The Forgotten Coast
Imagine if you will, a deserted beach. Miles of pure white sand so fine it squeaks under your feet, dunes undulating over the blue ocean drifting off to the horizon, sea gulls surfing on the wind and not a soul in sight. You might think you were on an Island in the Pacific, or perhaps an exotic undiscovered coastline. You certainly wouldn’t think of Florida. But this is exactly where we are, and the scene is exactly as I’ve described it. We’ve reached the very aptly named Forgotten Coast and what a treat it is!
The Northwestern end of Florida is called the Panhandle, because it’s shaped a bit like the handle of a saucepan. It is a thin strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide (320 km by 80 to 160 km) famed for its long snow-white beach coastline much of which is fairly built-up and popular. Several spots regularly make the top 10 “Best Beaches of the World” and it’s a hot destination for snowbirders and party-goers alike.
We’re not really keen to be part of the “crowds” so most of this area didn’t appeal to us despite it’s beauty, but there is a spot, hidden deep in the curve of the Gulf which did attract our attention. It’s a short strip of land bounded by Mexico beach in the West and St. Marks Lighthouse on the East and it’s the “Forgotten Coast“. Here lies lonely peninsulas, eclectic little towns, cute state parks and miles of deserted beach. This is where you go to escape the world and play in a fairytale of sand and ocean. It’s totally our kind of place!
We arrived here on Friday, dropped our jacks at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park at 4PM and walked the 30 secs from our RV to the glorious view of the beach described above. Even Polly gets to enjoy the ride, but that’s another little secret that I’ll talk about in my next post.
In the meantime, just lie back in the soft sand, relax and enjoy the view.
Looks lovely. We made the mistake recently of trying to stay further west and passing through the area during Spring Break. I like your version MUCH better. Yours reminds me of what the whole panhandle area was like back in the 1960s when we lived in southern Alabama and drove to the Gulf Coast for getaways. We pretended our VW Bug was a dune buggy and went driving the dunes. 🙂
Linda, You’re so right! This feels exactly like the “old” coast, the way it used to be. I’m so happy we discovered it. Nina
If you get a chance while in the Florida panhandle, take a sunset cruise by boat. My brother operates DestinCruise.net and they have captured some absolutely AMAZING sunsets right off the bow of his boat. He can even take you to Hell-and-Back for a great Pizza!
Candace, Cheers for the tip! We probably won’t get the chance this time around, but always love good recommendations for the book. Nina
Awesome pictures – enjoy.
Glad you like ’em. Wish you guys were here 🙂 Nina
ahh, yes. I so love that area. We camped at St Joe back in 2007 in the first baby MoHo and I plan to go back again and spend much more time than we had then. Thanks for you incredibly well written and informative blog about this area!
Sue, Yup, it’s definitely a place to come back to. Unspoilt and gorgeous! Nina
Awesome! Thanks for sharing; mind if I bring a crowd? We’ll be headed that way after we
escaperegretfully leave Lake City in a few weeks/months.Do come! I’m pretty sure there’s space for everyone. Nina
I truly enjoy your views of the places you are at. My dream is to hit the road and travel around the USA. My sister & I bought a RV a few years ago. She retired this past year from teaching for 28 years. We do go camping together when we can get away.
Joyce, Oh how wonderful! I totally recommend doing it! If you love to travel and experience things, this is definitely the way to go. Hope to see you both on the road someday! Nina
thanks for the memories….i love that area…
It’s a gem, for sure! Nina
Liked all the pictures, especially the last one. THanks for leading us around Florida!
Very happy to have you along for the drive 🙂 Nina