Hi there!
The Grayton Beach State Park beach is one of the best beaches in the Florida Panhandle.
It’s one of the best beaches in Florida.
The water color is amazing at Grayton Beach State Park!
If you go on a good weather day.
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And, Grayton Beach State Park is one of the best beaches in America!
Now that might sound a bit dramatic, but in fact, it has previously been named the absolute #1 best beach in America!
This means that it’s the best 30A beach… the best Florida Panhandle beach… and the best beach in Florida!
This is according to Dr. Beach.
That sounds pretty official, right?!
Once upon a time, when I had seen mentions of a Dr. Beach here and there on lists of beach towns and beach vacation spots, I thought Dr. Beach was some marketing name self-proclaimed by some random person, not an actual doctor.
One day, after once again seeing some beach was named among the best beaches in America by Dr. Beach, I decided to see who this “Dr. Beach” actually is.
So…
Who is Dr. Beach?!
Well, as it turns out, Dr. Beach is quite literally a doctor of beaches!
Dr. Beach is a scientist (with a PhD) who studies beaches!
Or more formally he is listed as a coastal scientist who seeks to improve “beach health” and beach safety, among other things.
He is also listed as part of the Department of Earth and Environment and the Sea Level Solutions Center at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami with a specialty in geomorphology.
Read more of his bio. Be sure to see the “how it started” section. It’s actually quite the story!
Dr. Beach’s list of best beaches in America
Dr. Beach now comes up with a top 10 beaches list every year to determine what the best beaches in the United States are.
And the “best” beach is even determined by numbers, based on 50 different factors.
These include things that can measure comfort and convenience for a beach vacation, like water temperature, amenities, wave measurements, safety, how sandy the beach is, and more.
This creates a list of not only some of the prettiest beaches in America, but the best destinations for a beach vacation in the US.
Grayton Beach State Park was the #1 beach in America!
According to Dr. Beach, Grayton Beach State Park was the #1 beach in America in 2020.
This makes Grayton Beach State Park the best spot for a beach vacation in Florida, according to science!
Before that, the last time a Florida beach was named #1 beach in America was in 2017. That was Siesta Beach.
Other Florida beaches have made the top 10 beaches in America, including St George Island State Park and Caladesi Island State Park.
Best beaches in America in 2020, according to Dr. Beach:
- Grayton Beach State Park, Florida
- Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach, North Carolina
- Coopers Beach, New York
- Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Hawaii
- Lighthouse Beach, North Carolina
- Caladesi Island State Park, Florida
- Hapuna Beach, Hawaii
- Coast Guard Beach, Massachusetts
- Coronado Beach, California
- Beachwalker Park, South Carolina
So according to Dr. Beach, based on the top 10 beaches in America in recent years, the best beaches in Florida include Grayton Beach State Park, St George Island State Park, and Caladesi Island State Park.
Near Grayton Beach State Park (around 45 minutes away in Panama City Beach), St Andrews State Park has also been named the best beach in America, although it’s been more than a few years. That was in 1995, but it can still be considered one of the best beaches in the Florida Panhandle today!
Grayton Beach State Park dunes
By going to the Grayton Beach State Park beach, you can also see coastal dunes!
And it is just to SEE the dunes!
You don’t want to walk across the sand dunes in Grayton Beach State Park in an effort to preserve them.
Dune grass is said to be fragile and an important part of the coastal ecosystem so take care not to step on any no matter where you are!
You will also be walking on a boardwalk trail that goes above sand dunes in order to get to the beach!
Cost to visit Grayton Beach State Park
aka cost of Grayton Beach State Park beach parking
In order to go to the Grayton Beach State Park beach, you’ll need to enter Grayton Beach State Park.
So the cost of the beach parking is the cost of entry into Grayton Beach State Park.
This is around $5 a car for a one-day pass. See current fees.
👆 In 2022, the cost of Grayton Beach State Park was $5 a car.
If you plan to make this a year of going to a ton of Florida state parks, then there is also the Florida state parks annual pass.
👆 What to pack for Grayton Beach State Park: Bring a sunshield as part of your Florida beach essentials so your car won’t heat up so quickly!
See more for your Grayton Beach State Park beach trip: What to pack for Florida beach vacation
Crowds at Grayton Beach State Park: Go early!
As a (former) #1 beach in America, Grayton Beach State Park does get full.
And, when it does, there is limited entry to Grayton Beach State Park. As in, they won’t let anyone in.
So, especially if it’s a good weather beach day, and even more especially if it’s a good weather beach day on the weekend, the earlier you go, the better!
According to a Florida state park ranger at Grayton Beach State Park, between 10am and 3pm is the most likely time to fill up.
See more for your Grayton beach trip:
- Why swim with an open water swim buoy
- What to pack for a Florida beach trip
- Grayton Beach State Park campground
More of the Florida Panhandle and beyond
- Best beaches in the Florida Panhandle
- Henderson Beach State Park
- St Andrews State Park (beach and pier!)
- Destin beaches
- Navarre Beach (dolphins and shelling!)
- Gulf Islands National Seashore
- Florida Panhandle campgrounds
- Southwest Florida beaches
- Best shelling beaches in Florida
More below about going to the Grayton Beach State Park beach!
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Can you swim at Grayton Beach State Park?
Yes, it’s possible to go swimming at Grayton Beach State Park!
That is, if you can don’t think the water temperature is too cold for swimming!
In the winter, spring, and fall, the highest water temperature you will encounter will probably be in the low 60s… mid 60s if you’re lucky! 🥶
For many people, this is too cold for swimming.
