6. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

Located in Port St. Joe, this could be my favorite beach in all of Florida. Its remote location on the Florida panhandle keeps crowds sparse at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park. Sugar white sand and towering sand dunes make for natural beauty. At one point, it was named the best beach in the country by the famed Dr. Beach. The only problem is most of the park, including the campgrounds, remains closed while it is being rebuilt in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in 2018. Only a small section of the beach is open for day use at this time. Park officials are targeting 2023 for reopening the entire park.

7. Gulf Islands National Seashore

Beautiful beaches don’t come any better than the white sands of this national seashore in Gulf Breeze on Florida’s panhandle. Stretching from Pensacola to Navarre, the Gulf Islands National Seashore is more than 26 miles long. There are a couple of access parks with parking and showers. Other than that, it’s just pristine sand and stunningly beautiful blue and turquoise water. People park along the road at random and stake out their own beach front with rarely anyone else in sight.