Happy trails

~ Tara R.

I’ve missed several weeks of photo hikes, and I can tell a difference in my general well-being. These outings were always a restorative exercise. A chance to spend time outdoors, with no worries, no deadlines, no plans other than to take pictures of anything and everything that catches my eye.

This weekend, I want need to get away for another peaceful walk in the woods. In-between holidays – diet-wrecking Thanksgiving and family circus Christmas – it will be the perfect opportunity to decompress and re-assess.

Running through previous photo shoots, I came up with a list of my favorite hiking venues. Some wend through the woods, a few take in wide expanses of white sand beaches, a few others take me back in history, and a few more seems to take me to completely other worlds.

My biggest problem will be deciding where to go…

In no particular order, I give you the best photo hike experiences in Northwest Florida.

Tarklin Bayou pitcher plants

1. Tarklin Bayou State Preserve – Pensacola

Wesley Houses Eden Gardens

2. Eden Gardens, Washington Point State Park – Santa Rosa Beach

Turpentine boardwalk

3. Grayton Beach State Park – Santa Rosa Beach

sand castle

4. Henderson Beach State Park – Destin

Camp Helen beach

5. Camp Helen State Park – Panama City Beach

St. Andrew's Gator Lake
6. St. Andrew’s State Park – Panama City Beach

St. Michael's Cemetery Pensacola
7. St. Michael’s Cemetery – Pensacola

pine seedling
8. Fred Gannon/Rocky Bayou State Park– Niceville

Big Lagoon State Park
9. Big Lagoon State Park – Pensacola

Fort Barrancas
10. Fort Barrancas – NAS, Pensacola

cannon at fort pickens Battery 234
11. Fort Pickens, Gulf Islands National Park – Pensacola

pelican flock
12. Deer Lake State Park –  Santa Rosa Beach

ibis in a marsh
13. Turkey Creek Nature Walk – Niceville

wordpress button grunge
Submitted to Weekly Writing Challenge: “breathe new life into the established genre of the end-of-year countdown list.”

9 thoughts on “Happy trails”

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  3. If I visit will you take me to every single one of them? Okay, maybe just one or two?

    What gorgeous pictures you take and feelings they evoke.

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  5. I’m a city girl who loved photostrolls through the streets of Manhattan. Right now I’m on out on Cape Cod with my daughter so it’s quite aways from the big town. Taking photos of nature is different – enjoyable but different. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. And, I would love taking a photo hike in a BIG city. I’ve been to Chicago, and NYC years ago. I’d love to wander around with my camera, snapping pix of all the buildings, and people, and fancy architecture.

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  6. There are many beautiful places to see – that should be motivation to escape the busy-ness of this time of year! I can relate to the diet-wrecking of Thanksgiving… I made some very poor food choices, but boy, they sure tasted good 🙂

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