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Print Friendly MapClosure Notice: Highway 30A is undergoing construction in Deer Lake State Park, as the road crosses Deer Lake. This construction will impact the Timpoochee Trail along MM 13-14.
Overview
The Timpoochee Trail traces the Gulf of Mexico shoreline and Scenic Highway 30-A as it travels through beachside communities and state forest lands between Dune Allen and Rosemary Beach for 18.5 miles
Trail-goers will enjoy scenic views of the sea, marsh lakes, sandy dunes, and charming coastal neighborhoods as they meander down this tree-lined path along northwest Florida's Emerald Coast.
About the Route
Highway 30A travels between Destin and Panama City in the Panhandle of Florida. While both of these are moderately sized cities, the small coastal towns in between have a much more laid-back coastal vibe. The Timpoochee Trail trails along a portion of this scenic route from Dune Allen Beach to Inlet Beach.
Immediately on the trail's western end (MM 0) is Topsail Hill Preserve State Park which offers stunning natural beauty including undisturbed beach, old-growth coastal forests, 3 dune lakes, and more.
The trail then crosses Stallworth Lake, one of the many dune lakes that the trail passes. These lakes which are permanent but fluctuate with tides and rainfall, are plentiful along 30A but surprisingly a rare feature worldwide, only located in a couple of other places. In the next several miles, the trail crosses Dune Allen Regional Beach, the town of Gulf Place, Ed Walline Regional Beach, and Blue Mountain Beach.
At mile 8, the trail passes Western Lake, the largest dune lake in the area which can be enjoyed by Kayak or SUP. At mile 9, the trail passes through Seaside, a town dotted with colorful beach homes that was once the set of The Truman Show.
At mile 13, the trail passes through Deer Lake State Park which features rare plant species, spectacular dunes, and more dune lakes.
At mile 15, the trail crosses its last dune lake, Camp Creek Lake.
The last two towns along the route feature unique architecture. Alys Beach features stately palm trees along 30A and white towers (called butteries), while Rosemary Beach features New Orleans-style storefronts and homes.
Portions of the trail run along busy roads and make use of sidewalks. Each town along the route provides an abundance of shopping, dining, and other retail options.
The Timpoochee Trail runs between County Hwy 30A near US 98 (Dune Allen) and 10952 E County Hwy 30A (Inlet Beach), with parking available in Dune Allen).
Parking is also available at:
See TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
The trail is narrow & crosses the road several times as it passes through beach towns on the Gulf of Mexico. The scenery is pretty decent. I rode it on a weekday in February & it was pretty busy. It's worth the time if you're in the area.
Left Rosemary Beach and headed west on Friday, February 2nd, 2024. Road and trail was completely closed around Mile 13..no way to detour…planning on 30 miles plus with lunch in Seaside..had to turn back. Deer Lake Park was worth the visit.
The trail is awesome with several bridges over more than 11 lakes, meandering through several beach towns and neighborhoods. There’s public beach access along the way as well as many restaurants, coffee shops, bike shops and other retail. At mile marker 5 from the east of Inlet Beach, the trail/road over Deer Lake is all torn up. I was able to walk around the construction because no one was around on Christmas Eve Day when I did the ride, but normally you probably wouldn’t be able to. I was able to complete the entire trail from Shades Bar and Grill on the east trailhead to Topsail Hill State Park on the west end. Loved the adventure. Hybrid bike on all paved trails; 5 hours to complete; 40 miles out and back; 11mph; 650 ft elevation. (flat)
I was a little worried about taking my road bike on this trail based on some reviews, but it was actually pretty great! It's not the same as riding on a wide shoulder on sparse roads, but the foot/slower bike traffic isn't bad, and there's plenty of room to pass. the path is pretty well maintained. the biggest issue is a few points where you have to cross the road and switch sides. Still, I averaged about 16.5 mph and could have gone a bit faster if I wanted to. You're not going to get race training in here, but if you just want to get the legs moving, this is a great option.
This is NOT a rail trail or anything similar just to manage expectations. This is a nice family cruiser bike “path” or nice for walkers and runners. As a road cyclist, I was super excited about a paved “trail”. SMH. It is best for a road cyclist to just prepare to ride on a very narrow road most of the way sharing the road with vehicles.
