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"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 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 Blue Mountain its unusual name.
Blue Mountain beach 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.
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