Second Visit to Gulf State Park, 4/20/2019

Returning to Gulf State Park for our second visit, we stopped at the Beach Pavilion and Interpretive Center on the Gulf coast located on 182/East Beach Blvd. Turn right into the parking lot (fee for parking/vets free) immediately after passing under the pedestrian crossing above the road.

The Beach Pavilion has a large covered area with picnic tables and a huge fireplace. A restaurant is located on the east end of the building. The beach is accessible via a nearby boardwalk. 

Lovely shaded swings are along the walkway to the Interpretative Center. Restrooms and educational space are in a building next to the exhibits.

A large map of the entire 6,600-acre Gulf State Park can be seen there as well.

The Interpretative Center is an open-air structure with interactive displays about the ecosystems in the park.

Designed for kids (and adults, too), it’s worth a stop…very educational and fun. I love this kind of stuff!!

Returning to the car, we drove east on 182/Perdido Beach Blvd to 161/Orange Blvd (north). Before the Orange Beach water tower is a small road (on the left) to a parking area near the Cotton Bayou Trail. Like the other trails at Gulf State Park, the trail is paved but follows an ancient dune ridge. 

Prickly pears were in bloom and we saw lots of bees buzzing around (and on) them. 

Both sandy areas and wetlands are on either side of the trail. Beaver and otter are occasionally seen crossing the trail to travel between wetlands (alas, we didn’t see any). 

Park benches or swings (donated by patrons) are situated along the trail. We heard songbirds and woodpeckers in the maritime forest but only saw a few. All of the trails are clearly marked which is always a plus. A small campground is located along the trail. 

Where Cotton Bayou Trail intersects with Rosemary Dunes Trail is the Forest Pavilion and Butterfly Garden. The pavilion is a screened-in structure with picnic tables and a front porch with swings. Kids were having a great time in Boulder Park. We didn’t see any butterflies, but the bees were loving the flowers in the garden.

We retraced our steps along Cotton Bayou Trail to our car. It was so nice to be outside enjoying the lovely weather here.

Even though this park is so close to the towns of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, it feels like you are immersed in nature on the trails. We love the beach, but our sweet doggie, Sadie, is not allowed on the beach at the park. Leashed pets are permitted on the trails.

For additional information about our first visit to the park, go to windsofdestiny-rvlife.blogspot.com/2019/04/an-introduction-to-gulf-state-park.html.

For general information about Gulf State Park, including accommodations, go to www.alapark.com/gulf-state-park.