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do you know why the sand along florida's
scenic highway 30a is so
blindingly white
do you ever wonder why our sand squeaks
beneath your feet
well it's because our sand is made from
quartz crystal
yep
ages ago
in fact at the end of the last ice age
oval quartzite from the appalachian
mountains was slowly pulverized and then
washed down the rivers until it was
deposited right here along florida's
northwest gulf coast
under a microscope our local sand
doesn't look like dirt at all
it looks like millions of microscopic
diamonds
these tiny diamonds are the only thing
that stand between the powerful gulf of
mexico and another local treasure
our coastal dune lakes
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coastal dune lakes are a rare natural
phenomena
very rare in fact coastal dune lakes
only occur in a handful of locations
around the globe including new zealand
australia madagascar and right here in
walton county florida
it's believed that these lakes were
formed five to ten thousand years ago i
mean give or take a thousand years
most of the lakes are shallow often just
four or five feet at their deepest point
so
what exactly is a coastal dune lake
well
it starts as a freshwater lake that's
barely separated from the ocean
or in 30a's case the gulf of mexico
it's separated by ever-shifting sand
dunes
when the lake fills up to capacity say
after a few days of heavy rainfall the
freshwater lake quite literally bursts
through the soft sand dunes and gushes
out into the open sea
when this happens the burst can actually
be quite violent
well violent may be the wrong word but
it's certainly very powerful and even
dangerous
it's called an outfall which is a
winding trench where the freshwater
gushes openly into saltwater
the tea color of 30a's coastal dune
lakes is due to tannins from dissolved
plant matter
when leaves and pine straw fall from
trees it falls into the lakes
seeping it giving it that tannin color
in fact locals sometimes refer to this
outfall as pine straw tea
which is a nod to our southern pine
trees and perhaps to our southern
addiction to a tall glass of iced tea
when a coastal dune lake first bursts
into the gulf the turbulent flume can
last for hours or days before
equilibrium is eventually achieved
once all that built-up pressure has been
bled off of the lake the waves and tides
begin the slow repetitive task of
restoring the sand dunes
during this transitional time fresh
water and salt water co-mingle to create
a brackish exchange and habitat
sea life can now openly travel back and
forth from lake to gulf
making coastal dune lake something of an
ecological grab bag when it comes to
what lies just beneath the surface
it's very rare but sharks have even been
spotted swimming in our coastal dune
lakes
eventually though wave by wave grain by
grain
the sea repairs the dunes and completely
seals off the lake once again
this process can take days
weeks or even months
but it is this perpetual exchange and
never-ending cycle that makes coastal
dune lakes so rare
so extraordinary so beautiful
and so worth protecting
florida's scenic highway 30a is lucky
enough to be home to 15 of these natural
wonders and they're each unique
farthest to the west the 40-acre fuller
lake is somewhat inaccessible as it's
part of the private coffin nature
preserve located near sandestin and
topsail resort
there's no public access to reach fuller
lake except through appointments made
through coffee nature preserve
but if you want to experience the same
sense of privacy
visit nearby topsail hill preserve state
park
take a long winding sandy trail west
through the pine forests and ancient
sand dunes until you discover morris
lake this is one of the most isolated
and insulated coastal dune lakes in
existence
virtually untouched by pesky humans
nearby lily pad laden campbell lake
is best explored by kayak or paddle
board which you can rent through top
sales rangers
from here you can see topsail hill the
25 foot tall sand dune after which this
park is named
stallworth lake is located along the
eastern edge of topsail hill preserve
with the secluded stalworth public beach
access leading down to where stallworth
lake frequently flows into the gulf
there's not much parking here but if you
can find a spot cross the boardwalk and
head west along the shore
to discover a magical solitude
the best way to view allen lake
is while downing raw oysters and an ice
cold 30a beach blonde ale at stinky's
fish camp
it's a 38 culinary institution
now if oysters aren't your thing
well i'm sorry because the next coastal
dune lake you find along 30a is
oyster lake
local lore in fact has it that oysters
even thrived here in these waters at one
time
but if you're skeptical about that claim
as a fallback story the lake is also
vaguely shaped like an oyster shell
so we've got a story either way
oyster lake is easily viewed from scenic
highway 30a from the bike path and if
you venture just off the path there's
even a beautiful bridge
to really soak in the scene
draper lake is surrounded by private
homes and estates
but the covered wooden bridge in blue
mountain beach offers some tantalizing
peaks at this rare protected beauty
once you safely ascend the
summit of blue mountain in blue mountain
beach
which is a whopping 64 feet above sea
level you'll soon cross big redfish lake
and little redfish lake
i'm not sure if the name of these lakes
were
dictated by the relative size of the
lakes or the size of the redfish that
are pulled from them
but we'll let you fishermen weigh in on
that debate
as you approach 30a's oldest residential
community greyton beach you'll cross the
12-acre alligator lake
alligator lake is mostly contained in
point washington state forest
but don't fool yourself into thinking
this lake was named alligator lake
because you'll find alligators here
i mean that's absolutely true of course
but let's be honest
you'll find alligators in every single
one of our coastal dune lakes
the most famous coastal dune lake here
in florida at least is western lake
western lake signature pine tree
skyscape is a view that's hard to forget
so much so that the vista is routinely
portrayed in paintings logos and
photographs
the artistic kind
as well as the disposable selfie kind
to the west western lake is bordered by
grayton beach state park where you can
reserve campsites directly on the lake
to the north
is a 15 000 acre point washington state
forest
crisscrossing with trails for hiking
biking and off-roading
on the east side of the lake is
watercolor inn and resort
there's a boat house here where you can
rent paddle boards and kayaks to explore
western lake to its fullest
and to the south well
it's kind of nice too
further along 30a you'll come to eastern
lake
surrounded mostly by private residential
homes eastern lake is popular with
locals
the best place to soak in all of her
glory is at old florida fish house
another 30a institution
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scenic highway 30a is home to some 25
000 acres of protected land but perhaps
my favorite state park here is the less
traveled deer lake state park home to
deer lake
while you can sneak a peek at deer lake
from the bridge
do yourself a favor and pull into the
parking lot and hike the long boardwalk
out across the rolling dunes
from here you'll enjoy views of deer
lake that few bother to experience
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camp creek lake is surrounded by state
park state forest and the uber exclusive
residential community known as water
sound beach
the stately homes here maintain a
respectful distance from the shoreline
while an inspired pedestrian bridge
provides out-of-this-world seascapes
finally
just past rosemary beach and inlet beach
you'll chance upon lake powell
straddling the line between walton
county and bay county
lake powell is immediately adjacent to
camp helen state park and it's the
largest of our local coastal doom lakes
when breached she empties her fresh
water into the gulf right next to the
remains of an old pier that once held
fishermen and families high above the
sea
so while our precious white sand isn't
the only treasure you'll discover here
in walton county
these 15 coastal dune lakes are in fact
the crown jewels that only add to an
embarrassment of ecological riches
and they're all strung together
by this little two-lane road
known simply
as scenic highway
38.
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you