A Unique Florida Beach Park With Sugar White Sand Consistently Ranks As One Of America's Prettiest

Blissfully ensconced on the picturesque Florida Panhandle between Destin and Panama City Beach, Grayton Beach State Park is one of Florida's most dynamic nature reserves. While there are many gorgeous beaches in the area, Grayton Beach State Park is especially stunning: it has been voted as the top beach in the country. Though the star attraction is the perfect mile-long shoreline lapped by translucent turquoise waves, there is much more to discover inland at Grayton Beach, from canoeing on the unique coastal dune lakes to hiking through scrub oak forest. To fully immerse in this scenic Floridian nature reserve, you can even camp there overnight. This nearly 2,000-acre state park is a nature lover's wonderland and spending a day here is one of the 10 best things to do in the Florida Panhandle.

Grayton Beach State Park is open from 8 a.m. to sundown every day, and there is a small fee to enter. The state park is a one-hour drive from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and a 45-minute drive from Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. Grayton Beach is beautiful to visit year round, but can get very busy during the hot summer months.  While the winter months are cooler (January averages around 53 degrees Fahrenheit), this is the perfect time for exploring the natural treasures of the state park without crowds.

While there are many unique state parks on Florida's Emerald Coast, Grayton Beach State Park's ecosystem is especially rare as coastal dune lakes are only found in the United States in Walton County, Florida, and Oregon. Depending on rainfall, these lakes can create snaking channels that flow into the Gulf of Mexico. Active types will want to embark on the 4.5-mile hiking and biking trail that weaves past forests, dunes, and lakes. You might even spot some of the park's wildlife inhabitants, including shorebirds, bald eagles, Florida black bear, deer, and foxes. "Before or after your beach walk, catch the trailhead at the end of the parking lot to hike along the rare dune lake on a multi surface path — sand, mulch, shells," wrote a Tripadvisor reviewer. "The tunnel of trees is amazing." 

Visitors can putter around the park's vast 100-acre Western Lake by canoe, kayak, paddleboard, or small motorboat and go fishing in its waters, which have healthy populations of redfish, bass, and bream. Out on the spectacular mile-long white-sand beach, leisurely activities like sunbathing, swimming, and surf-fishing beckon. After a full day of exploration and relaxation, you don't even need to leave the park to sleep: Grayton Beach State Park offers 30 two-bedroom cabins nestled amidst the forest, as well as 59 camping sites. If you prefer more luxurious lodging, book one of the 67 rooms and suites at the elegant WaterColor Inn, which borders on Grayton Beach State Park.