Experience Nature in the Alabama Outdoors
Need a break from the city lights, mega malls and suburban sprawl? Get in touch with your wild side on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, where schedules take a back seat to sunsets, to-do-lists aren’t nearly as important as tide charts and each change of season brings something awe-inspiring.
If you’re looking for land-based adventure, take a hike along the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail, which winds through the rich flora and fauna of Orange Beach all the way to the pristine beach of Gulf State Park. A series of bikeways offers the chance to investigate things up close and get your exercise at the same time. Grab your binoculars and head out on the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail where you’re likely to spot everything from the tiniest hummingbird to the statuesque Great Blue Heron.
Want to explore the coast from a less landlocked position? Plenty of water-based activities are waiting for you. Rent a kayak and paddle your way through serene back bays. Watch dolphins frolic as you learn all about their habitat on a dolphin sightseeing cruise. Or learn how local shrimpers catch the prized crustaceans we all love.
This place is for the birds.
Pelicans fly in perfect formation as they prepare to nose-dive into the Gulf for the catch of the day. A great blue heron sails across a Mobile Bay sunset. The Alabama Coastal Birding Trail (ACBT) is a birder’s paradise.
The trail winds through more than 50 birding sites in Baldwin and Mobile counties, and is enhanced by directional and interpretive signage. Loops are close enough that you can easily drive from one to another. In between each are plenty of places to eat, sightsee and soak in the local flavor, so grab your binoculars and head out for a walk on the wild side.
Sea creatures invade Alabama’s Gulf Coast!
Creatures from the deep have been spotted dragging themselves on to our beaches late at night.
Don’t worry. It’s not the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The Alabama Gulf Coast is lucky enough to be a nesting habitat for several types of endangered sea turtles. Female turtles make their way onto our beaches each year between the months of May and October to lay their eggs. After about 60 days the eggs will hatch, and the hatchlings begin a perilous journey back to the sea. They will eventually return to the beach where they were hatched to lay their own eggs.
Share the Beach is a volunteer program organized to protect nesting sea turtles and their habitat and educate us all on how to be more “turtle friendly”. Read on to learn about how you can help make our beaches a safe haven for our flippered friends and watch video of turtle hatchlings making their way to the sea.