Grayton Beach State Park as a Day Trip from Panama City Beach

Grayton Beach State Park is reached from County Road 30A, with the entrance off County Road 30A and State Road 30A crossing the park-map area. The park is about 24.5 miles from a motel in Panama City Beach.

For a specific approach, a Florida tourism board guide directs drivers south on County Road 283 from U.S. Highway 98 to the park entrance.

It also cautions that parking can fill on weekends and holidays, so keep that possibility in mind when planning your arrival. The park is roughly halfway between Destin and Panama City Beach on the Florida Panhandle’s Gulf Coast.

Use the park address, 357 Main Park Road, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida 32459, for navigation. Parking, restrooms and beach access are marked on the official park map; a Port St. Joe day trip from Panama City Beach offers another regional outing to plan separately.

The park’s main draw is a mile of sugar-white beach, where you can swim, sunbathe or surf fish. The beach day-use area has three pavilions, and the Western Lake boat-ramp area has two; picnic pavilions are available first-come, first-served. For a different kind of local shoreline access, the Panama City Beach public shoreline guide focuses on finding beach access.

Both the day-use beach and cabin beach have Mobi-Mat access. The park also offers a beach wheelchair; call ahead to arrange its use. An accessible picnic table is at the large beach day-use pavilion.

Western Lake, a 100-acre coastal dune lake, adds a different kind of shoreline outing. A boat ramp provides access for kayaks, canoes, paddleboards and small-engine or trolling-motor boats. Jet-propelled watercraft are prohibited.

Grayton Beach State Park has trails through coastal forest, dunes and other coastal habitats, with mapped routes ranging from a short connector to a longer multiuse trail.

The official map labels the Dune Lake Trail at 1.0 mile, the Flatwoods Trail at 4.0 miles, the Western Lake Loop at 0.70 mile and the Shortcut Trail at 0.35 mile. A separate one-mile Grayton Beach Nature Trail starts near the beach parking area and passes through dunes, pine flatwoods and sand scrub oak before reaching Western Lake.

For a longer walk or bike ride, a 4.5-mile trail runs through forest and around Western Lake’s backwaters, for 9 miles round trip. Its starting point is across County Road 30A from the park entrance. The official map also shows the Timpoochee Trail, an 18.6-mile multiuse route.

Grayton Beach State Park covers nearly 2,000 acres and has parking, restrooms, showers, a swimming area and a paddlecraft-rental location marked on its official map. Its accessible amenities include cabins, campsites, beach Mobi-Mats, a beach wheelchair, and a picnic pavilion and tables.

Domestic pets are permitted in designated day-use areas on a handheld leash no longer than six feet. They are not allowed on beaches, in bathing areas, cabins, park buildings or other restricted areas. Beach access and planning are also central to a visit to Saint Andrews State Park.

Day-use admission is $5 per vehicle with two to eight people, $4 for a single-occupant vehicle and $2 for pedestrians, bicyclists and extra passengers. During high visitation, the park may temporarily close at capacity.

Day visitors, including people arriving on foot or by bicycle, must wait until it reopens; campers with reservations are admitted. Check the official site before you go for current admission and access information.

The park’s gates close at sunset, so plan to leave before then. Its regular opening hours run from 8 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year; check the official site before you go for current details.

A day trip can combine beach time with a trail or a paddle on Western Lake, while keeping the gate closing time in view.

Cabins are another option for a longer visit rather than a day trip. The park has 30 two-bedroom, one-bath duplex cabins, including two accessible cabins, and each accommodates six people. Reservations can be made up to 11 months ahead, with a two-night minimum. A secluded access path connects the cabins to the beach, about a mile away.

Can you take a dog to Grayton Beach State Park?

Dogs are allowed in designated day-use areas on a handheld leash no longer than six feet, but not on the beach or in bathing areas, cabins and park buildings.

Can you launch a kayak at the park?

Yes. The boat ramp at Western Lake can be used to launch kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, as well as small-engine or trolling-motor boats. Jet-propelled watercraft are prohibited.

Are cabins available for an overnight stay?

Yes. The park’s duplex cabins accommodate six people, and reservations require a two-night minimum stay.