we chose Bear Creek and paddled through tidal marshes. We saw a few alligators, a manatee, lots of coastal birds and (aggravatingly) some nasty biting flies but lots of scenery for Mike to photograph.
Upon leaving the park we spotted a white dear! We thought we were seeing things, but a park ranger confirmed it has been a resident for years.
Overall, a successful paddle trip and very enjoyable day.
ST. MARKS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
This a definitive MUST SEE when in the area. The refuge includes coastal marshes, islands, tidal creeks and estuaries of seven north Florida rivers, and is home to a diverse community of plant and animal life. The refuge also has strong ties to a rich cultural past, and is home to the St. Marks Lighthouse, which was built in 1842 (current tower) and is still in use today.
BRING BUG SPRAY! That is the first and foremost MUST when experiencing this nature paradise. We arrived very early for Mike to photograph the lighthouse. While he was engrossed in photographing, I witnessed field mice and was amused by their antics in the grass right next to my feet.
We then drove around the park to various lookout points and witnessed large alligators, birds and beautiful trees and scenery in a tranquil environment. I know the park gets very crowded (as we’ve witnessed in a previous visit) but this early Wednesday morning was very peaceful.
We drove a few miles out of the park to the trailhead for Cathedral of Palms hiking trail that is a section of the Florida National Scenic Trail and is located within the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.
This is a 6 mile heavily trafficked loop near Crawfordville, Florida. On a Wednesday mid-morning we were the only ones enjoying the well traveled paths through scrub, flooded woodlands, marsh and the beautiful palms Florida is so well know for.
We find that hiking in Florida can be monotonous and lacking the awe inspiring scenery that we get from other areas with big views. So this trail was a welcome change for us. The trail was flat but it was diverse enough to keep our attention and the side trip to Shepard Spring was refreshing. As we munched on a snack we watched a mama gator and her three little ones.
A visit into this charming fishing town will not disappoint. We experienced the following on a Thursday evening:
Apalachicola Seafood Grill. Coming highly recommended by our camp host, it did not disappoint. We chose the fried shrimp which were very well done and tasty, Mike highly recommends their collard greens. The potato salad was yummy, as well.
Oyster City Brewing Company. Can’t recall the brews we chose but they were very tasty and we had pleasant conversation with other patrons as we sipped our beer outside on a lovely spring evening.
We walked through the town and perused the shops that were still open for some enjoyable shopping.
High Five Dive Bar. To round out our evening, we enjoyed the local music at this open air bar. We highly recommend giving it a try.
This rounded out our six-day stay in the area.
Our next move is to Bonifay and DeFuniak Springs where we will highlight things to do at the beaches and coastal areas.
Nspired Adventures 