BEWARE !! in Seagrove Beach, the red light at the intersection of 30A and S.Co. Hwy 395--we were on the bike trail, we had a green light , going west, and nearly were run over by pickup trucks and cars turning right. I assumed we had the right of way, but the trucks and cars paid us no attention, just zoomed around the corner. Very disturbing !!
Interesting trail but way too many curb cuts and people walking.
Rode in February. A bit busy even during off season. Noise from traffic is constant. But the trail was safe to ride. Many people rode with beach cruisers. Lots of places to rent them.
It’s mid February 2022 and the bridge is still closed.
Bridge closed just east of the 6 mile marker. No indication when it will reopen. A fun ride with a few small hills. Cross the road a few times but there is a traffic control at each crossing. Many shops and restaurants along the path.
My husband and I ride recumbent trikes, and I was looking forward to this trail. Our plan was to go from one end to the other and back to Topsail. The park we did was not trike friendly, and about 7 miles into the ride the trail was closed, so we were forced to turn around and cut our ride short- planned on 40 and got 14. The neighbor around are interesting, but many are gated.
Came from the east end of the trail. Parked across 98 where there was a little mall. Pretty well kept the whole way and goes through Seaside, Alys Beach, Watersound, etc. It does get very busy with foot traffic and when we went there were a bunch of high schoolers who had rented bikes so avoiding them was...interesting. You can take neighborhood roads off the trail to avoid some of the heavy foot traffic areas and also see some of the beautiful houses in these neighborhoods. The places in between the towns and to the west of the busy areas are great. Lots of places to stop and grab a bite to eat if you like.
We started out at Grayton Beach State Park it cost 5.00 to park ,it has restrooms and beach access. This is in the middle of the trail. We wanted to take our time so we divided it into two days, Day 1 took us down the trail which follows the road , there is about a 4 foot divider between road and trail in most places. You cross over the road a few times but at crossing system that alerts drivers to stop and let bikes and walkers across. You will pass many rental homes,stores and Restaurants. If you are there early you can have a great coffee at the Bad *** coffee company. We stopped several times along the way at stores and went to the end and went to Stinkys Restaurant for lunch. Very Good. Then made our way back. Day 2 Went to the East it was very crowded lots of bikes and walkers. In one spot you have to get off your bike and walk thru, this is by the park that has many Food Trucks. This trail crosses over the road a few more times then the west side. Shops and Restaurants all over. Take your time and enjoy the trail.
Great trail, busy beautiful!!
We rode the trail on a late September morning and had a great time. We parked on a public beach lot and rode east to Rosemary beach for a total of about 30 miles round trip. The trail is well kept and we had shade for about half of the ride (there was less as the sun went overhead). For the most part, people we encountered on the trail were friendly and courteous but it did get a little congested around Seaside. It’s a nice, relaxing ride on a smooth asphalt trail.
I live in the area. During tourist season it can get quite crowded (as do the highways and grocery stores). During off season it is a pleasant ride. No walkers 3 abreast and not paying attention to your bell. I’ve now just started to shout bike on the left and that helps. The areas this trail follows has a lot of beach rentals and the little towns are just crawling with people. Views are pretty but there are other trailsduring peak season.
We rode this trail in March, 2019 and would like to share some observations. The trail has great potential, connecting four state parks. Personally, when I ride it again, I would stick to the western section beginning just east of Grayton Beach SP to Topsail SP. The eastern section has over one hundred driveways and an annoying surface including paver bricks and sidewalk. In addition, the Seaside and Seagrove Beach areas were very congested and I had to walk my bike through crowds of people. To be fair though, it was during spring break.
If you're training for the Tour d'Anything, this isn't the trail for you. If you want to park your car in one of the towns and use the bikes to Gary around, they're great.
We ride "hybrid" bikes (something in between road bikes and mountain bikes). We found them pretty ideal for this trail.
We parked at Seaside and rode east to Camp Helen State Park. The park itself isn't a bad ride.
Another day, we went west to Grayton Beach. We ran into trail construction there, but we rode south to the beach, and around town. We later found that we probably could have re-entered the trail on the west side of town, and continued westward. The construction looked almost complete, so it is likely to be a non-issue soon after this review is posted.
