Overview
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is located on the west end of Highway 30A in Walton County, Florida near San Destin. In addition to providing an affordable stay in a very exclusive (expensive) area, Topsail features over 3 miles of pristine secluded beach completely void of homes. condos, shops, and hotels. Absolutely nothing but sea, sand, and nature adorn this small piece of Florida's coastline.

The beach is typical for the area (awesome). Fine snow-white sand and emerald waters inspire beach lovers. There are three methods of getting to the beach from the campground. You can ride a bike, walk, or take a shuttle that runs periodically. We like the bike option. You can coast most of the way down to the beach, and the ride back isn't terribly bad either. Just be aware, it's about a half mile bike ride down to the boardwalk that leads to the beach. If you plan to walk or bike to the beach, make sure you can carry your beach supplies!

Wildlife abounds at Topsail Hill Preserve. The park features over 1,600 acres of fish-filled fresh water lakes and sand dunes, some as as much as 25' high.  Deer, raccoon, coyote, and snake are just a few of the land creatures in the park. It's unlikely you'll  encounter any of these, but you might very well see their tracks in the dunes (no humans allowed). You might be more likely to see a sea turtle than anything else. They seem to know it's a safe haven for them.

The campground is nice. It's set-up like an RV park, but most sites are a respectable size. They have full hookups and a decent laundry facility, so it's painless to stay as long as you like. The pool and recreation area is exceptionally nice. It even features a shuffle board court.

There is no limit to local dining, entertainment, and activities near Topsail Hill Preserve. The park is just minutes from San Destin and Destin, and a relatively short drive to Panama City Beach. These resort areas offer numerous water parks, miniature golf courses, parasailing, personal water craft rentals, kayak rentals, bike rentals, deep sea fishing, golf, and much more. There is never a dull moment in this part of Florida. It's one of our all-time favorite destinations.

The Richardson Tribe

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Adventure Journal
Entry Date: June 2010
Many southerners share the tradition of vacationing in an area along Florida's gulf coast often referred to as the Redneck Riviera. The Florida Panhandle is very different from the rest of the state, and we tend to like it that way.

We have been coming to this part of Florida for many years (50 in my case). My parents own a small beach house just a few miles from Topsail Hill Preserve, so we typically spend a week there before striking-out on a  camping adventure (in an attempt to stretch our vacation).

This year, we decided to revisit Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. We came here last year and loved it, so we wanted to return. We were very concerned about the condition of the beach considering the BP oil spill was due to hit the area at any time. The oil did show-up, but in very small quantities. Not enough to spoil the beach. What was distracting, however, was the cleanup crew in hazmat suits picking-up dime-size clumps of tar with a spoon. Very tedious. It seemed to me the process could easily be automated.

On this stay, we got a campsite in front of a deck overlooking a small pond. Just across the pond was the pool. It turned-out to be a very convenient site because its proximity  to the pool, and because the pond was a great place for the kids to fish. I didn't want to spend the money to get adult fishing licenses for Rebecca and me.

We spent two days at Topsail this time around, and we all wished we could stay longer. We'll miss Topsail next year because we plan to try something new next year.

The Richardson Tribe

Note: In June 2011, we extended our vacation by camping at Live Oak Landing RV Resort just up the road from Topsail Hill Preserve State Park. Check it out!

Other Destinations:
Up
Amicalola Falls State Park
Beaches of South Walton.
Berry College
Big Kahunas
Biltmore House
Blairsville, Georgia
Callaway Gardens
Cataloochee Ski Area
Cave Spring
Cedar Creek Park
Charlestown State Park
Chattahoochee Bend State Park
Chattanooga Zoo
Cherry Hill Park
Chester Frost Park
Chieftains Museum - Details and Pictures
Cloudland Canyon
Consolidated Gold Mine
Cohutta Wilderness
Cumberland Island
Dauset Trails
Desoto State Park
Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort
Doll Mountain Campground
Dollywood
Dunnaway Gap
Enota Mountain Retreat
Etowah Indian Mounds
Fall Creek Falls State Park
Florala State Park
Franklin D Roosevelt State Park
Fort Mountain State Park
Georgia Mountain Fairground
Georgia Veterans State Park
Gold n Gem Grubbin'
James H Floyd State park
James Island Park
Jellystone Park- Cave City, KY
John Tanner Park
Lake Allatoona
Lake Winnepesaukah
Little River Canyon Center
Live Oak Landing
Lula Lake Land Trust
Mammoth Cave National Park
McIntosh Reserve
McKinney Campground
New Echota - Cherokee Capitol
Old Stone Fort Archaeology State Park
Pine Moutain RV
Red Top Mountain State Park
Ridge Ferry Park
Rocky Mountain Recreation Area
Rock Town - Pigeon Mountain
Rome GA
Salt Springs Recreation Area
Silver Springs
Stone Mountain Park
Tannehill State Park
Tellus Science Museum
Topsail Hill Preserve
Townsend KOA
Townsend Tennessee
Vogel State Park
Wild Animal Safari
World of Coke

Features	Rating (1-10)	Description
Official Website	9	I have mixed emotions about Florida's state park website. They do have pictures and feed information pretty well. I cannot, however, find a campground map without initiating a reservation. Maybe it's just me.
Campground	9	Topsail Hill Preserve State Park's campground is one of the more "RV Parkish" state parks we've ever visited. It's a very nice campground, but doesn't have that "state park" feel. There are full hookups which is a big plus. It's in Florida, so sand and flying insects are present. Come prepared.
Additional places to camp near Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and Destin.	9	In June 2011, we stayed at Live Oak Landing near Freeport, Florida. It was very nice.  Henderson Beach State Park in located Destin. It's very very nice, but has no full hookups.
Pool/Recreation	9	The pool at Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is always very clean. There is a shuffle board court and various other outdoor activities near the pool area.
Biking	10	The campground is bike friendly, and there is a nice little half-mile ride down to the beach (or rather the boardwalk that leads to the beach). Additionally, there is a nice new paved bike path that runs the entire length of highway 30A through some of the most scenic areas of Florida's Gulf Coast.
Hiking	8	There are several designated hiking trails throughout the park's 1,600 acres. There are also numerous abandoned Jeep trails that can be explored on foot.
Boating	10	Nearby Destin provides a great place to rent or launch a boat in the Gulf of Mexico.
Canoeing/Kayaking	9	Canoes and kayaks can be rented and used on freshwater  Lake Campbell. No outside watercraft are allowed.
Fishing	9	It's on the gulf, so you can try the three miles of coastline for some saltwater fishing. You can also fish in the freshwater dune lakes in the park.
Local Attractions	9	Fort Walton Beach, Panama City Beach, Destin, Live Oak Landing, Florala State Park, Lake Jackson, Beaches of South Walton, etc.
No financial consideration or favor has been received for listing in PB&J Adventures' website. We are in no way affiliated with this facility or any other facility we review. Any paid advertising seen on this site was arranged after the destination was reviewed. You can trust the reviews to be unbiased.

June 2010


June 2009