Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park

This is a hidden gem. It has a nice 1 mile walk that is paved or on a boardwalk. Great for kids, strollers, and wheel chairs. They have these neat QR codes along the trail you can scan for cool info about plants and animals. They also have traditional signs if you don't have your phone. They also have 4 benches on the walk spaced out.

They also have an unpaved 7 mile hike but we didn't go on that since the boys are only 4.

Unfortunately we visited right after a necessary burn. We went to this preserve to observe the pitcher plant. We went in the wrong season but were able to still able to catch a couple of them just getting started in early March. It was still amazing to catch some real Florida and it’s a beautiful place.

Well maintained trails close to Pensacola. Enjoy coming here to hike the 5+ mile loop, one of the few places you can go around here and get some miles in hiking.

They’ve made some improvements to the areas that are prone to flooding by adding gravel which is nice to see. The shorter boardwalk route out to the actual bayou also has nice views.

This place was great!! We just did the Tarkiln hike. It's a one mile there and back hike and very easy with pavement and boardwalk. Just $3 but if you're staying at Big Lagoon State Park you get them free. Today there wasn't anyone there working but there's a place to fill out an envelope and drop in money. I didn't check that out too closely since we got to go in free.

with 2 options of light and moderate trails, little frequented and very calm

A very nice preserve to visit for both short and long walks. Plenty of plants and animal wildlife to see. Paved trail for a ways and then turns into a boardwalk, both suitable for wheelchair visitors. The bayou view is awesome but it would be nice if there was a place to get your feet wet.

Very nice park to take a walk in nature. We saw and heard many birds, including woodpeckers, owls, ducks, herons, and so many more.
We've had a bit of rain so parts of the trails were inaccessible due to flooding and mud.
There is one primitive restroom with hand sanitizer available before entering the park.
The park is leashed dog friendly with dog waste bags and a garbage can accessible at the beginning of the trail.

Very well maintained trails and waterways. Beautiful scenery that's typical of Florida... Yellow pines, sago palms, and the like. It was completely handicap accessible which was great! There was a couple of picnic tables at the beginning of the one mile trail loop, and a couple of benches along the boardwalk. There was a restroom, but it's just one stall.

Really nice place to walk. The picture plants weren’t blooming yet but it was nice to walk in the sun and have some shade to cool
off in. The raised trail makes it easy for folks with mobility issues to enjoy. Water flowing under the walkway gives you an option to see turtles and lots of little fish doing there thing.

It is amazing nature trail you can go on a short 1.1 mile trail or the over 7.2 mile trail it is a very peaceful trail and animal friendly and has one bathroom at the beginning

One of my favorite trails in the Pensacola area. The scenery is beautiful. There is a paved/boardwalk trail which is about half a mile and a longer, more rugged trail of about 6.5 miles. The park features pine forest, wet prairie with rare carnivorous pitcher plants, and a vista of Tarkiln Bayou.

Beautiful park with lots of trails along the bayou and bay. Lovely wild flowers. Very peaceful. No drinking water. Pit toilet. Small parking lot. Small picnic area.

It was our first time there. Beautiful place. Definitely going back to walk the longer trails.

Very cool and easy walk, dog friendly as well.

Absolutely beautiful place, there is a .5 mile boardwalk hike that takes you over a Pitcher Plant bog that holds some endangered white tops, infact this place has several species of carnivorous plants that call it home. Ending with a spectacular view of the bay.There is also a 7.2 mile hike called the Perdido Bay Trail that goes to the bay or beach crossing over bogs and such. Most of it was underwater from all the rains from the week but it was a beautiful hike nonetheless. Highly recommend getting out and exploring this place.

This is a beautiful park. 2 trails, one that is paved or boardwalk and ADA friendly. The other 7.5 miles is sand but a great hike. Highly recommended, $3 per car

Tarkiln Bayou Preserve is around the best it gets in Pensacola in terms of peaceful hiking trails. These trails are safe, clean, well-maintained, and have large concentrations of rare and endangered plant and animal species.

There are several different trails, some of which are very long, that you can hike down and truly feel isolated in nature. Many of the trails that are closest to the park entrance are in low-lying spots that become regularly or constantly inundated with water during summer months when it's raining every other day. Watch your step for Water Moccasins in these spots. Sometimes there is so much water that the trails become practically unwalkable. During winter months or other dry periods of the year this is rarely a problem, however.

The parking lot is quite small. On days where the weather is very nice, the parking lot easily becomes completely full and people start parking on the side of Bauer Rd instead.

After visiting this park 30 times I can say it's easily one of the best hiking spots in the area, safe for solo hikers, dog-walkers, and families with children alike.

Have hiking boots, $3, and a little time to hike. Beautiful view and an easy hike

We took the short trail, 1/2 mile in and out. On paved sidewalks and wood boardwalks. Really easy walk. But would like to hike the 7-mile route sometime.

The trail has the occasional signs that explain the surroundings. The signs are easy to read and well placed.

The boardwalks are well maintained and very accessible.

We caught the fish jumping just before dusk. It was quite a sight.

Great park for a nice walk. If you go at the right time, you can see pitcher plants. There’s a short one mile walk on a boardwalk or a longer walk through a trail about 7 miles.

Great little hike not far from town. Mucky in spots but new trails blazed around with makeshift log walkways. Be sure to bring OFF or other insect repellent as mosquitoes can be really bad further in. Unfortunately, despite the fact there are doggie bags provided, there are multiple piles of dog waste which is unfortunate. Otherwise a great place with great views.