Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach(Topsail Hill Preserve State Park)

Located near the community of Santa Rosa Beach, Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach – also called Topsail Beach and Topsail Hill Preserve Beach – is a three and two-tenths-of-a-mile long and beautiful beach with white sand.  This beach is a part of a state park named Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.  The New York Times featured this beach in its 2024 article “6 Beaches to Love This July 4 (and All Summer Long).”  In addition, the Saturday Evening Post also featured Topsail Hill Preserve State Park in its article “5 Florida Beach Towns That Are Off the Beaten Path.”

The state park is open between 8 am and sunset. 

Although Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach does not have lifeguards, this beach and the nearby areas offer many other amenities including a boardwalk, hiking trails, picnic areas, an amphitheater, a playground, restrooms, showers, shuffleboard courts, nearby rental facilities for bikes and canoes,  a visitor center, drinking water facilities, campsites, and a visitor center. 

Pets are not allowed here.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, fishing, hiking, picnicking, biking, camping, swimming, boating, snorkeling, paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, surf-skiing, and wildlife watching. 

This beach is popular with less-experienced swimmers because the mostly clear water here has gentle waves.  In addition, snorkelers also visit this beach to explore its vibrant marine biodiversity.  If you are planning to swim, kayak, or paddleboard here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents and dangerous waves.  If you want to swim in a safer water body, there is a pool near the beach which is also great for beginner swimmers.  If you like taking Topsail Hill Preserve State Park photos with beautiful views, this beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Gulf of Mexico and the Walton County shoreline. 

If you like camping, there is a campsite near the beach that accommodates both tents and RVs and it offers a fun Topsail Hill Preserve State Park camping experience.  If you want to camp here, you can visit Topsail Hill Preserve State Park’s webpage on the Florida State Parks’ website to get more information on the camping rules.  You can also check the Topsail Hill Preserve State Park campground map here to see the RV sites and the tent camping sites.  In addition to camping, this state park also offers Topsail Hill Preserve State Park cabins for accommodation. 

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park – within which Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach is located – has many interesting things to explore including wetlands, large sand dunes, pine forests, remnants of World War Two-era military installations and the local turpentine industry, and rare coastal dune lakes – these dune lakes include Campbell Lake and Morris Lake.  You can explore this state park’s vibrant biodiversity through hiking and biking trails and you can see many kinds of interesting animals and plants here including red cardinal birds, pitcher plants, alligators, and the rare Choctawhatchee beach mouse.  The state park’s visitor center also has interesting exhibits on local natural history.  Topsail Hill Preserve State Park reviews on the internet are quite favorable.  

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach offers wheelchair-friendly boardwalks to disabled visitors. The beach also offers complimentary beach wheelchairs for visitors with disabilities – you can either contact the ranger station here or call the state park at (850) 267-8330 for more information.  In addition, there are multiple disabled-friendly features near the beach, including picnic areas, campsites, and restrooms. 

Getting to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach is easy. The entrance to the state park is located near 7525 West Scenic Highway 30A, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459. There is a parking lot near this entrance. Once you park here, you can either walk to the beach through walking paths or take a tram that will drop you off at the beach. 

Please note that you need a $6 fee to enter this beach.  If you are a pedestrian or biker, you need to pay a $2 entry fee.

This beach and state park were named Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach and Topsail Hill Preserve State Park because a sand dune in the state park resembles a ship's topsail.

There are many attractions near Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach.  The Village of Baytowne Wharf offers many fun things to do and explore, including an adventure park, a gaming arcade, a playground, and an escape room, along with multiple restaurants and shopping stores – the Village of Baytowne Wharf also hosts many events, including fireworks displays, musical concerts, and magic shows.  Helen McCall Park is a recreational park that offers many amenities including batting cages, football fields, picnic areas, soccer fields, a splash pad, restrooms, baseball fields, and a playground.  Eden Gardens State Park is a state park that has a historic house named the Wesley House and it also has beautiful gardens – the state park offers many fun activities including biking, horse riding, camping, and picnicking.  Gator Beach – The World's Greatest Alligator Park is an alligator park where visitors can see and feed hundreds of live American alligators – this park also hosts fun shows about these amazing creatures.  In addition, the park also has a Discovery Zone with interpretive exhibits about alligators and their habitat.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, The Track – Destin offers fun go-kart tracks, bumper cars, spinning coasters, and blaster boats.  This go-karting facility also has mini-golf courses and an arcade.  

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach.  3 Sons Bar-B-Q offers a variety of excellent barbecued dishes including barbecue platters, sandwiches, burgers, mac-and-cheese, and tacos.  Ocean Club Restaurant offers amazing steaks and seafood and it also offers live music performances.  Stinky’s Fish Camp is known for serving delicious seafood and it also offers soups, salads, and Southern-style dishes – the restaurant also offers refreshing beverages and it also hosts live music performances.  Louis Louis is a popular restaurant and bar that offers many amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including seafood, chicken wings, and pasta – this restaurant offers live jazz music at night.  If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near the beach, Don Pedro’s Mexican Restaurant offers amazing Mexican dishes including tacos, huevos rancheros, tacos, and ceviche.  Another great modestly priced restaurant near the beach is Donut Hole which offers amazing donuts, along with many other amazing breakfast dishes. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Topsail Hill Preserve State Park Beach, there are many great nearby options.  The 4-Star Watercolor Inn offers many amenities including multiple pools, a beach club, multiple restaurants, and a fitness center.  Another upscale hotel is the 4-Star Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa that offers many amenities including a spa, multiple pools and hot tubs, multiple restaurants and bars, poolside cabanas, watersports equipment rental facilities, and poolside market.  The 4-Star Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including rental facilities for bikes and water sports equipment, multiple restaurants and bars, a fitness center, a tennis court, multiple pools, shopping stores, hot tubs, and multiple golf clubs.  A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star Residence Inn Sandestin at Grand Boulevard that offers many amenities including a barbecue area, a pool, a hot tub, and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Courtyard Sandestin at Grand Boulevard offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, a hot tub, a convenience store, and a fitness center.