Camp Helen State Park 20 Year Celebration

Camp Helen State Park invites you to their 20 Year Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, March 25 starting at 8:30am in The Lodge and continuing until 12:30pm with presentations, walking tours and special guests such as Elam Stoltzfus - producer of Coastal Dune Lakes: Jewels of Florida's Emerald Coast. 

Come when you can and stay as long as you can. Here is the schedule:

8:30-9:30am
Explore birds on the park's nature trails with Bay County Audubon Society.
Take a walking history tour.

9:30-10am
Photo journey by Emily Ellis, Lake Powell Community Alliance

10-11:30am
Presentation by Elam Stoltzfus, award-winning producer, to discuss his documentary Coastal Dune Lakes: Jewel of Florida's Emerald Coast. 

11:30am-12:00pm
Camp Helen State Park 20 Year Celebration

12:00pm-12:30pm
Walking history tour

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. Coastal dune lakes are extremely rare worldwide; in the United States they occur only along the Gulf Coast. Prehistoric middens and mounds indicate that humans lived in the area more than 4,000 years ago. From 1945 until 1987, Camp Helen was a company resort for employees of an Alabama textile mill and some of the buildings are now being restored. Natural areas range from coastal dunes and salt marshes along the Gulf to freshwater wetlands and sand pine scrub along the lake. Activities include swimming, beachcombing, nature study, hiking, and both freshwater and saltwater fishing. 

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. 

Follow Friends of Camp Helen State Park on Facebook for park updates and events.

Read more about Camp Helen State Park and see photo gallery at SoWal Parks | Camp Helen State Park.

Florida State Parks await your discovery! Read about parks located in and around South Walton in our feature story.