The trail is ideal for exploring the towns, and goes close to lots of shops and restaurants.
There were a few other trails heading north toward hwy 98 that were in the final stages of construction. These were interesting, and we may explore them next year.
Two days after riding from Rosemary Beach to Seacrest and back (see "Not Close To Its Potential"), we returned and rode the section from Watercolor to Grayson Highlands State Park and back. This section has been significantly improved. Although still too narrow and unlined, the asphalt is smooth and adequately separated from the roadway, with new bridges. Someone needs to pay for similar improvements from Watercolor east. If they do, this would be a 4 or 5 star ride.
We rode 8 miles of this "trail", from the unmarked east end in Rosemary Beach to Seaside Beach, and back. This "trail", for most of the distance we rode, is just a very narrow glorified sidewalk, ill-maintained and in places downright dangerous. Parts of the "trail" are simply road shoulders, with no more than a few feet of separation from opposite direction vehicle traffic. That some vehicles have in the past entered the "trail" was evident from the bent-over rubber posts supposedly delineating the edge of the "trail" / road.
We passed at least a dozen bicycle rental outlets, each with hundreds of bikes. We were told that during peak vacation periods most of those bikes would be out on the "trail", with many very young and at times unsteady riders capable of veering into oncoming bicycle or vehicular traffic. While it was not busy during our ride, we saw no one else wearing helmets.
Between the bicycle concessionaires, the owners of the very valuable adjoining properties, the restaurants and other business profiting from trail users, the municipalities through which 30A passes and the county road commission, sufficient funds should available to (1) widen the trail to a minimum of 10', (2) repave the entire trail, (3) add appropriate paint markings and a center division line, and (4) install guardrails between the highway and the trail where the trail cannot be moved away from the road.
Given its premium location, this "trail" has the potential for perfection. At present, it isn't even close.
I rode this trail the entire length. It is not a bicycle trail for serious bike riders. While it wanders through some beautiful terrain, it is compromised by many driveways and road crossings not to mention the multitude of pedestrians. In Rosemary Beach area it is a concrete sidewalk about 4 feet wide. In many places the trail is very rough with pots and bumps due to the many cuts and patches.
If you are into a slow touring ride you will be OK.
I was greatly disappointed in this trail. An 18-mile, paved trail sounds so wonderful, but the reality was a different story. It has so much potential, it is a shame that it wasn't better designed and isn't better maintained. Mountain bikers, walkers and joggers might find this trail ok, but there is a reason all the road-bikes were on the road and not on the trail, and someone on inline skates would not be able to use most of the parts of the trail we experienced (the 6.5 miles on the southeast section).
Having read the reviews of how busy and crowded this trail tends to be, we set out early on Christmas morning to enjoy this trail. We started at the southeast end of the trail, planning to ride our Trikkes at least 10 miles before turning around. The trail was so poor, we gave up in frustration at 6.5 miles, and Trikked back to the car. Perhaps further on the trail we would have encountered better conditions, but we were too tired of trying to navigate bad conditions to find out.
The trail is amazingly inconsistent. Some areas are narrow sidewalks, others are wider asphalt. A few sections are smooth, but too many sections are bumpy, with cracked asphalt that is heaving.
Much of the trail is below the level of the road, with little-to-no vegetation to stop the runoff of sand, dirt, rocks and debris, across the trail. Some sections are actually the shoulder of the road, with only flexible plastic pipes, sticking up perpendicular from the road, to divide the trail from the roadway, with cars and trucks flying by.
At various points, the property owners are watering the trail with their underground sprinkler system, creating puddles as deep as 2 inches. The design of the trails did not provide for drainage.
The one real plus is that in the morning, most of the trail is shaded, which would be wonderful on hot summer mornings.
The area near Alys Beach was beautiful. While I understand the money isn't available to have all 18 miles that nice, there is a lot that could be done with this trail to make it more enjoyable.
Today we drove up to Port St. Joe's to ride the Loggerhead Run Bike Path. This trail is not fancy, but it is more consistent, well designed for drainage and sand control, and a delight to ride, albeit with little shade. Those who designed and maintain the Timpoochee Trail could take some lessons from them. I only wish we had booked our accommodations near Port St. Joe's- but now we know for our next trip to the region.