But there will almost always be a few people swimming along Florida’s gulf coast even in these temperatures!
I was at another Florida Panhandle beach and there were people who had just come out of the water when the air temperature was in the 40s!!! 🥶🥶🥶 (It was March.)
Grayton Beach State Park lifeguards
There are no lifeguards at Grayton Beach State Park.
The beach is open without lifeguards… at your own risk!
There is no lifeguard, but you can go swimming in Grayton Beach State Park.
The boring safety message for swimming in Grayton Beach State Park and any of the 30A beaches!
The ocean is powerful! The Gulf of Mexico is powerful!
Rip currents exist! Know before you go!
Take care out there!
Look for the beach flag warnings… and take extra caution based on the color of those beach flags!
Once you pass through the Grayton Beach State Park entry station, you can look for the beach flag.
You will also see a beach flag at Grayton Beach.
Even if the beach flag color indicates that there are “calm conditions,” it’s still the ocean, so take care!
Grayton Beach State Park beach parking
Once you are near the Grayton Beach State Park entry, you will start to see signs.
Then once you get past the state park entry, you’ll keep driving until you reach the beach parking lot.
You will pass by Western Lake, and then you will start to see some dunes!
And then from there, you can walk to the beach!
If you are staying at the Grayton Beach State Park campground, then you can bike from the campground. There is a bike rack at the beach parking lot.
Boardwalk trail across dunes to the beach
There is a boardwalk trail that goes across the dunes that leads to the beach.
And you’ve made it to the beach!
Grayton Beach State Park beach facilities
The beach facilities are near the beach parking lot.
Most notably beach facilities means that there is a bathroom.
There are also basic outdoor beach showers so you can rinse off sand.
Day use picnic area in Grayton Beach State Park
And as a day use area of Grayton Beach State Park, there are also picnic tables that you can eat at just a short walk from the parking lot.
Separately, there are also picnic tables at the Western Lake boat launch.
Stop by a Publix grocery store on your way to Grayton Beach State Park, and have a picnic at Grayton Beach State Park!
Depending on which direction you’re coming from, there’s a Publix at South Walton (map) or the Publix at Watercolor Crossings (map). Both are 10-15 minutes from Grayton Beach State Park
As a Publix near a beach town, you can buy some of your Florida beach essentials here too if you didn’t bring it from home, including beach chairs and floats.
See more for your Grayton Beach State Park beach trip: What to pack for Florida beach vacation
Snorkeling at Grayton Beach State Park
In South Walton FL, there are a bunch of artificial reefs along the shoreline created by the South Walton Artificial Reef Association.
👆 See the map of South Walton reef locations.
The creation of the reefs means that they’ve created an environment that attracts marine life.
The reefs have been created in various shapes.
And one of these artificial reef is off the shores of Grayton Beach State Park, and the reef is in the shape of a turtle!
This means that you can go to Grayton Beach State Park for a snorkeling spot in the Florida Panhandle!
The reef is located a bit off shore, so you’ll need to swim to it.
According to South Walton FL:
Sea Turtle Reef:
Located off the beach in Grayton Beach State Park, this reef sits about 783 feet from the shore and is comprised of 58 individual reefs deployed in the shape of a turtle.
The first of the nearshore snorkeling reefs to be installed, this reef took shape in the summer of 2015.
So the Grayton Beach snorkeling spot is around 780 feet from the beach, which is around 240 meters, which is around 0.15 miles.
So this is a bit of a swim from shore.
It’s not a snorkeling spot that you can walk into the water from the beach and then you’re there. You will want to be very comfortable with swimming in order to snorkel at Grayton Beach’s turtle reef.
Have a look at swimming along with a personal buoy float so you can be spotted more easily from shore! And although it is not meant as a safety device, since it is a float, if you get a bit tired, you can rest on it too!
How to find the Grayton Beach snorkeling spot
Once you have entered Grayton Beach State Park and walked to the beach, you can look for the instructions on how to find the turtle reef snorkeling spot from Grayton Beach.
Basically, as you are swimming out to the turtle reef, you want to look back towards the beach and look for the yellow poles.
To know that you are swimming straight out to the turtle reef snorkeling spot, you want to look back to the beach and only be able to see one pole.
If you see 2 poles, it means that you are swimming off-course!
👆 Spot the yellow poles! As you are swimming out to the Grayton Beach State Park snorkeling spot, you will look back to shore to guide your way to turtle reef.
Grayton Beach State Park turtles
Watch out for sea turtles at Grayton Beach State Park during the turtle season season!
The sea turtle nesting season at Grayton Beach is in May, June, July, August, September, and October!
If you are walking on the beach at night, flashlights can disorient the baby turtles.
So for the survival of the baby turtles, you are asked to keep it dark on the beach at night!
According to Florida State Parks:
Sea turtles nest at Grayton Beach State Park during the sea turtle nesting season from May through October every year.
The 2 most common species of turtles that nest at Grayton Beach State Park are green sea turtles and loggerhead sea turtles, but leatherback sea turtles and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles also nest at the beach.
Shelling at Grayton Beach State Park
Well, I wasn’t looking for shells and I didn’t stumble across any. But if there’s a sign about shelling at a Florida beach, it probably means you’ll find at least a few shells if you look! (Yes, there was a sign about shelling in Grayton Beach State Park!)
And that’s a bit about Grayton Beach along the Florida 30A!
Also see:
More of the best beaches in America:
HAPPY OCEAN VIEWING OR SWIMMING AT GRAYTON BEACH STATE PARK!
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