A neighbor's dock is sitting on the public dock on Western Lake. It traveled about a quarter-mile to get there. Grayton resident Billy Buzzett told WJHG that "the tide got so high that it picked it up and brought it all the way over here and deposited it on our public dock."
Grayton took Isaias's surge head-on. Even so, it was the first big outdoor space in Santa Rosa Beach to reopen. The wooded parks farther from the Gulf, around Point Washington and Tucker Bayou, were still behind closed gates as of Oct. 14. Where you can spend this weekend outdoors depends on which kind of damage a place took.
A Washout Measured in Feet, Rebuilt Overnight
Isaias came ashore near Destin around 9:30 p.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 9, as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph sustained winds, according to the Governor's Oct. 11 release. WJHG reported that an estimated three to five feet of surge brought down the bridge leading to Grayton Beach State Park, which cut off the park entirely.
The size of the damage is what made a fast fix possible. At a Sunday press conference covered by WTXL, Gov. Ron DeSantis said FDOT had measured the washout at 50 feet long and 15 feet deep. He said it threatened access and could "potentially cause harm to the to the beloved Western Lake here in Grayton Beach." Crews brought in 600 cubic yards of sand and worked through the night. The governor put the job at under 18 hours in that briefing. The governor's office release and WJHG both put it at 16 hours.
The damage was one structure, at one location, made of a material the crews could haul in by the truckload. WJHG reported that the park reopened at 8 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, with sunset closing for the rest of that week. Overnight stays remain suspended across Florida state parks, and officials said they would announce when lodging can resume. Day visitors are back in the park. Overnight guests are not.
What Western Lake Took On
Western Lake had no overnight fix. In the same WJHG report, Buzzett said Western Lake normally flows out into the Gulf but ran in reverse during Isaias, after the surge topped the Grayton dunes and filled the lake.
On the beach side, Grayton local Leila Harris told the station, "The sand yesterday was all the way up to the boardwalk and now it's gone, you can walk right under it." She added, "The dunes across the lake are flat." SoWal's Oct. 14 photo set has images from Grayton Dunes Access behind the Red Bar, along with Seagrove's San Juan and Santa Clara accesses and the Blue Mountain regional access.
The sand will take longer to come back than the bridge did. Locals told WJHG they expect the dunes to rebuild, slowly. Cole Taylor suggested sea oats and sand fencing for Gulf-front owners. The state's Oct. 11 update said Florida DEP shoreline assessments were underway in Walton County. No renourishment or dune-restoration timeline for Grayton has been announced.
Where the Gates Were Still Down
The surge story is about Grayton. Across the region, though, the governor said most of the storm's damage "came primarily from falling trees, debris and other wind damage, as opposed to storm surge," as WTXL reported. Santa Rosa Beach's other big public green spaces are the wooded ones, and as of Oct. 14 they had not reopened.
| Place | Status as of Oct. 14 | What the agency said |
|---|---|---|
| Grayton Beach State Park | Open for day use, 8 a.m. to sunset | Overnight accommodations closed |
| Eden Gardens State Park, 181 Eden Gardens Road | Closed, including any overnight accommodations | Closed to protect the safety of visitors and staff |
| Point Washington State Forest | All campgrounds and recreation areas closed | Reopening pending damage assessments and repairs |
| Deer Lake State Park | Not on the state's Oct. 14 closure list | No reopening announcement posted |
The state hasn't said what condition Eden Gardens is in. Its park page gives only the general safety notice, effective Oct. 14. The park covers 163 acres of the old Wesley homestead. It is built around the 1897 Wesley House, set among moss-draped live oaks, with gardens and a fishing dock on Tucker Bayou. Until the state posts an update, assume the Wesley House tour and the bayou dock are off the table.
Point Washington State Forest has the widest reach of the three. The Florida Forest Service notice, effective Oct. 12 at 5 p.m., keeps every campground and recreation area closed, with no reopening date. Reservations during the closure are refunded automatically, and reservation questions go to 1-877-879-3859.
That leaves a clear map for the weekend. The Gulf-side park that lost a bridge to the surge has been open since Oct. 12. The parks and forest that aren't defined by a single structure are waiting on assessments of whole properties.
Eating Near the Water This Week
Restaurants came back faster than the parks. Each reopening below was announced on the business's own Instagram, with dates as of Oct. 13.
In Grayton:
- AJ's reopened Monday, Oct. 12, with a limited menu and an open bar.
- Hurricane Oyster Bar announced a reopening for Wednesday, Oct. 14.
- Raw & Juicy has its Grayton location open with a limited menu.
A short drive east or west on 30A:
- Bud & Alley's and Bud & Alley's Taco Bar in Seaside reopened Oct. 12 with limited menus, along with Pickles. Shrimp Shack and The Meltdown followed Oct. 13.
- Pizza by the Sea in WaterColor reopened Oct. 12 with its full menu, and WaterColor Inn reopened Oct. 13.
- In Blue Mountain Beach, Cowgirl Kitchen and Red Fish Taco reopened Oct. 12, Blackbear Bread Co. followed Oct. 13, and Mimmo's 30A started with carryout on Oct. 10.
- In Dune Allen, Stinky's Fish Camp and Stinky's Bait Shack reopened Oct. 12 at 4 p.m.
The Publix at South Walton, 2038 US 98, and the Walmart at Dune Lakes, 6861 E US Hwy 98, were both open as of Oct. 13. Some menus may still be limited when you get there. Everything above is a snapshot from the first days of recovery, so call ahead before you drive.
Before You Head to Grayton
Walton County beaches have reopened, but some individual beach accesses may stay closed while storm damage is repaired. Statuses will keep changing over the coming week, and these pages are where changes show up first:
- Florida State Parks storm updates, for Grayton, Eden Gardens and Deer Lake.
- Florida Forest Service closures, for Point Washington State Forest.
- Walton County Tourism's Isaias page, which tracks beach accesses and conditions town by town.
Walton County started storm debris removal on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Questions about sorting piles go to the county's Community Information Center at 850-892-8394. And if your calendar had a gap where a fall event used to be, 30A.com reports that Watersound Origins Porchfest has been rescheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25.
At Emerald Dunes Realty, we follow the recovery from Western Lake to Tucker Bayou the way our neighbors do, one gate and one reopened kitchen at a time. If you own here from out of town and want a local read on how your corner of Santa Rosa Beach is coming back, give us a call. Start Your Coastal Home Search.