First, before I give the negative about this ride, let me state I am very grateful that we have trails like this one in the United States where we don't have to risk getting run over by a car. This trail is very bumpy. If you have 38 or larger tires, then air them down for comfort. If you are a roadie with 23 or 25mm tires, I think you may not be happy about this ride. If you want to go fast, it may be a problem as the trail can be very crowded at times and the people walking or riding seem to be inconsiderate about sharing the trail. Many times I had to come to a complete stop because no matter what bell I rang or what words I said had no affect, the people made no attempt to clear a path for us to get through. The beaches were right next to us, but you cannot see them for all the buildings. Not a scenic ride as you would expect. But I did get to burn a lot of calories. There are stops along the way for food, drinks, etc. Just chill on this ride and you can enjoy it. I would ride it again if I visit this area in the future.
Spent the week riding on the Timpoochee Trail/30A Trail and loved it. Recommend that you get out early to avoid the traffic. It is a multi-use trail (bike and peds) so please be aware of this when riding on the trail. Trail is perfect for a fixie, mtn bike or a cruiser. Not recommend for a road bike. Did like that there are many stops for a water bottle refill or a bite to eat. Highly recommend checking out the food trucks in Seaside just below Watercolor. There are also some trails in the Watercolor/Seaside beach area that are a nice way to see the development. All in all enjoy my rides on the trail and recommend it.
I did about 18 miles of this trail on a Thursday. It is the most crowded trail I've ever seen. People walking, running, families with strollers, groups of people walking slowly drinking coffee, eating ice cream and oblivious to the fact that it is a bike trail. The trail itself is rough in spots and poorly maintained.maintained
A nice trail on a sunny mid-week day but super busy on a lovely day. Easy to ride along; gentle inclines and wide paths. Lots of places to stop and admire the view and quaint little places to rest or get refreshments. My new favourite place is Rosemary Beach. A delightful place!
As long as you don't start this trail expecting untamed wilderness, then you should enjoy it. It meanders through multiple small beachfront communities with a number of views to the Gulf of Mexico and the unique coastal dune lakes. This is a tourist area so there WILL be novice bicyclists and pedestrian traffic, but not enough to significantly detract from the experience. The (asphalt) trail does cross a number of (concrete) driveways so it can get rough at the transition between surfaces, but I have ridden this trail with my dad on his Trek road bike and he didn't have any problems. Very enjoyable with ample opportunities for water, food, or other items you may need.
My adult daughter and I live fairly near here but had never tackled this "official" trail, until last week. We parked near the western end and went 15 miles where we decided that 30 miles roundtrip for the day was enough. Had we realized how close to the western end we were we probably would've gone all the way. Even though it's the off-season there was a bit of activity near the Rosemary Beach and Seaside areas, but not bad. Most of the trail was relatively quiet even for a sunny Saturday afternoon. We even stopped several times to watch deer crossing the trail near one of the state parks on the trail. We stopped a few other times to take some photos of the wildlife near several of the lakes that you will bridge across. Some of these lakes are ecologically very unique but I won't bore you with details here.
The surface varied some but never very bad, always better than riding along most road shoulders. We did have about 5 feet of soft sand but we zipped on through it, most was asphalt with some concrete. It does cross over Highway 30A a few times but traffic was light (and slow). For a state as flat as people think of Florida it does have some rolling hills at times, although elevation change is still never more than 15-20' I would think.
There are plenty of bike shops along the route but most appear to be more of beach cruiser rental shops for the tourists. We did see one "real" shop but had no real reason to stop.
You also will have plenty of chances for food or cold brews along the way, but be prepared that it is a tourist location. Two hot dogs and locally-brewed bottle beers set us back $28 from a walk-up window. The location was about 5' off the bike path so it was certainly convenient. It was near the end of our ride so the break was worth it.
