Looking for better alternatives than FL state parks for the panhadle

[perryg114]

Destin is in the wrong direction for us. We are trying to get from Huntsville, AL to Central Florida in two days without any detours. It would be nice to have all the time in the world to get from one place to another. We only have a week to travel. I have heard Topsail Hill was nice. We also like St Joe State Park. We have been to Oleno and Manatee Springs and we liked both of them. We would like to go to Wekiva at some point but it has been under construction for a while. We might just start driving the whole trip in one day as opposed to wasting 2 days as a stop over. By the time you Drive 6-7 hrs then setup camp then break camp the next day, it is not much more trouble just to drive the whole way. It was hard to do when our daughter was little though. She is bigger now and does not mind the drive so much.

We are not bothered by the wild life in FL. I grew up there. The human element is far more trouble.


Perry

[StrmyWeather]

[QUOTE=perryg114;1905538

We are not bothered by the wild life in FL. I grew up there. The human element is far more trouble.


Perry[/QUOTE]

Yup. Kind of like that all over. Safe Travels.

[Mrjkq]

Originally Posted by AirDFW

We have a Grayson Beach reservation this summer. Anyone have feedback or experiences on that park?

Stayed there a few years back, right on the beach, sites are shaded for the most part. We stayed near the entrance & liked our site/stay. Rangers warned us about pigmy rattle snakes although we never seen one. Bring your bike!

[Jim Arnold]

Good morning. Destin is the place." Camping on the Gulf" Campground" is a great!!

[Tn Traveler]

Try St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. It's a little out of the way, but you may not be in such a hurry to get to Central Florida. The beaches seem to be limitless, and the camp sites are good. We did a week there last year, and plan to go again. https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/St-Joseph

[Seagars]

Love state Park at Port St Joe

[Seagars]

Originally Posted by AirDFW

We have a Grayson Beach reservation this summer. Anyone have feedback or experiences on that park?

You need to ask for site with concrete pad.
The other sites get muddy

[AirDFW]

Appreciate it. We have a full hookup site which I believe is concrete. Correct? Typo above. S/B "Grayton"

[Canyonmike]

We stayed at Grayton several years ago. If I remember, there's an older section and a newer one. Older gravel sites had lots of vegetation and privacy, but no sewer. Newer section has paved sites with full hookups but no shade. Town of Grayton Beach has several good restaurants.

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[perryg114]

By panhandle, I meant the ones along I-10.

[FL Crackers]

Originally Posted by perryg114

We have been to most of the Florida state parks in the panhandle. I have been really under whelmed with them. We have stayed at Falling Waters a lot but that place is getting old. We have seen just about every rule and common sense violation there is at that place no to mention just being plain inconsiderate. There is no supervision and no one to enforce the rules. Kids running around in the street at night with no supervision, barking dogs, everything under the sun being burned, trucks parked in the road, and poorly maintained sewer dumps. Three Rivers pretty much the same thing and FL Caverns not much better.

So what other alternatives are there where you can just camp and mind your own business in a yahoo free quiet camp ground where it does not smell like someone is burning a tire?

Our normal route is from Huntsville, Falling waters, then Central FL. Falling waters being the half way point. It is in a great location. We stayed an extra day where we were in Central FL and decided to leave last Sunday and drive 650 miles in 12 hours in pouring rain and severe cross winds and I am not sure that was any more brutal than one more night in Falling Waters.

Perry

Since you are not Florida residents, you have no opportunity to express your concerns or support for increased funding for the parks with your local congressman. Alternatively, I urge you to take advantage of the campaign all parks are running to get feedback. Every park we stayed at this fall had signs throughout, asking visitors to rate their stay. If we don't put our issues in writing, the Florida Legislature can (and will) ignore the non-specific rumblings. Here's the link you can use to do it now. http://www.floridastateparkssurvey.com/

You can also get involved in a variety of ways (including making dodations) through the Friends of the Florida State Parks. https://friendsoffloridastateparks.org/ It could be particularly helpful for non-resident visitors to participated as recommended in the wed site, as the parks are a very important economic factor in the state.

[perryg114]

I have been giving feedback and Falling Waters did not get a passing grade. St Joe is great though. Three Rivers is about the same as Falling waters. We stayed once and cut the stay short to get out of there. They make more money off us out of state folks and I am from Florida by the way, but I don't live there anymore. What I am hearing is that the Florida residents who are also retired pay so little the park gets nothing so they started tacking a $7 fee onto the regular fee when you place a reservation. If you park hop on the way somewhere these fees add up.

Perry

[FL Crackers]

Well, the $7 fee (actually $6.70) is a Reserve America registration fee - not a FL State Park fee. Yes, Florida does give its seniors a discount (Alabama doesn't?) but if you're ever in one of our fine state parks, you'll see that the demographics are heavily weighted toward the younger (families) crowd. It's just very competitive getting a reservation. You have to plan your stay and make your reservation a year out in most cases.

This doesn't change my recommendation to make your opinion known. Hopefully, enough folks who think that Falling Waters and Three Rivers are sub-par will make a difference by submitting their surveys.

[1973Argosy]

Yes Alabama offers a senior/disabled discount at all of its state parks.

[perryg114]

What age do you have to be? I think it is 62 and I am not sure what it is in FL. I may be dead by 62.


Perry

[n2916s]

In Florida, not only 62 but also a Florida resident.

[Martin R]

Sorry, I think you will find the discount in Florida for Florida resident seniors is from age 65 not 62

[moosetags]

For the senior discount at Florida State Park campgrounds, you must be a Florida Resident with A Florida Driver License age 65 or older.

Brian

[rlhendren]

Originally Posted by AirDFW

We have a Grayson Beach reservation this summer. Anyone have feedback or experiences on that park?

I agree with what others have said. Grayton Beach is a nice park. I prefer the older section because it has more privacy/vegetation/shade, but it lacks sewer. The newer section with full hookups has far less shade. There are a few spots in the older section which have a concrete pad, but most are not. The park is clean and the facilities are well maintained. Easy access to the beach (1/2 mile drive or less, all without leaving the park). Plenty of bike paths if you like riding bicycles. You can reserve two canoes at the ranger station, but reserve them early in the day.

We also just got back from a Florida trip in February. Navarre Beach is a private campground which is nice, but the sites are very close together. Fort Pickens Park in Pensacola is another nice park with a lot more space between sites.

[1973Argosy]

I'm still 20 years out so don't know if Alabama is 62 or 65, sorry. I would be willing to bet it is 65 and that you have to be a resident to claim it but have no facts to back that up.