Prestoon Hood Athletic Complex
Park
30 acres1.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Photo: Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 4.0BOutdoors
Outdoors in Fort Walton Beach
Fort Walton Beach has 5.4 miles of mapped trails, 0.7 for every square mile of land
93% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Prestoon Hood Athletic Complex (1.3 mi), Fort Walton Landing (0.9 mi), Liza Jackson Park (0.7 mi). 136 acres are parks and preserves, 6.5 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns · #227 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
3%
123 acres · of 7.6 sq mi of land
Trails
5.4 mi
0.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
136 ac
6.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
93%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
3.3 mi
2.3 mi lanes · 1.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
1
1 beach · 1 boat launch
What kind of outdoors town is Fort Walton Beach?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Fort Walton Beach have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Fort Walton Beach is ahead of 61% of U.S. towns, #227 of 638 in Florida. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Fort Walton Beach’s overall grade.
Conserved land3% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (5 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land6.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (136 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13C+Parks close to home93% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 61%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 65%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to B+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Prestoon Hood Athletic Complex, with 1.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Fort Walton Landing
Park
6 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Liza Jackson Park
Park
13 acres0.7 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Chester Pruitt Park
Park
5 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sound Park
Park
2 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center
Park
10 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
City Hall Athletic Complex
Park
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Vesta Heights Park
Park
2 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 20 parks & preserves
Prestoon Hood Athletic Complex30 acres · 1.3 mi of trail
Fort Walton Landing6 acres · 0.9 mi of trail
Liza Jackson Park13 acres · 0.7 mi of trail
Chester Pruitt Park5 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Sound Park2 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center10 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCity Hall Athletic Complex4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Vesta Heights Park2 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
Ferry Park24 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOakland Heights Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Garniers Beach Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Briarwood Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Jet Stadium6 acres
Villa Russ Park3 acres
Kenwood Park3 acres
Seabreeze Park3 acres
Triangle Park2 acres
Heritage Park and Cultural Center2 acres
DirectionsCeclia Park2 acres
Municipal Park1 acres
Who protects it
123 conserved acres
3% of Fort Walton Beach’s land. Who manages Fort Walton Beach’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city123 ac
Local Park · 91 acLocal Recreation Area · 32 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preston Hood Athletics Complex Local Park | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Ferry Park Local Park | Town or city | 23 | Open |
| Liz Jackson Park/Dog Park Local Park | Town or city | 12 | Open |
| Fort Walton Beach Tennis Center Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 10 | Open |
| Jet Stadium Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Oakland Heights Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Chester Pruitt Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Fort Walton Beach Landing Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Villa Russ Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Seabreeze Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
28 places to go in Fort Walton Beach
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Fort Walton Beach
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Fort Walton Beach
Liza Jackson East PlaygroundIn Liza Jackson Park
DirectionsLiza Jackson West PlaygroundIn Liza Jackson Park
DirectionsPlus 21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Fort Walton Beach
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Fort Walton Beach
1 boat launch without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Fort Walton Beach
Ferry Park Disc Golf CourseIn Ferry Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
3.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
2.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
1.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
28Tennis
22Pickleball
19Baseball
6Soccer
5Basketball
3Football
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Fort Walton Beach: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.7 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 13.2 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 10.2 |
| High (°F) | 61 | 65 | 70 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 90 | 89 | 87 | 80 | 70 | 64 |
| Rain (in) | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 3.4 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 6.2 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 5.1 |
May is the driest month (3.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 90 °F). 7.6 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 90 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Fort Walton Beach →
Next door
Fort Walton Beach and its neighbors
Fort Walton Beach has the most mapped trails of the 6 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Fort Walton Beach5.4 miHurlburt Field5.2 miMary Esther0.8 miOcean City0.5 miCinco Bayou0.2 miWright0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Walton Beach | 3% | 0.7 | 6 | 93% | B |
| Wright | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 24% | D− |
| Mary Esther | 3% | 0.5 | 8 | 84% | B |
| Ocean City | under 1% | 0.3 | 2 | 79% | C |
| Hurlburt Field | under 1% | 0.5 | 3 | 96% | C+ |
| Cinco Bayou | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Fort Walton Beach
Where can I hike in Fort Walton Beach?
The longest trail networks: Prestoon Hood Athletic Complex, 1.3 miles; Fort Walton Landing, 0.9 miles; Liza Jackson Park, 0.7 miles; Chester Pruitt Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Fort Walton Beach is conserved land?
3% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Fort Walton Beach’s trails?
Prestoon Hood Athletic Complex and Fort Walton Landing don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Fort Walton Beach?
3.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 2.3 of painted or protected lanes and 1.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Fort Walton Beach?
735 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Fort Walton Beach or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 136 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Fort Walton Beach have?
Ahead of 61% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #227 of 638 in Florida. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Fort Walton Beach neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →