"Mountain" is somewhat of a misnomer for a Florida landscape that is
only 345 feet above sea level at its highest point (northern Walton
County), but the first European settlers may have mistaken the Blue
Mountain area's towering dunes for mountains after being at sea for
months! They may also have been impressed by the lush vegetation
covering the dunes, especially the spiky shape of the Gulf Coast Blue
Lupine, which lives in the dune scrub and exists in only eight coastal
counties in Florida's Panhandle. With its fuzzy blue leaves and purplish
blue flowers that look like tiny sweet peas, it is easy to speculate
that blue flowers covering tall dunes gave the area its unusual name.
Blue Mountain also marks the beginning of the Eastern Lake Hike/Bike Trail, which ambles through the rest of South Walton's beach communities. Take it slow and enjoy the trip past coastal lakes, dense woodlands and architecturally stunning communities that make up the Blue Mountain Beach area.
Local Communities: