Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park

Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park is part of the Florida State Park system near Pensacola, Florida.  We decided to go here to look for pitcher plants and to take a short hike through some natural areas.  I was hoping to see nice view of longleaf pine savannah and woodlands specifically. 

The parking lot was right off Bauer Road. We decided to take the one way short walkway to Tarkiln Bayou. It is handicapped accessible as it is concrete and wood walkway all the way to the water.

The state park is surrounded by development. Interestingly, there is a subdivision that was built on a segment of land completely surrounded by the state park. The street name is Pitcher Plant Circle. I find it oddly ironic. 

Tarkiln State Park.  Notice how tracts are segmented and isolated from other tracts.

The day was warm, but windy enough to keep us cool. We met two other people on the trail and talked about other parks of interest. From the boardwalk that was built over wetter areas, we saw several pitcher plants and one orchid. The pine stands were nice, with  a clear understory in some places due to prescribed fire. The single most common bird species we saw was the pine warbler.

The short walk ends at Tarkiln Bayou. The breeze off the water was nice and we saw a few brown pelicans. From the boardwalk, we could see the effects of Forest Service prescribed fires across the water as brown topped pines dotted the distance. After the short 0.5 mile walk, we went back to the parking lot. Next time we come, we will explore the prairie section and the longer trail leading toward Perdido Bay.