History, nature, and variety awaits you!

Located on the west side of Panama City Beach right off of U.S. 98 there is a unique park named Camp Helen State Park. This state park features a wide variety of natural ecosystems as well as an interesting historical past that is sure to provide an entertaining day of discovery and adventure. This property sits on around 185 acres of land. The park has water on three sides with Lake Powell, Phillips Inlet, and the Gulf of Mexico. With three different water bodies in one place, there are ample opportunities to swim, tube, kayak, canoe, fish, and hike. The visitor center has bathrooms and a small interactive learning center that features many visual examples of the local animals that can be found in and around Camp Helen State Park. This park has many educational signs strategically placed to educate visitors on the many historical and natural features of this place. There are beautiful oak trees creating a canopy over picnic tables overlooking Lake Powell. This makes a great place for having a picnic. If you do have a picnic, some local hungry squirrels may join you.

There is one trail section that goes under Highway 98 and has a boardwalk that proceeds along Lake Powell. This walk provides an interesting perspective on the freshwater lake. Another trail section takes you down the long sandy beach section of the lake that eventually turns into Phillips Inlet. Other trail sections lead to a large duck pond or a looping deep woods trail entitled the Oak Canopy Trail. You can also take the 6/10-mile trail that goes past rolling sand dunes to the beach and the Gulf of Mexico. This picturesque location has an old pier that has been used in music videos by music artists like country star Luke Bryan.

Camp Helen State Park is located at 23937 Panama City Beach Pkwy, Panama City Beach, FL 32413. It is just seven miles west of Highway 79 on Highway 98. The park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset every day, 365 days a year. There is an entrance fee of $4.00 per vehicle with a limit of up to 8 people per vehicle. Once you pay you will receive a small paper tag to hang from your mirror. This allows you to leave and return to the park as long as it is the same day. During the warmer seasons and depending on the weather, kayaks are available to rent on the park premises on the Lake Powell shoreline just down from the lodge. You can rent a single or tandem kayak for a half or full day. The kayak rental service is available 8 am to 5 pm daily. The charming, rustic, and historic main building and recreation center are available to rent for special occasions or weddings.

There are many historical structures on site that can be entered and investigated. In 1910, businessmen built a hotel here named the Inlet Beach Hotel. The hotel burned down and only a general store remained. That general store is now a kitchen and is still standing. Robert and Margaret Hicks bought the property in 1928. In 1932, the Hicks built the property’s main house, which has nine rooms. It has four bedrooms, four baths, a kitchen, a living room and features a basement. Having a basement was particularly rare and unusual for this area during the 1930’s. Other structures include a garage, water tower, caretaker’s house, a two-horse stable, a maid’s house, and four rainbow cottages. In 1945, Avondale Textiles bought the property for recreational purposes for their employees and their families. That is when it was named Camp Helen. Avondale built a recreation hall and converted most of the existing buildings to suit the needs of the camp. In 1996, the State of Florida purchased the property thus preserving this fantastic site for all to see.

Camp Helen State Park features a wide range of biodiversity in wetlands, shoreline, sand dunes, marshes, freshwater, saltwater, and forests. Lake Powell is the largest coastal lake of its kind in this region and is very rare. There are very few lakes like Lake Powell in the world being so close to the Gulf. This is also a popular area for bird watching and nesting. Some of the birds you may be able to see in the park are bald eagles, osprey, Copper’s hawk, kingfishers, least terns, piping, and snowy plovers. The visitor center has binoculars available for bird watching.

There are even rumors this site is haunted by three separate ghosts if you are into that sort of thing. One specter is reported to be a slave that was killed by Indians, the second is the Hick’s grandson who drowned in Lake Powell, and the third is of Captain Phillips of whom the inlet is named after.

Whether it is ghost hunting, bird watching, kayaking, hiking, or picnicking, you are sure to have a great day at Camp Helen State Park.