Topsail Hill Preserve State Park
Santa Rosa Beach, FL
Topsail Hill Preserve State Park stretches 3.2 miles along 30A between Destin and Grayton Beach, backed by some of the tallest dunes on this part of the coast and Campbell Lake, another of the region's rare coastal dune lakes. A tram runs from the day use lot down to the beach so nobody has to make the walk in the Panhandle heat.
3.2 miles of beach and a genuinely different dune lake ecosystem make it one of the bigger 30A parks, though depending on the tram for the full walk in makes it slower to reach than neighboring beaches.
How we score beachesCatch the tram if the walk looks long, it runs regularly from the parking area and saves a good fifteen minutes each way. The trail network past the campground is worth a slow bike ride if you have an extra hour, quieter than anything along the beach.
Day use parking is walk in, no reservation needed, with the entrance fee collected at the gate. The tram from the lot to the beach runs continuously through the day.
A tram handles most of the distance from the lot to the sand for anyone who doesn't want the walk, and the beach itself is a short stretch of soft sand from the drop off point. The trail network further back is mostly flat, packed sand and boardwalk.
Leashed dogs are welcome on the hiking trails, but not on the beach, in cabins, or at the swim area.
The dune lakes and beach both stay pleasant from spring through fall, with the heaviest crowds in summer alongside the rest of 30A and hurricane season running June through November. Winter here is quiet enough that the tram sometimes runs on request only.
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