Point Washington State Forest Eastern Lake Trailhead

Caryn Cook

My plan was to walk my dog on the 3 mile loop. It’s beautiful. I enjoyed the shade and the sandy trails that were clearly marked. We got about half of a mile in and had to turn around as a very, very large alligator had the trail blocked. Since I had my small dog I decided this wasn’t the trail for us.

Mollie Waters

Great place to start an MTB ride or trail run. Nice, large bathroom. Picnic area well maintained.

Mark Mefferd (TigerMark44)

Point Washington State Forest, located in the panhandle of Florida, just east of Destin, provided a .uch needed dose of nature. The area is home to 10 different eco systems, which gave some interesting flora to look at as we hiked. There are three loops at the Eastern Lake Trail, varying in distance from 3 5 miles, to 6 miles, to 12 miles. They were well marked and easy to navigate. We did not see much in the way of fauna, but we also visited in December. There also was a restroom at the trail head, which was a huge plus. The forest was primarily planted pine, as the area had been timbered in the past. We really enjoyed our hike through the area!

Ryan S

This review is for this Eastern Lake trail, not the whole Point Washington State Forest trail system. The Eastern Lake trail is divided into three lengths: 3.5, 6, and 11 miles. Despite being called the Eastern Lake trail, there is no lake. In fact, a majority of the trail system is on fire road/double track. Unfortunately this takes a way some of the immersion, not having enough singletrack. That said, the trail is amply marked (albeit there are no reliable mile marker signage). The real magic of this trail system is being able to link up with other trails, such as the Longleaf Greenway trail, making it a better trail system for distance runners or cyclists, than hikers. Parking here was sufficient and there is even a bathroom. There is a day usage fee via honor system.