Hike & Discover With A Ranger At SoWal State Parks

Camp Helen State Park invites you to go beyond your park visit, joining a Park Ranger for a nature hike held each first Thursday of the month at 10AM on Camp Helen's user-friendly trail system. Learn about the park's flora and fauna and the larger ecosystem of the Florida Panhandle. The hike lasts about an hour and is great for all experience levels and requires moderate endurance.

The Oak Canopy and North trails have a combination of paved, sand and packed-earth terrain. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes, and bring a water bottle, sunscreen and bug repellent, as well as your adventurous spirit. 

Camp Helen State Park is located at 23937 Panama City Beach Parkway, just west of the Phillips Inlet Bridge on the Bay County and Walton County line. 

Camp Helen State Park is bordered on three sides by the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Powell, one of the largest coastal dune lakes in Florida. Activities include swimming, beachcombing, nature study, hiking, and both freshwater and saltwater fishing. 

Friends of Camp Helen State Park is a Citizens Support Organization dedicated to preserving, maintaining, and improving this park through volunteer projects, community events and fundraising. Some recent projects include: The Americana Concert series, Movies & More, Fall Festival, Pumpkin Patch, International Coastal Clean-up, and park improvements. As our community grows it becomes more and more important to protect this treasure. Please consider joining the Friends, volunteering, or making a donation.

Closer to central SoWal, join a Park Ranger at Eden Gardens State Park on a guided nature hike of  the park on the first Tuesday of each month. Meet up on the paver block pad at 10AM, adjacent to the screened-in pavilion. The hike takes about an hour and meanders through two distinct natural communities, Xeric Hammock and Floodplain Swamp. A ranger will share information about the flora and fauna found throughout the park and specific to the natural communities.

40-year park veteran Clayton D. Iron Wolf leading a recent tour at Eden (more about Clayton below).

Dress appropriately for the weather and have footwear appropriate for trail conditions (primarily flat, hard packed soil, sometimes slightly sloped and there are several tree roots along the way) - have a water bottle and insect repellent available.

Eden Gardens State Park is a treasure in South Walton, Florida. It's located bayside in Point Washington just north of Hwy 98 via County Road 395. Park Hours are from 8:00 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year. 

Annual events at Eden Gardens State Park include the Camellia Festival in February, Fall Film Series in October, and the Christmas Candlelight Open House in December.

Friends of Eden Gardens is a Florida Citizens Support Organization (CSO) which assists the Florida Park Service in the preservation, restoration and improvement of Eden Gardens State Park in Point Washington on Tucker Bayou. Head North on Hwy 395 from Seagrove to visit Eden - a popular site for picnics and weddings. 

Eden Gardens State Park contains approximately 163 acres of land that was part of the historic Wesley homestead. The focal point of this park is the beautifully renovated, two-story house with elegant white columns and wrap around porch. In a setting of moss-draped live oaks, the 1897 mansion recalls a prosperous era before the virgin forests of longleaf pine and cypress were exhausted in this part of the state. In 1963, Lois Maxon bought and renovated the home, creating a showplace for her family heirlooms and antiques. Visitors can come and enjoy a guided tour of the Wesley House, meander through the gardens, bring a picnic or go fishing off the dock in Tucker Bayou.

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Clayton D. Iron Wolf is a park ranger at Camp Helen State Park & Eden Gardens State Park. He began with the park service 40 years ago and is set to retire soon.

He served aboard an aircraft carrier, the USS Constellation CV-64, as an Aviation Boatswains Mate, wWorking on the flight deck, assigned to V2 division, the Bow Catapults, involved in launching aircraft from the flight deck.

"Based upon my training, experience and diverse skill sets, I am afforded the opportunity to routinely work in all aspects of the "Big 5" (administration, visitor service, maintenance, resource management and protection), helping to make manifest my manager’s vision for the park’s future," says Clayton. "I enjoy the fact that there is always something going on and something to do. The best part of the job is learning how to work as a member of a team, belonging to and being a part of something important and bigger than yourself. "

Clayton says a great way to be sure that working in the parks is right for you is to consider volunteering first, to see what jobs are like. The process of applying to be a volunteer is fairly quick and easy. Check in at any park for more info.