Deer Lake State Park is a 1,920-acre facility named after a freshwater coastal dune lake within its boundaries. Trail access to the Gulf of Mexico opens to a magnificent dune field and to a pristine section of beach. The park contains 11 distinct natural communities including beach dune, mesic flatwoods, sandhill, scrub, basin swamp, depression marsh, dome swamp, coastal dune lakes, blackwater stream, estuarine tidal creek, and unconsolidated marine substrate. Blackwater streams are lined with spring azaleas. Summer wildflowers are seen around cypress domes throughout the sandhills and longleaf pine habitat.

The park boasts a diversity of plant and wildlife. Rare plant species include: Cruise’s golden aster on taller dunes inland from beach dune; infrequent Godfrey’s golden aster with sea oats on foredunes; gulf coast lupine in disturbances along paths in scrub and sandhills; frequent large-leafed jointweed in oak scrub; and spoonflower along basin swamps at Camp Creek.

Around the pond areas in the flatwoods and around streams are found: white top and yellow pitcher plants, rosebud orchid, grass pinks, sundews, pine lilies, and Curtiss’s sand grass. Some of the largest populations of Curtiss’s sand grass in Florida are found at Deer Lake.