Convenient, safe, (mostly) smooth and gets you off an extremely busy roadway! I feel many of the reviews here are unfairly harsh. What are you expecting? This is not a trail through a national forest or seaside preserve. But it is a nice trail that allows you to traverse the area in safety. We rode about 10 miles both east and west of Seaside and found it very enjoyable. Lots of places to stop and eat, get coffee or drinks and there are actually some sections that are quite scenic. I would probably say 4 stars, but wanted to go to 5 to counter some of the very negative reviews that I felt were inaccurate.
The trail has become very rough in recent years because of heavy construction tearing up the pavement and not repairing it properly.Also ,it a sidewalk since there are no sidewalks along 30A.They just paved the road which was fine but should have paved the bike trail instead.
We stayed at Grayton Beach at a Bed and Breakfast and rode. While it is not a ride I would return to do because there were too many people on the trail that were first time bike riders it was a nice day. Not sure it should be on the rails to trails network it is more sidewalk type of riding,several times we got onto the rode because we felt better than riding on the pavement that was called the trail.
Nothing scene about 30A unless you like looking at buildings. Some spots do have a very rare glimpse of what was one time very scene ride. Trail is terrible for road bikes and has heavy wander/walking traffic.
This is a pleasant trail that travels through a bustling vacation area. It runs along side Walton County Highway 30A and there are many restaurants, shops and parking areas. We parked at the day use lot of Topsail Hill Preserve State Park ($6) and traveled the western half of the trail today. It is reasonably flat (just a few small hills) and easy to navigate. There are a number of places where the trail crosses the road; these are well marked and drivers all were courteous. There were many other walkers and bike riders using the trail but not so many as to make the ride difficult.
Took our own bikes for a week stay in Santa Rosa, found the trail useful as a transportation alternative up and down the 30A scene. Biked to publix, to beach, boardwalk, dinner, and just to ride. Grayton Beach has bike racks when you get there and need to park the bike.
Loved the parallel streets in seaside off the main drag for exploring.
On October 15, 2013, we rode from the west end to Seaside. We rode from Seaside to the east terminus the following day. The trail was a bit more challenging than expected but not bad. In general the pavement was in good shape. A couple of places were sand-covered, a bit treacherous.
Although there was a fair amount of cross-traffic, all were extremely curtious. It seemed that the grade was slightly rising as we rode east so the returns were a bit easier. We really enjoyed Seaside. Parking was no problem in mid-October. There was a beautiful entrance to the beach. Numerous restaurants also provided easy rest-room accwss.
This trail has beautiful scenery and wanders through rural and suburban areas, where there are lots of places to stop and rest, have a snack, or a full meal. There are lots of intersections and driveways. So you need to be vigilant, even during the off-season, which is when I rode it. It is only about 5 ft. wide and in some regions there are lots of curves, some of them tight. The beginning and end points are not well marked and there was no public parking available there. It could use some regular maintenance.
OVERVIEW I have ridden this trail numerous times. The best parts of the trail are the non-populated areas in-between the various communities that makeup the South Walton beaches on 30-A. . THE TRAIL The trail itself runs next to highway 30-A and alternates back and forth from the north and south sides of 30-A. The crossovers are well marked and have lighted signals to inform motorists of pedestrians crossing 30-A. The surface is in good shape, but can get a bit rough in patches. There are a few small wooden bridges/overpasses with a couple that have lookout areas built-in to them. It is a fairly flat ride, but watch out for head winds. The views along the trail are great. TRAFFIC Since the South Walton beaches are a popular vacation spot, both vehicle and foot traffic are present in the area. In the various 30-A communities, walking traffic is very heavy as pedestrians use the trail travelling to the various beaches and shops. Plan on coming to an almost complete stop in the Seaside, Watercolor, and Santa Rosa communities. Unfortunately, "on-your-left" will get no movement or response from 95% of the walkers. The vehicle traffic gets congested in areas and is very careless. In the community sections of the trail, traffic enters/exits 30-A by crossing the trail. The most dangerous being vehicles entering 30-A. Although there is signage, they simply do not look for bicycles and will run-through or block the trail path waiting to go onto 30-A. There have been numerous car/bicycle accidents reported on the trail. RATING The views on the trail are really great - 4 stars. Take time to explore the various areas of off the trail as well, such as Grayton beach (Defuniak St.). The trail surface - 3 stars. The dangerous traffic - 2 stars. Be safe!
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