Point Washington

I’m not a dry camping enthusiast, but the sites were nice and the price was right. My biggest negative is that when we were there the walls and floors of the pit toilet were covered with flies. With a little maintenance that could be mitigated. The sites are a fine gravel, which was fine, but the ground was so hard underneath we couldn’t drive one of our stakes in.

For those like us who are in the area primarily because of beaches, be aware that while these campgrounds are very close to 30A by the way the crow flies, it’s about 20 minutes by car to Seagrove. Forest Road 2 to the campground took us 13 minutes to drive. Also be aware that you walk a short distance from a parking lot to your campsite which worried me a bit since we were planning on airing up our mattress using an inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter of our car once the mattress was already in the tent because I didn’t think it would fit thru the entrance after being inflated, but it did.

We stayed at campground 2 site 3, a stone’s throw across the lake from the Old Florida Fish House. You can definitely hear the music coming from there, so you may or may not like that. The first night it was a little loud but ended at 9:00. The second night it was soft enough my husband couldn’t even hear it. I didn’t pay attention as to how long it went.

This is a quiet Forest. I stayed at camp 1, site 1. There is a code to lock on gate when you go in. No amenities but 1 pit toilet. 4 sites in camp one. Quiet. Signs for active bears but we saw none. Did the 10 mile single track flat bike route. I saw not much wildlife or birds. It was a foggy overcast day.

I liked this forest and thought it was very pretty. Good distance to beaches, although I didn’t see a way to walk to the beach - we drove. I would not chance the forest roads in a sedan. You might be okay if it stays dry but if it rains you will not be in good shape. Lots of roads and trails to explore.

Pros and cons of each campground

Campground 1 Pros: can park in your site, further apart, no highway noise Cons: only have access to a tiny part of the lake, breeze kind of blocked by trees

Campground 2 Pros: beautiful lake view and easy access to water, prettier view, more breeze Cons: traffic noise, cannot park in your site

Both campgrounds have a bathroom (I did not use so not sure of conditions). Every site has a fire pit, bbq pit, picnic table, and lantern pole.

Would definitely camp here again.

It was so quiet there and we were the only ones at the campground, we enjoyed the peace and quiet, and the alone time. We will definitely camp here again and again...

We camped here on our vacation and LOVED it! It’s not far from Destin and other popular locations, but it’s a gem itself! There’s plenty room to walk and explore, the trails are very well kept up and clean, and it’s beautiful all around. I will say that the mud holes are huge and you definitely don’t want to take a small car through it, that’s the only downfall.

Point Washington State Forest is located in the southernmost portion of Walton County. The primitive campsites, which require reservations through the ReserveAmerica system, can be accessed via forest roads 11 or 2 from U.S. Highway 98. See the forest map on the forest website https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Point-Washington-State-Forest. 

I spent two nights in campground 2 site 1. I had a beautiful view of Eastern Lake and easy access to the water where there is a small dock. Great place to launch a canoe or kayak. I didn't have either but now I have a kayak and I will definitely put it on the lake on my next visit.

Point Washington also offers three hiking trail options on the Eastern Lake bike/hike trial. The hiker or bicyclist can travel the 3.5-, 5- or 10-mile loop. This trail is part of the  Florida Forest Service's Trailwalker Hiking Program.

I hade a great time camping in Point Washington State Forest. My only caution is be prepared for the forest roads. Like most forest roads, they can be rough traveling and often poorly marked.

Set your GPS for the Point Washington Field Office on Hwy 89. Access road 11 is across the highway. Recommend approaching eastward from the west, and it’s an right turn off the highway once you spot it.

Your online reservation will include a four digit gate code, which you will need!

Site is on the extreme northwest side of Eastern Lake, though with all the trees, there’s not water views from the sites.

I camped in Area 1, #3. All sites have a picnic table, fire ring and framed gravel tent area about 12’x20’. There is a shared pit toilet a short distance from all 4 sites.

Sites 1 and 2 slope down to their campsite, and would be difficult to sleep in your vehicle without balancers.

Sites 3 and 4 are more flat and work fine for sleeping in your vehicle.

I came in a day after rain and there were numerous significant deep puddles to get through. I was grateful my Sprinter had knobby tires and was a little higher; even then at one point the puddle was so deep it covered my headlights! If it’s been raining, small vehicles should think twice.

There’s access/views to water about 100 feet from sites 3&4.

Nice secluded little spot close to our home in Fort Walton but still manages to feel like you’re far away. Would recommend for a local getaway!

very nice quite secluded spot. camp site has locked gate, should receive gate code once reserve with reserveamerica. also if very importance: you cannot get to site from 30A, google maps does not know if you link from this app - entrance is from hwy 98. otherwise, clean quite spot with privacy and ample hiking and biking trails

Nice primitive campground located near 30A beach. The road leading in is sandy and gravely. The site was for tent camping and offers a picnic table, grill, fire pit, food/lamp pole and a porta house (which was fairly clean, considering). There was also a pier close by. The bed was gravel and uncomfortable but they were actually repairing it while we were there, so it should be quite comfortable for your stay! No hookups or water. We stayed at campsite #1 which had plenty of trees for shade and was closest to the water, but they all looked nice. The beach is right across the bay so it's a short drive to the ocean. Quiet and clean, we stayed four days and had a neighbor for two of them. He seemed respectful to nature and gave us no issues. Overall would stay again, just remember there is no shower to get off all that sand and sunscreen!

Great primitive camping with several spots on the water in camping area 2

Has a “outhouse” no running water or hookups in the primitive camping area. Roads are easy to travel in a sedan. Campsites provide picnic table and grill with a lantern pole and pea gravel area to set up tent. Very glad I found this!