Sitting right along the border between Florida and Alabama, Big Lagoon State Park is a 705 acre expanse of Florida wetlands that shelter an impressive array of complex ecosystems within it. Boasting as many as nine varied biological communities ranging from tidal marshlands and pristine mesic plateaus to untouched eerie woodlands, the park plays host to a host of exquisite flora and fauna, such as the endangered gopher tortoise, large-leaved wireweed, yellow-billed tern and the migratory snowy plover. The park is also where the Great Florida Birding Trail begins, offering spectacular bird-watching opportunities, especially in the migratory season. Outdoor enthusiasts have a lot to look forward to, from fishing and canoeing to hiking in park's breathtaking confines.

Get a taste of the wilds on the Panhandle at Big Lagoon, a quilt of salt marshes, pine forest, bays, ponds and beaches, all interconnected by boardwalks and easy walking trails. Bird-watchers will be in heaven, which goes for anyone who wants a little peace and quiet.

First acquired in 1977, Big Lagoon State Park is a 705-acre Florida State Park located on the northwestern Florida coast, approximately 10 miles southwest of Pensacola on Gulf Beach Highway. It encompasses the northern boundary of Big Lagoon as it snakes toward Pensacola Bay to the east. Wild Grande Lagoon and its minor tributaries lay within the boundaries of the park, as does the alligator-inhabited Long Pond, a man-made freshwater pond. The park is a 'gateway site' for the Great Florida Birding Trail. It features nine distinct natural communities including estuarine tidal marsh, mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, and is dominated by scrubby flatwoods. The park features a number of threatened and endangered species such as the large-leaved jointweed, gopher tortoise, migratory shorebirds such as snowy plover, least tern among some twenty other listed species.