From the end of Beargrass Way, or out the back of the neighborhood off Prairie Pass, NatureWalk at Seagrove opens straight into Point Washington State Forest. The NatureWalk HOA describes the forest as more than 15,000 acres with over 27 miles of designated trails. To most people on 30A, that land is scenery. On paper it belongs to a different system. The Florida Forest Service manages it for timber, wildlife, outdoor recreation and ecological restoration, and it is part of the Point Washington Wildlife Management Area, where the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sets the hunting seasons.
That matters this month more than most. The forest's campgrounds and recreation areas are closed for the storm right now. Whenever they reopen, it will open into the stretch of the year when the trails see the most kinds of users.
The Gate Closed on October 8
The Florida Forest Service closure notice closed all campgrounds and recreation areas at Point Washington State Forest effective noon on October 8, 2026, ahead of Hurricane Isaias. Seven other Panhandle state forests closed with it, including Blackwater River and Pine Log. FWC's own notices list the same closure with a 9 a.m. start time instead of noon. The agency gave no reopening date. It said only that it expects to reopen as soon as possible once damage assessments are done, and that it will refund campground reservations automatically.
By early Saturday, WMBB reported that Isaias had made landfall in Destin, and crews across the Panhandle were asking people to stay off the roads while they assessed damage. Nearby public land is shut too. As of October 11, the Florida State Parks storm update page still listed Grayton Beach and Deer Lake State Parks as closed for Isaias.
On the morning this was written, no public notice described the condition of the Eastern Lake trails or the County Road 395 trailhead. When the reopening notice comes, it will be the Florida Forest Service's to give. The agency's line for Point Washington is 850-373-1801.
Thirteen Days After Today, a Different Calendar Starts
FWC's Point Washington WMA regulations brochure covers July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. Its fall and winter dates line up with the neighborhood's calendar in ways a beach-season mindset would miss:
- Archery: Saturday, October 24, through Sunday, November 22
- Small game: Saturday, November 14, through Friday, December 11, overlapping the last nine days of archery
- Family hunt: Thursday, November 26, through Sunday, November 29, which is Thanksgiving weekend
- Muzzleloading gun: Saturday, December 5, through Monday, December 7
- General gun: Saturday, December 12, through Wednesday, February 3
The family hunt is limited. FWC issues 50 no-cost quota permits for it, and each permit holder may hunt only with at least one youth present. General gun season also runs on quota permits at each end. FWC issues 150 permits for each of two hunts covering the first nine days and the last 17 days. The brochure states the permit requirement as hunting before December 21 or after January 17. By that wording, the quota windows work out to December 12 through 20 and January 18 through February 3, with the stretch in between open to licensed hunters without a quota permit.
The forest gets busier even before opening day. The Florida Forest Service waives day-use fees for hunters two weeks before and during scheduled hunts. Counting back from October 24, that window opened on October 10, two days after the storm closure began. Tree stands and ground blinds have a separate rule. They may go into the area starting at 8 a.m. the day before a hunt opens and must come out by 6 p.m. the day after it ends.
What the Orange Rule Covers, and When It Pauses
The orange rule changes across the calendar above. Under the area regulations, anyone hunting deer, or going along with someone who is, must wear at least 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange as an outer garment above the waist. That requirement does not apply to bowhunters during archery season. FWC's statewide rule works the same way. It applies to deer hunters and their companions, and it says nothing either way about hikers or cyclists.
| Period | 2026–27 dates | Orange required for deer hunters? |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | Oct. 24 – Nov. 22 | No, bowhunting is exempt |
| Family hunt | Nov. 26 – 29 | Yes |
| Muzzleloading gun | Dec. 5 – 7 | Yes |
| General gun | Dec. 12 – Feb. 3 | Yes |
So the first month back in the woods is the month when the people hunting there are least likely to be wearing orange. Most game may be hunted from half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after sunset. Those are also the cool, low-light hours of a fall walk. Bright clothing on a hiker, a cyclist or a dog is a sensible courtesy in that overlap, though no rule requires it of anyone who isn't hunting.
Some limits stay the same all year. Firing a gun outside open hunting periods, or in areas closed to hunting, is prohibited under state law. Taking deer or wild hog with dogs is prohibited. The brochure does not set aside any hunt-free trail zone. It keeps the area open to public access year-round, and it bars people, dogs and vehicles only from sections posted "Closed to Public Access."
Smoke Runs on the Same Clock
Hunters aren't the only seasonal use the reopened forest will be sharing. The Florida Forest Service uses prescribed fire at Point Washington to manage timber, wildlife and ecological resources, to cut down undergrowth, and to maintain biodiversity. The WMA brochure says this management, burning and timber work alike, happens most months of the year, hunting seasons included. The state's prescribed-fire guidance also warns that smoke can temporarily lower air quality and visibility, especially near roads.
None of the material reviewed for this post showed an advance alert system or a published burn schedule for Point Washington. For burn locations, the brochure points users to the same Florida Forest Service number that handles reopening questions, 850-373-1801. For anyone who walks out the back of the neighborhood in winter, one call can cover both questions.
The Trail Network From NatureWalk's Side
Once the gates reopen, the neighborhood has several ways into the woods. Beyond the Beargrass Way and Prairie Pass access points, the HOA notes a parking lot for the Eastern Lake Trail System trailhead on County Road 395, about a mile north of the neighborhood entrance. The trailhead has an honor box for a small use fee, and the NatureWalk HOA's hiking and biking page says the HOA covers trail-use fees for owners. Visitors without that coverage can use the state's own passes, at $2 a day or $45 a year. Day use runs from sunrise to sunset.
Eastern Lake was the forest's first trail system. It has three double-track loops and is part of the Florida Forest Service's Trailwalker program. The two official descriptions disagree on loop lengths. The forest's main page lists 3.5, 6 and 11 miles, while the HOA page and the state's Panhandle biking page list 3.5, 5 and 10. The HOA describes the shortest as a 3.5-mile stroll on the yellow trail. West of County Road 395, it lists the 9-mile, one-way Longleaf Trail.
From the 30A side, WJHG reported in 2024 on the trailhead and parking area at 4695 E. County Highway 30A, where a path connects to the Eastern Lake trail. SoWal places that trailhead next to The Lodge 30A at Greenway Station. It describes parking, restrooms and picnic tables, plus a fairly easy hike that drops through coastal scrub to two creeks feeding Eastern Lake, with bridges over both. The Eastern Lake Campground's eight primitive campsites are off Forest Road 7 and are reservation-only through ReserveAmerica. They fall under the current closure too.
Two Greenway Station-area businesses round out a trail morning. YOLO Board + Bike lists its store at 4735 E County Highway 30A, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for bike and e-bike rentals. That matters because the WMA allows Class 1 e-bikes under the same rules as regular bicycles and limits other e-bikes to named or numbered roads open to cars. Beach Happy Cafe has locations in WaterColor and at 5311 E County Highway 30A in Seagrove. Both closed for the storm, with plans to reopen once assessments were done, so a quick check of the cafe's own channels before heading over makes sense.
Dogs follow WMA rules as well. In periods and areas where hunting with dogs isn't allowed, dogs are permitted but must be kept under physical restraint at all times. The HOA notes that deer and wild turkeys are among the wildlife seen on its walks. Those same animals are what the fall seasons are built around.
Tanika O'Brien spent about eight years in NatureWalk, and the forest out the back is part of what we talk through with every buyer and owner there. If you'd like help reading the Florida Forest Service reopening notice once it's posted, or just want to know which access point fits how you use the trails, the Tanika O'Brien Group is close by and happy to help.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
