Settle your soul and enjoy a day spent among nature’s beauty with a hike along one of the many trails on Alabama’s Coastal Connection Scenic Byway. The trails offer diverse ecosystems that lead adventurers through freshwater marshes, pitcher plant bogs, bird sanctuaries and a butterfly garden. Choose the ACC’s Connecting with Nature itinerary or make your own map of where to visit.
Here are a few ideas:
Take a different hike every day of the week on the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail in Orange Beach. Paved paths make it easier for walkers and bikers alike to enjoy the seven different trails with names as interesting as they look. Catman Road, Rosemary Dunes, Twin Bridges, Gulf Oak Ridge, Cotton Bayou, Rattlesnake Ridge and Coyote Crossing give you a chance to look beyond the usual tourist spots and see a different side of the Alabama Gulf Coast. Keep your eyes peeled for alligators, a giant tortoise and osprey.
Across Mobile Bay is the Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary. Approximately 420 of the 445 species of birds in Alabama have been observed here. Within the sanctuary are 137 acres of maritime forests, marshes, dunes, a lake, a swamp and a beach. Several of the trails lead to Gaillard Lake in which may be seen a variety of turtles and, every so often, an alligator. Bring your binoculars, bug repellent and good walking shoes for your hike. There’s a downloadable bird sighting checklist available also to aid you in your search for our avian friends. For more information, call 251-861-3607.
Back on the Baldwin side of Mobile Bay is the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, one of the 10 natural wonders of Alabama. Bon Secour or “safe harbor” is well-named. It’s home to the endangered Alabama beach mouse as well as nesting sea turtles, including the loggerhead, green and Kemp’s ridley varieties. During the fall and spring migration, birds use this area for resting and building fat reserves needed for a successful journey.
Bon Secour’s 7,000 acres of coastal lands, beach dunes and pine-oak woodlands include four trails that range from short one-mile hikes to four-mile expansions. Fishing is also allowed in the refuge, though an Alabama saltwater fishing license is required.
There is no admission fee to the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and the trails are open during the daylight hours. Pets are prohibited in the refuge. For more information, visit their website.
Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores offers visitors the opportunity to explore 6,500 acres of land, including a scenic nature trail. Visitors to this state park may camp, hike, zipline, picnic, fish, golf and enjoy the many amenities it offers.
Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley offers more than 500 acres of natural habitat, including pitcher plant bogs and rare plant and animal species. Disc golf on two 18-hole courses, archery, and kayaking or canoeing are just a few of the activities to experience after completing your hike.
Your journey through the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, located between Fairhope and Foley, includes a free educational interpretive center and two boardwalks. One boardwalk leads to Weeks Bay and the other runs through the pitcher plant bog to connect to Fish River. The reserve is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday; although closed on Sundays and state holidays, the boardwalks remain open year-round. For more information, call the Weeks Bay Reserve at 251-928-9792.
Leave A Comment