Swift and clear, Turkey Creek brings lots of paddling action. Lori Ceier/WaltonOutdoors.com

Turkey Creek paddle full of beautiful surprises

Located on Eglin AFB Reservation, just off of SR 85, the Turkey Creek paddle is approximately 9 miles long.
Swift and clear, the first two thirds of the paddle is tight, as the creek is only about 25 ft. wide, full of logs and sandy, shallow bottoms. Trees hang over the water, providing good shade and cool water for the journey.
About 5 miles into the paddle, Turkey Creek joins with Juniper Creek where it widens, and eventually empties into Boggy Bayou in Valparaiso, just west of Niceville.
Floating through the tunnel on Turkey Creek. Lori Ceier/WaltonOutdoors.com



This paddle will bring also bring you under a few bridges and a double tunnel that at one time supported railway tracks. There is a bit of a rapid as the creek forces into the narrow tunnels, providing a fun place to stop, get out and float through.
Before you get to Boggy Bayou, you will pass through the Turkey Creek Recreation area. There are several swimming spots used by locals in this area cooling off on a warm day.
Paddling Turkey Creek requires a permit from Eglin AFB. You can acquire one by calling...

Lots of summer activities available for kids



Local area clubs, camps and recreation facilities are offering summer programs for children. Below is a list of organizations and programs available this summer in the Walton County area. Several activities in Destin are listed below as well.
In addition, the United Way’s 2009 Children’s Summer Fun Guidebook offers a complete listing from Okaloosa to Walton for children ages 4 – 18. For more information, or to download the complete area guide go to: www.united-way.org and look on the front page under 2009 Summer Fun Guidebook.
Walton County area

Walton County Extension Office – Summer Fun 4 Kids Program
Kids in the Kitchen
Time: 9:00 a.m. -2:30 p.m.
Children will learn basic nutrition, meal planning, kitchen and food safety, etiquette and basic cooking skills. During a field trip to a local grocery store, children will learn about smart food shopping. Children will prepare a meal on the final day for special adult guests. Bring a sack lunch.
Limit: 10 children. Ages 12 and up ONLY
June 10-12 Extension Office, DeFuniak Springs
(June 10th starts at 12:30 p.m.)
June 16-18 Flowersview Community Center
June 23-25 Emerald Coast Middle School
Outdoor Adventures Time
...

A cool way to spend a few hours on the water

Boiling Creek is a beautiful, pristine paddle, full of cypress trees, water lilies and a variety of pitcher plants along its banks. The water is crystal clear, and you will see colorful underwater grasses rippling below, as you meander through the slow moving twists and turns. The creek is approximately 25 feet wide for most of the journey. Common sights are turtles, ospreys, hawks and other birds, such as woodpeckers and indigo buntings.
There are only one or two places to get out of your boat as you paddle the 6.6 miles, with the last half of the trip along the Yellow River. The Yellow river is much wider and does not offer the clarity of the creek. The most picturesque portion of the paddle is the first half along Boiling Creek.
The entire paddle is located on Eglin AFB property. You need an Eglin Pass acquired at Jackson Guard Natural Resources Facility in order to enter the base property. Jackson Guard is located in Niceville, on Highway 85 just north of Highway 20. For more information, call (850) 882-4164 or (850) 882-4165.
How to get there:
The put in is at Boiling Creek Bridge, located on Eglin Reservation Road 211 off Hwy. 87. The take out is at the South end of the Hwy 87 under the Yellow River Bridge.
Take Hwy 87 south from I-10. Cross the Yellow River bridge - takeout is on the left....

State Park offers a perfect place for a picnic and a cool swim

Just outside the Walton County line is one of the coolest places to take a dip in a spring, Ponce de Leon Springs State Park. As the water stays a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, both locals and visitors enjoy this nature-made swimming pool, which is a convergence of two underground water flows, producing 14 million gallons of water daily.
This beautiful spring is named for Juan Ponce de Leon, who led the first Spanish expedition to Florida in 1513 - as legend has it, in search of the “fountain of youth.”
The park has a long history as it has been facilitated as far back as the early 1900s, and at one time, offered a roller skating rink. The State acquired the springs in 1970.

The spring area boasts an open pool with easy access steps entering the water. The crystal clear water shows bream and bass swimming around below.
Visitors can take a leisurely walk along two self-guided nature trails through a lush, hardwood forest and learn about the local ecology and wildlife. The walk offers a closer look at Sandy Creek, where the springs empties into, and eventually leads to the Choctawhatchee River.
Local flora includes mountain laurel, magnolias, cypress, holly, cedar and oak trees. Snakes, fox, and lizards are a common sight in the area as well.
There are...

Scrub oaks and dunes at Grayton Beach State Park.

Mother Nature shows off her best features at this gem of a park

Those that live in the Florida Panhandle are blessed with the diversity and natural beauty of our local State parks, and one of those beauties is Grayton Beach State Park.
Nestled on both the south and north of Scenic 30A, I had forgotten how lovely the park was, until I re-examined it again recently with my own personal tour guide, Patrick Hartsfield, Park Service Specialist.
Patrick has an enormous amount of enthusiasm for this 2,200-acre park, and its unspoiled natural magnificence. It is easy to concur, as the majority of the park is left untouched and full of diversity with sand dunes, scrub oaks, Western Lake’s salt marsh, multiple ecosystems, pine flatwoods and remarkable trails. This area is the perfect habitat for wildlife.
Egrets.



Grayton Beach State Park offers a wide variety of activities for the visitor. Along with the beautiful beaches, there are two unique trails to enjoy, along with camping and cabin rentals.
Take a walk along the trail nicknamed the “Hobbit Hole,” through the dunes where you find yourself enveloped in the scrub oaks and finding yourself becoming one with nature. Flowering spiderworts and blue...