Name: Overnight birding trip to St Marks NWR
Start: 2026-01-16T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-18T15:00:00-05:00
Location: St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge

Pam O will be leading an overnight field trip to St. Marks Nat. Wildlife Refuge on Jan. 16-18, 2026. There will be birding stops in Port St. Joe, Apalachicola, and Panacea area before arriving at the Magnuson Hotel Wildwood Inn near Crawfordville to spend the night.
Please make your own travel or carpool arrangements and hotel reservations for this trip. Hotel Reservations (online or call 855-213-0582.) Hotel link https://www.magnusonhotels.com/hotel/magnuson-hotel-wildwood-inn/
Itinerary:
Friday, Jan. 16
Meet at 9:00am (Eastern Standard Time) at the downtown Port St. Joe boat ramp at Frank Pate Park near the lighthouse for an hour or so of birding. This is on Fifth Street at the traffic light. We will continue to our destination hotel with several stops along the way.
Noon, meet in Apalachicola at Lafayette Park off Hickory St. to view Apalachicola Bay off a pier and have lunch in Apalachicola. (Bring your own or local restaurant.)
Planned Birding stops on the way to the hotel:
East Point-view some oystercatchers and other birds on the jetties and sandbars.
Mashes Point in Panacea
Bottoms Road just past Panacea (time permitting)
3:00 pm (EST) Check in at the Wildwood Inn
You will need to make your own reservations. The hotel is located about 8 miles east of Panacea on U.S. Hwy 98. The phone number is 855-213-0582. The Seineyard restaurant located adjacent to the hotel and the hotel serves a free continental breakfast. There are several other dining options near the hotel. There is a campground next to the hotel for RVs. Tent camping is available at Newport Campground across from entrance to the refuge.
Saturday, Jan. 17
7:00 am EST Meet Pam in the hotel lobby for breakfast.
8:00 am EST Leave for St. Marks NWR It’s a 15-minute drive from there to the refuge to spend several hours birding the impoundments and trails. Be sure to bring snacks and drinks while birding.
Note: Check out time at the hotel is 11:00 am EST. If you plan to return to Panama City on Saturday you will need to arrange for a late departure or check out of the hotel before leaving for St. Mark’s.
****If you would like to stay one or two nights extra for birding in other nearby locations, including the Wakulla Springs boat tour on Sunday. You can contact Pam for more information. She will be staying there from Wednesday to Tuesday. Her number is 850-832-5835. Her email is [email protected]****
The trip to St. Mark’s is usually a very productive field trip that we have taken many times over the years. We typically see well over 100 bird species over the two-three days. We hope to see you there!