Alligator viewing

Here is a list of naturalists who will take you out on the bay and bayous.
Depending on the weather, time, etc., you may not always see alligators, but this is your best shot in the wild. Either way, these tours are a must do when in Sowal, IMHO.

http://www.sowal.com/bb/business-goods-services/25-tour-choctawhatchee-delta-water.html

Gulf World has some alligators that have been rescued. One is HUGE. :shock:
It's also a fun day trip for the family.

Gulf World Marine Park Welcomes You!

You could also go look stand on the Draper Lake Bridge and look out, but you could be there a long time and never see anything. Word is a large alligator lives there, but I have yet to ever see a wild gator by chance in Sowal. Your best bet is the eco-tour.

The last alligator I saw was two weeks ago in Western Lake while giving an eco-tour. No need to go farther than your backyard, if you are staying in the campground at Grayton Bch State Park.

Yep - they are around, but shy. There is no particular place to see them, you just have to get lucky, or as some would say "unlucky".

Little Redfish Lake has a sign posted at the beach stating, "Beware of alligators."

Walked across the road to western lake and they had a sign "swim with caution" and an alligator picture next to it.
Last year a ranger told me that the water was too salty for them. But if I have a first hand witness saying they saw one and signs telling me to look out, I'll keep looking. Thanks for the replies.

the Gulfarium on Okaloosa Island has some too. I'm Not really a fan of captive creatures, but the aquariums and the creatures that are pretty comfy there (alligators, turtles, ducks, and the touch pool) are good, up-close with nature kind of entertainment for kids. Dolphin show, sea lion show, kind of neat. My kids are 4 & 2. Everything is cool then.

When i was 13, i hated going to stuff like this.

Walked across the road to western lake and they had a sign "swim with caution" and an alligator picture next to it.
Last year a ranger told me that the water was too salty for them. But if I have a first hand witness saying they saw one and signs telling me to look out, I'll keep looking. Thanks for the replies.

If I'm not mistaken (always a possibility) the salinity of the lakes changes regularly, depending on a lot of variables (i.e., rainfall, breaching to the Gulf, etc.) I would never say never--we've even had sharks in the lakes on occasion...

However, there are definitely alligators around in the lakes--I do consider it to be "lucky" to get to see them--but your best bet would certainly be the eco-tours. I used to love canoeing down Peach Creek and would see them occasionally.

Good luck in your search, and remember to be respectful of them if/when you do see them--you're a guest in their home!

I had a group of young girls with parents this morning, and we looked and looked and looked, but didn't see any crocodiles. (they kept asking about crododiles.) They really wanted to see one, but no such luck today. They had a blast anyway.

The salinity does change in the lakes, but the gators can avoid the salinity in Western Lake with no problem. The salt water is heavier and sits lower in the lakes and stays closer to the outfall. The farther you get from the outfall, the less the salinity. Currently, we have had so much fresh water that it has pushed out much salinity.

Does anyone know how much these eco-tours run? We are a group of 8 & I'm just curious.

It is a bit of a drive (stay off of Front Beach Road to make it better), but the best state park to see alligators & birds is St. Andrews in Panama City. We saw plenty on an easy hike there. Don't take any small dogs!

Does anyone know how much these eco-tours run? We are a group of 8 & I'm just curious.

Guided kayak and nature tours in South Walton, FL on rare coastal dune lakes. for details on tours. Once there, click on "book a guided kayak / nature tour." Also check out our FaceBook page, linked on our site, for lots of photos of people on the tour.

Clarifying the "alligator hunt," I have recently seen a small gator several times on Western Lake, but it is a rare treat. There is much to see out there, and we see different wildlife on each trip.

(Discounts are available for groups larger than 8 people.)

Thanks for all the replies. We saw no alligators during our stay but saw many other critters. Thanks for the help and a great vacation.

gators and salinity

ascell, glad you had a great visit!

i wish i'd have seen this thread earlier as nobody made the suggestion to go shinin' for gators at night. hold a flashlight above your head and shine it across the water and look for the two glowing eyes - there's your gator!!!

as for the ranger telling you it's too salty for the gators
- BAH HUMBUG!!!! i think they could care less. there was a previous gator sighting thread on here about one swimming in the surf where someone said it was too salty for them.

i have up close and personal experience with gators and the salt water of the intercoastal waterway by Cumberland Island, GA. we went gator hunting out there, and using our headlamps saw MANY gators floating atop the marsh grass at high tide & swimming about on both the island and marsh sides of the waterway. the one we took was only 7', and was a half mile north of the Plum Orchard dock on the intercoastal. i've been to Jekyll and Cumberland all my life and had never seen gators in the marshes. i was surprised by the number of them!!!!!

whenever you head into nature, it's always an adventure!

Say what about gators?

nice one joho!!!

ours was the guest of honor at our ga-fla game party. fortunately the gator tasted good but the dawgs barely showed up. the skull still watches over our property from the woodpile.