When we left St. George Island, we took a leisurely drive to St. Andrews State Park. We drove Hwy. 98 to Port St. Joe and then turned inland on Hwy. 71. When we reached Hwy. 22, we turned left and traveled through to Hwy. 98/30 in Panama City. We crossed the Hathaway Bridge to Hwy. 3031 to St. Andrews State Park.
When we arrived at our site in the Pine Grove Campground, the sand of the site had been raked–like a Zen garden. There are a total of 176 sites on the Grand Lagoon with electricity, water, picnic tables and grills. The sites vary in size and accessibility, so check with the park before booking a site.
Campsite on Grand Lagoon
We had one full day of rain, so we did not explore this park as usual. We did walk through the Lagoon Campground, down to the boat ramp and around to the Buttonwood Marsh Overlook. There were several Great Blue Herons nesting in the marsh, tucking their heads under their wings in the rain.
Buttonwood Marsh Overlook
This would be a great beach for summertime fun. I talked with other campers who had swam, snorkeled, scuba dived and surfed here later in the year. They did warn me that the jellyfish come with the sunshine!
George Island is on the Forgotten Coast of Florida off the Big Bend Scenic Byway, Hwy. 98. When you reach the town of Eastpoint, look for the 4-mile bridge to St. George Island. St. George Island is a 28-mile long barrier island with little development.
There is a small town in the middle of the island, with beach homes, some small inns, a few restaurants, and canoe, kayak, bicycle and golf cart rentals. Mostly there are white sand dunes and beautiful beaches on both coasts of the island, the coast on the Apalachicola Bay and the coast on the Gulf of Mexico.
The park covers 1,962 acres on the east end of St. George Island. Here you will find sandy coves, salt marshes, slash pines, wild rosemary and windblown oaks. There are tall dunes, covered with scrub, rosemary, sea oats, tree roots and tiny creeping and blooming flowers.
There is primitive camping at the end of the East Slough Nature Trail, which ends at Gap Point. The RV sites in Sugar Hill Camping Area are easily accessed from the Park Road. They are all sandy, spacious back-in sites with table, fire ring and two poles for stringing a drying line.
The first day, we parked and then rode our bikes on the East Slough Nature Trail and explored the beach on the Gulf coast. There are nine miles of beaches, four that are in the main park and include boat ramps, parking, shaded picnic tables, swimming areas and restroom facilities.
The next day we decided we would explore the sensitive protected area eastern portion of the island. There was a rough road in place, so we decided to bike it. We had no idea how long the road was, but it did not look that long on the map of the park.
After about two miles, the road worsened, so we decided to leave our bikes and walk the rest of the way. It was a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed the walk that went on for three more miles. When we reached the end of the Island, where the bay met the gulf, we decided to visit the Gulf beach.
It was a beautiful white sand beach on the Gulf of Mexico. Our footprints were the only ones on the beach. As we explored, we found seashells, dead horseshoe crabs, driftwood and empty turtle eggs. We sat in lee of a dune and ate our picnic lunch. We could have easily taken a nap after our lunch, but the sun was going down and the wind was turning cold.
We walked most of the way back on the beach, finally cutting across the dunes to find the road. Luckily, we had plenty of drinking water or we would not have made it back to our bikes. When I was about ready to drop, we found our bikes. We peddled with all we had, but it was cold and dark by the time we reached the campground.
We were freezing, with windburns on our faces and hands. We hurt–bad. After loading up on anti-inflammatory drugs, we fell into our bed and slept for ten hours. So, we survived the ten-mile-round trip walk/bike marathon, with no lasting damage.
What attracted us to Ginnie Springs were the seven springs and spring runs that empty into the Santa Fe River. Although the weather during our stay was rainy and cold, Ginnie Springs is one of our favorite spots in Florida. Each group of springs has entry/exit stairs with handrails, a pavilion, a bathhouse, a volleyball court, campsites and plenty of parking. The springs have limestone bottoms and each spring was a unique shade of blue.
The water in the Santa Fe River is colored brown by tannin; where the spring water faded into the river water was an eerie sight. The springs are 72 degrees year round, so swimming and snorkeling in them was not a problem. The last day we were there, we aired up the Sea Eagle, our two-person kayak, and set off from the first river entry. Luckily, we were wearing wet suits because the river was about 50 degrees!
While kayaking, we found three unnamed springs on the other side of the river. We would spot bubbles on the surface and paddle close to see the springs. The paddle down to the river take out was about 3-1/2 to 4 hours and the river was high from all the rain this season. During the summer, you would tube, canoe or kayak the Santa Fe, emerging from the river at different springs or just drifting to the tube take out.
The dive shop/office/store sells or rents all types of diving equipment and has instructors available for cave-diving or basic snorkel or scuba lessons. We camped at Ginnie Springs for four nights and five days. We were the only RVers, so we had our choice of camping sites with electricity and water. For tent camping, there are some gorgeous sites along the banks of the Santa Fe. Each tent site came with water, BBQ grill and picnic table.
Ginnie Springs, Otter Springs, Poe Springs, Hart Springs and Blue Springs (one of five in Florida) are located in Gilchrist County, an area with the highest concentration of freshwater springs on Earth. We did not see all the springs in northern Florida, but we tried.
We have many pictures to share when we are able to find a solution for a slide show. Stay tuned.
