Camp Helen is a place where visitors can explore an environment rich in natural and cultural resources. 

The park is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and by Lake Powell, the largest coastal dune lake in Florida. 

This 180-acre park is for day use only. Activities include swimming, beachcombing, nature study, hiking, and both freshwater and saltwater fishing. 

Prehistoric middens and mounds indicate that humans inhabited the area more than 4,000 years ago.

From 1945 until 1987, Camp Helen was a company resort for the employees of an Alabama textile mill, known as Avondale Mills. Some of those buildings have now been restored.

Camp Helen State Park

With the Gulf of Mexico on one side and St. Andrews Bay on the other, visitors who crave swimming, snorkeling or surfing will be more than satisfied.

Theodore Tollofson evidently liked what he saw when he shipwrecked on what is now St. Andrews State Park during a 1929 hurricane. He homesteaded in his derelict boat for the next 25 years.

Now, state park visitors can experience what kept “Teddy the Hermit” at St. Andrews — sugar white sands, emerald green waters and a vast array of ever-changing winged creatures.

The park is a popular migratory stopover for numerous bird and butterfly species.

Besides boasting a mile-and-a-half of pristine beaches for fishing and swimming, St. Andrews also offers the chance for visitors to stroll through pines and along dunes and coastal plant communities or stay overnight in the campground.

State Parks Tagged With: Panama City Beach