Hiking Trails on the Emerald Coast: State Parks and the Florida Trail on Eglin

Trail finder: official trails on the Emerald Coast

Florida State Parks and Eglin list trails from the half-mile Rocky Bayou and Red Cedar trails in Niceville to the 45-mile Florida Trail section across Eglin; Topsail Hill alone has more than 15 miles of marked trails. Source: Florida State Parks and Eglin AFB, checked Nov 1, 2026.

Checked on Nov. 1, 2026 by our Outdoors Desk. The park's own page always wins. Hiking on Eglin? Check the Public Access Map for daily mission closures first. Eglin Public Access Map (PAM) and permits.

Is it hunting season today?

Deer seasons in Florida Zone D (Panhandle)

General gun deer season in Florida's Zone D runs Nov 26-29 (Thanksgiving weekend) and Dec 12, 2026 - Feb 21, 2027. Wear blaze orange or bright colors on Eglin and in state forests.

Oct. 24, 2026 – Nov. 1, 2026: Archery deer season (crossbow too) Bows in the woods

Nov. 1, 2026 – Nov. 1, 2026: General gun deer season Highest risk: guns in the woods

Nov. 1, 2026 – Nov. 1, 2026: Crossbow deer season Bows in the woods

Nov. 1, 2026 – Nov. 1, 2026: Muzzleloading gun deer season Highest risk: guns in the woods

Nov. 1, 2026 – Nov. 1, 2026: General gun deer season Highest risk: guns in the woods

Nov. 1, 2026 – Nov. 1, 2026: Muzzleloading gun deer season Highest risk: guns in the woods

Eglin sets its own hunt dates by management unit; check its FY27 hunting calendar and the Public Access Map. Hunting is not allowed in Florida state parks.

10 official trails, shortest first

Park

Showing .

Trail	Miles	Difficulty	Uses
Rocky Bayou Trail Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park · About 1/2 mile	0.5	Not rated by the park	hike
Red Cedar Trail Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park · About 1/2 mile	0.5	Not rated by the park	hike
Grayton Beach Nature Trail Grayton Beach State Park	1	Not rated by the park	hike
Sand Pine Trail Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park · About 1 mile; birding	1	Not rated by the park	hike
Juniper Creek Trail (park section) Blackwater River State Park · Continues about 7.5 miles into Blackwater River State Forest	1	Not rated by the park	hike
Chain of Lakes Nature Trail Blackwater River State Park · Loop	1.75	Not rated by the park	hike
Grayton Beach Hike and Bike Trail Grayton Beach State Park · One way; 9 miles round trip	4.5	Not rated by the park	hike, bike
Cimarron section (SR 85 to Yellow River) Eglin Reservation (Eglin Air Force Base) · Not officially Florida Trail; dead-ends at the river	8.8	Not rated by the park	hike
Florida Trail: West section (SR 87 to East Bay) Eglin Reservation (Eglin Air Force Base) · Eglin permit; west of SR 87 is exempt from PAM closures	14.3	Not rated by the park	hike
Florida Trail: East/North section (US 331 to SR 85) Eglin Reservation (Eglin Air Force Base) · Eglin permit; check PAM closures; camps along the way	45.2	Not rated by the park	hike

Lengths and difficulty as each park lists them; some loops share sections. Sources: Florida State Parks and Eglin AFB Natural Resources trail pages (listed below). Download: outdoors.csv (official data only; free to reuse with credit to Emerald Coast Dispatch).

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