Rocky Bayou State Park in Niceville is just north of Destin on the Florida Panhandle. And for Labor Day Weekend, my son Drew and I are in Destin. Becky and our daughter stayed home this trip, so Drew and I decided to do some hiking in the area. What we didn’t expect was to find fantastic fungi and more at Rocky Bayou State Park. If you like fungi, this is the post for you!
Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park
The official name of the park is Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park. Named after the park’s centerpiece Rocky Bayou, an arm of Choctawhatchee Bay that separates Destin from the mainland. Not to be confused with a swamp, Rocky Bayou is more like a slow moving lake or large creek. And it’s about 20 minutes from where we’re staying in Destin, but also near a few breweries. So after our visit, we plan to visit at least one in the area. We get to the park about noon paying our $5 entrance fee and grab a map. There’s many things you can do here.
They have a waterfront park with covered picnic tables and playground equipment. They also have a boat ramp and kayak/canoe rentals. We were interested in possibly kayaking, but the water here is kind of rough due to a lot of boat traffic. So, we decide to hike the 3 short trails instead. You can read more about this park here: Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park | Florida State Parks
0.75 Mile Red Cedar Trail
You really can only park in front of the waterfront area. So we park on one side and see a trail sign across the street just past some restrooms. The Red Cedar Trail is the only trail in this area. The other 2 trails start on the other side of the campground.
This short trail through the woods takes us about 25 minutes. The trail is an easy flat trail with plenty of benches along the way. We see many wildflowers and at least one large Southern red cedar tree. Besides some birds we hear, the only wildlife we see is one banana spider. However, what’s more interesting is the amount of deer lichen or deer moss that was found all over the ground. This light green spongy looking plants are actually a fungus and an algae. And we find it cool to walk past.
The deer lichen is everywhere and we enjoy the fungus among us. And once we get out we are a little further down the road. But we easily walk along the road to the start of the trail and back to our car. We are parked near the kayak launch which is also the start of the Fitness Trail. We’re not sure how long this really short trail is but it connects the parking lot to the campground here. And to get to the other 2 trails, you have to go to the other side of the campground.
Fitness Trail
The Fitness Trail is just a short trail from the parking lot to the campground. But on the way, we spot one blue beauty in the middle of the trail by itself. This indigo milk cap mushroom is a prized edible mushroom in some countries. But we’re going to leave this one alone today.
It takes us about 10 minutes from the start of the Fitness Trail past the campground to the trails. We see a covered area and a bridge, but also an open area to our right.
Unmarked “Sand Pine” Trail
We see a sign explaining sand pines grow in sandy soils of old sand dunes. These small pines only grow in Florida and Southeast Alabama. So we continue to an opening where we see 2 benches near a swampy lake called Puddin’ Head Lake. Though we don’t see a trail sign, this looks like where the trail is on the map, so we continue on.
We start passing the serene and peaceful Puddin’ Head Lake covered in lily pads and surrounded by trees. This trail is not marked, but we see more deer lichen and some interesting mushrooms.
The first is a false death cap, often confused for the lethal death cap mushroom. Though it’s not edible, it’s not deadly. However, a little further we see another white mushroom identified as an eastern North American destroying angel. Unlike the false death cap, the destroying angel is considered the most toxic North American Amanita mushroom. And that’s saying a lot since the death cap is also in the Amanita genus. But not to worry, they are only poisonous when ingested.
When we turn to come back, we walk along a dirt road past some buildings. And we turn to see a trailer and as soon as we pass it a white truck pulls up behind us. It’s a ranger asking where we’re headed. He confirmed this is not the trail and we shouldn’t be here. And the Sand Pine Trail is actually on the other side of the bridge. So we added 20 minutes to our hike.
1.0 Mile Sand Pine Trail
Once over the bridge you will see the start of the 2 trails. On the left is the Rocky Bayou Trail and the official Sand Pine Trail starts on the right. There’s a bench at the start where Drew takes a rest. And we see a small gulf coast toad before we begin the hike. This trail is on the other side of Puddin’ Head Lake, and starts off very similar to our last hike. But before long we are headed deeper into the woods.
Before we crossed the bridge, I almost stepped on a snake. The long slender gray and black rat snake was hard to see in the sandy path. It went across the path and climbed into a tree. And on the trail, we spot a five-lined skink on a log, a common colorful harmless lizard. And of course, more deer lichen but other tree fungus as well. But unlike the last trail, we find more colorful mushrooms.
Russula meaning “red” are bright red mushrooms with white stems. However, there are many species of russulas and they are hard to identify. Many russulas are edible, but some are poisonous, so it’s hard to know which ones are poisonous.
We couldn’t identify this deep brown mushroom or this large yellow mushroom lying out of the ground. But one things for sure, there are a lot of different mushrooms we’ve seen. This trail took us about 40 minutes and loops back to the start where we can pick up the Rocky Bayou Trail.
0.5 Mile Rocky Bayou Trail
This short but scenic trail has two very interesting things to see. Though we did not see any more mushrooms on this trail, it was closer to the water. But the first thing we saw was unexpected.
You can take a slight detour off the trail to see a practice bomb. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the B-25 squadron at nearby Eglin Air Force Base used test bombs. This concrete bomb is one similar to those dropped by the B-25’s during training exercises.
But the more interesting part of this trail is the Rocky Bayou itself. This trail takes you to the Estuary Overlook which overlooks this estuarine nursery for many species. This includes the Gulf sturgeon and a variety of shellfish.
Once we head back from this aquatic preserve, we return back to where we started. This trail took us about 25 minutes stopping to take pictures by the water. We then cross back over the bridge into the campground and walk back across the campground. About half way to the Fitness Trail are some restrooms which are nice if you need a break. And then back down the Fitness Trail leads to the start by the waterfront.
3rd Planet Brewing – The Mothership
There are multiple breweries in Niceville, but one seemed more interesting to us called 3rd Planet Brewing. And their brewery is just called The Mothership. You can check them out at: 3rd Planet Brewing | Brewery in Niceville, FL. And though we had water and snacks while hiking, we are thirsty for some beer.
This brewery is a nice secluded location separate behind the strip malls. Next to the brewery is the large tap room with a nice sized-bar area and separate room that leads to outside. They also have a large enclosed area and more outdoor seating around the back. And their outdoor area includes a stage where a band is setting up. They also have an enclosed family area with games.
They have 2 food trucks out today on this Saturday. And we decide on Cuban food and each get the ropa vieja special with an empanada. We also get a couple Drunkin’ Pumpkin ales to go with it. The food and beer really hit the spot. After eating we go for another round inside before taking a few cans of beer to go.
Summary of Rocky Bayou State Park
Drew and I spent over 3 hours at Rocky Bayou State Park in Niceville today. Not to mention going to the brewery afterwards. But he’s a fun-guy. Had to throw that one in there… Anyway, we had a really nice day exploring a Florida state park. The 3 main hikes we did today totaled 2.25 miles. But if you add on the Fitness Trail and the unmarked “Sand Pine” trail we easily did over 3 miles. Not to mention walking from the parking lot and across the campground twice. But the amount of fungi on the trails was amazing. We’ve been all around Florida and can’t remember seeing so many different colored mushrooms. Not to mention all the deer lichen or deer moss we saw everywhere. And of course seeing the Rocky Bayou itself.
3rd Planet Brewing’s The Mothership was also a nice stop and we would definitely go back again if in the area. A perfect place to unwind after exploring the park. Though we’re not sure if we would see so many mushrooms at a different time of the year. But it was fun seeing the fantastic fungi and more at Rocky Bayou State Park!