One road runs into Tyndall Air Force Base, and one runs out. US-98, known locally as Tyndall Parkway, covers all 12 miles from the Callaway turn through base property toward Mexico Beach, and it ties together nearly everything worth doing in this corner of Bay County. The 2026 Lincoln Navigator L was built for a corridor like this one, a long, flat, well-mapped Gulf Coast highway where BlueCruise hands-free driving earns its keep, where 37.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row actually gets used, and where three rows of real seating hold everyone who decided to come along.
The plan runs simple and eastward, starting in Panama City, working along US-98 through four stops, and getting back in time for whatever comes next. November is the right month for it. The crowds thin out, the temperature stays easy, and the pace the Panhandle keeps in autumn suits this vehicle.
What's the Route?
US-98 is the spine of this whole route, the single road that links every stop without a backtrack, and since Lincoln lists the Navigator L at 221.9 inches long, you'll want parking spots with a bit of room at each end. At that length, the L is awkward in the tightest lots, and there's no dressing it up. We've flagged below where the size matters.
| Stop | Drive Time from Previous | What to Do | What to Pack / Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Lincoln, Panama City | Start | Pick up the Navigator L; confirm tire pressure before coastal driving | Full third row up; cargo area empty and ready |
| Historic St. Andrews, Panama City | 10 min on US-98 | Coffee, a walk through the waterfront district, grab provisions | Comfortable shoes; short stop, easy street parking on a weekday |
| St. Andrews State Park, Panama City Beach | 20 min west on US-98 | Beach, kayak or paddleboard rental, nature trails | Towels, kayak gear, cooler; use the PowerFold controls to collapse the third row if you're carrying boards |
| Mexico Beach | 25 min east through Tyndall Parkway | Quiet Gulf waterfront, fishing pier, lunch | Fishing gear stows flat; Mexico Beach has easy pull-through parking |
The full loop from Bay Lincoln back to Panama City runs roughly 90 minutes of driving, spread across a relaxed day. BlueCruise is mapped for US-98's long straight sections, so the highway segments ease driver workload rather than adding to it. The highway does the work.
The Four Stops in Detail
Stop 1: Historic St. Andrews, Panama City. The waterfront district sits right off US-98 on the Panama City side, ten minutes from our lot, and it makes a practical first stop before the highway opens up. Grab coffee, pick up anything you forgot, and get a feel for how the Navigator L handles Panama City's stop-and-go. The 48-inch panoramic dashboard display keeps you oriented to the route without making you look down. Quick stop, not a destination.
Stop 2: St. Andrews State Park. The park is the anchor of the day. It sits three miles east of Panama City Beach off US-98, covers more than 1,100 acres, and offers a Gulf beach, kayak and paddleboard rentals, two nature trails (Heron Pond and Gator Lake), and fishing piers. In November, you're not fighting summer crowds for a parking spot. The park has a boat ramp and a double-sided concrete launch, so if you've trailered anything behind the Navigator L (Lincoln lists the properly equipped L's tow rating at up to 8,700 pounds), this is where it goes in.
The cargo layout here is worth thinking through before you leave the house. Lincoln's PowerFold controls sit in the cargo area itself, which means collapsing the second and third rows doesn't require reaching back through the cabin. With both rows down, you're at 121.6 cubic feet. That number isn't marketing copy. It decides whether boards ride on the roof rack or slide inside.
Explore financing options when you're ready to put the Navigator L in your driveway.
Stop 3: Tyndall Parkway Corridor, Youngstown. This stretch connects St. Andrews State Park east toward Mexico Beach, running directly through base property on US-98. Understanding what the drive really involves helps. The road is flat, two-lane in places, with Gulf of Mexico views to the south and Panhandle forest to the north. BlueCruise handles the long mapped sections, keeping your hands free on the straight highway runs while the driver monitoring system keeps attention where it belongs. On this corridor our team notices how well the Navigator L's adaptive suspension reads the transition from smooth open highway to the occasional rough patch on coastal roads; the cabin stays settled rather than unsettled.
Stop 4: Mexico Beach. Mexico Beach sits about 20 miles east of Panama City on US-98, and the town runs quiet on a November weekday. A fishing pier, a Gulf waterfront worth walking, and straightforward parking for a vehicle the size of the Navigator L. Have lunch here, then take the return run on US-98 heading west back toward Panama City. That westbound leg into the afternoon is where BlueCruise earns another round of appreciation.
A Few Things Worth Having Along
The Navigator L handles the logistics, but a little preparation makes the difference between a good day and a smooth one:
- Confirm tire pressure before the drive. Road surface temperatures on coastal US-98 climb through the day, and the EPA-rated 15 city / 22 highway fuel economy figures depend on correctly inflated tires under a real passenger load.
- Load the third row last. The PowerFold controls in the cargo area drop row three with a button, and letting the system do it beats loading around occupied seats.
- Use the 5G hotspot built into the Lincoln Digital Experience for base gate pre-clearance apps or navigation updates while you're still in Panama City.
- The surround-view camera system helps at St. Andrews State Park's boat ramp and in Mexico Beach's tighter waterfront lots. Good to know it's there before you need it.
- Bring cash or a card for St. Andrews State Park's day-use fee. The amount is small, the park is worth it, and it's the kind of detail that stalls a day when you've forgotten it.
Tweak It to Your Crew
This itinerary assumes three rows of people and a full cargo area. It doesn't have to run that way.
Running with two adults and no gear, you might prefer the Lincoln Aviator, a tighter footprint for the same US-98 corridor and easier to park in Historic St. Andrews. A three-row day that's mostly highway and beach with the whole family, though, lands squarely in the L's wheelhouse. The extra 11.9 inches of wheelbase over the standard Navigator translates into 37.4 cubic feet behind the third row (versus 21.6 in the standard model), and that figure decides it when everyone has a bag and there's gear going in too.
For a longer version of this route, the eastward run on US-98 continues past Mexico Beach toward Port St. Joe and Cape San Blas, a full day rather than a half-day, and the Navigator L's highway fuel economy and BlueCruise make it a low-fatigue proposition for the driver.
If you'd rather see what we have available before you plan the route, check our current specials and we'll help you match the right configuration to the day you have in mind.
View Current Navigator L Specials
Our team at Bay Lincoln is at 641 W 15th St in Panama City, right on the same US-98 corridor that runs the whole route. Come in, let us walk you through the Navigator L, and we'll make sure the configuration suits what you're actually planning to do with it.