
When we went to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, for our end-of-summer trip, we visited Grayton Beach State Park for the first time. It was golden hour, and there was a rainstorm on the horizon, so I was able to capture some rather impressive photos on my not-so-new iPhone. We walked along a short trail and saw dunes, forests, and coastal dune lakes.

When we came upon a sign that warned of bears, I was surprised and couldn’t believe it to be true. But apparently there are black bears in the Florida Panhandle, and sightings are not uncommon. Bears live throughout the state of Florida, and the southern portion of the Panhandle is one of a few more concentrated areas of habitation. For fun, feel free to share any bear sighting stories you might have.


