We could still smell the salt air and feel the cool breeze of the Gulf of Mexico but we were in the middle of a forest interspersed with wetlands. On this trail, on this day, the sun, cool breeze and blue sky would provide the perfect day for a bicycle ride in the back country. That’s right, the gulf coast has a back country and the salt air and cool breezes definitely add to the character of the area. The Alabama gulf coast offers days such as these to make great vacation memories.
Once again we head to the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Today we are riding the Gulf Oak Ridge Trail and have our choice of two trailhead parking areas. We chose the parking area off State Park Road 2, the smaller of the two trailheads.
Gulf Oak Ridge Trail is the longest of the trails, 2.75 miles, running from State Park Road 2 to the Orange Beach Sportsplex. The highest point on the island is on this trail and is within a maritime forest. The forest is on ground higher than the dunes within the range of salt spray. This maritime forest is one of the lasts ones along the Alabama coast.
With the completion of Coyote Crossing which connects with Gulf Oak Ridge, one could ride from Gulf Shores to Orange Beach without using roadways.
There are two excellent photo ops along the trail. One is the gator swamp and unfortunately we saw no gators on our trip. The other is the gulf overlook. Of course all along the trial there are many photo opportunities with the abundance of flowers, forested areas, birds, and other wildlife. The important point is to take your time and enjoy what the trail offers.
