Millwood State Park: Wildlife Lane Trail (Blog Hike #1046)

Trail: Wildlife Lane Trail
Hike Location: Millwood State Park
Geographic Location: east of Ashdown, AR (33.68450, -93.98141)
Length: 4.2 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: A flat, winding loop through wet forest on the west shore of Millwood Lake.
Park Information: https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/millwood-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=979782
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming February 13, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: From Ashdown, take SR 32 east 8.8 miles to the signed entrance for Millwood State Park on the left; you reach the park entrance just before crossing Millwood Dam.  Turn left to enter the park, and drive the main park road 0.3 miles to the signed trailhead parking on the left.  There is room for 4-6 cars in this small parking lot.  Additional parking is available near the park entrance if the trailhead parking lot is full.

The hike: Located in southwest Arkansas north of Texarkana, Millwood Lake was created when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an earthen dam near the confluence of the Saline and Little Rivers.  The dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1946 and completed in 1966, and it is the main structure responsible for flood control along the Red River below Lake Texoma.  The lake's name speaks to this area's logging and sawmill industry, and much of the lake is unnavigable by boat due to submerged timber.  In fact, the name Millwood was used for a river landing in this area as early as 1845.

            Perched on the west shore of its namesake lake, Millwood State Park consists of 824 acres leased by the State of Arkansas from the Corps of Engineers.  The park is best known for its fishing; the submerged timber makes for great bass, crappie, and catfish habitat.  The park also offers a 45-site developed campground, a marina on Millwood Lake, some picnic areas, and 2 hiking trails: the 4 mile Wildlife Lane Trail and the 1.5 mile Waterfowl Way Trail.  The 2 trails start from a common trailhead, so you could hike either or both of them.  This blog entry features the longer Wildlife Lane Trail, and I would like to return to this park some time to hike the shorter Waterfowl Way Trail.

Main trailhead

            From the small parking lot, walk around the metal vehicle gate and past the colorful trail information board to begin walking northwest on a dirt road.  This road provides access to an old picnic area that has seen its better days, hence the reason for the locked vehicle gate.  After walking through the picnic area, follow the wooden sign that says "trailhead" and walk across a metal bridge to begin the common entrance trail, which is marked by white paint blazes.

Common entrance trail

            At 0.3 miles, you reach the signed trail intersection where the Waterfowl Way and Wildlife Lane Trails part ways.  As directed by the sign, turn left to begin the Wildlife Lane Trail, which is marked with yellow paint blazes.  The Wildlife Lane Trail starts in a fairly dry area with lots of pine trees, but this entire area is a seasonal wetland.  The wetness will find you eventually in all but the driest of times, but going counterclockwise around the loop will save the wettest areas for last, thus delaying getting your feet wet for as long as possible.

Starting the Wildlife Lane Trail

            You may be surprised when you pass the wooden "1 Mile Point" sign without having seen the lake.  This trail winds as much as a mountain bike trail, but the wet areas and some downed trees make biking on this trail a difficult proposition.  True to the trail's name, I did see quite a bit of wildlife that included some deer and common woodland birds.

1 Mile Point

            1.6 miles into the hike, you reach Alligator Lookout, which provides your first clear view of Millwood Lake.  Some bald cypress trees grow near the damp lakeshore.  Alligators are a common sight in this area, but I did not see much wildlife here on the cold, damp, February morning when I came here.  A bench provides a good opportunity to rest, rehydrate, and observe the lake.

Millwood Lake at Alligator Lookout

            The trail stays close to the lake for 0.2 miles before curving left and heading back inland.  Near the 2 Mile Point sign, a signed but faint short-cut trail exits left.  The short-cut shortens the hike by nearly a mile, but this hike continues straight to tour the full Wildlife Lane Trail.  Next you head around the northern portion of the loop.  Another short segment takes you back to the lake's edge for a second and final time.  Another bench with another lakeside view sits in this area.

Hiking south along the west boundary

            At 2.6 miles, the trail curves left to leave the lake for good.  The balance of the hike heads (very) roughly south along the park's west boundary.  The trail remains winding, and some parts are harder to discern on the ground.  Be sure to watch for the numerous yellow paint blazes to stay on the right track.

A moderately wet area

            Near 3.7 miles, you pass through the wettest area of the hike, where you will almost surely get your feet wet.  At 3.9 miles, you close the loop.  Turn right and hike the common entrance trail back through the run-down picnic area to the small parking lot to complete the hike, or add the Waterfowl Way Trail if you want more wetland hiking with more lake views.

Louisiana State Arboretum: Walker Branch/Backbone Ridge/Bald Cypress Loop (Blog Hike #1045)

Trails: Walker Branch, Wetland, Walker Terrace, Backbone Ridge, and Bald Cypress Trails
Hike Location: Louisiana State Arboretum
Geographic Location: north of Ville Platte, LA (30.80302, -92.28552)
Length: 3.7 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: A double loop through the wetlands and ridgetops above Chicot Lake.
Arboretum Information: https://www.lastateparks.com/parks-preserves/louisiana-state-arboretum
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=979730
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming December 19)

Directions to the trailhead: From Ville Platte, take SR 3042 north 7.1 miles to the signed entrance for Chicot State Park on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the small entrance fee, then turn left at the next 2 intersections to reach the parking lot for Louisiana State Arboretum's Nature Center.  Park in the lot in front of the Nature Center.

The hike: Weighing in at a sprawling 6400 acres, Chicot State Park is the largest state park in Louisiana.  The park is centered around 2000 acre Chicot Lake, a long and skinny lake created in 1943 by damming Chicot Bayou.  Both the dam and the park were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  The park officially dates to 1939, making it the one of the oldest state parks in Louisiana.

            As you would expect, the lake takes centerstage, and the park is a major destination for fishing, boating, and canoeing.  The park also features a large 198-site developed campground, 15 cabins, 2 group lodges, and some picnic pavilions.  For hikers, the park's most famous trail is its 20 mile backpacking trail.  The backpacking trail circumnavigates Chicot Lake, and many people consider it to be the best backpacking trail in Louisiana.

            If you are not up for the backpacking trail, the area's best destination for short hikes is the Louisiana State Arboretum, which is contained within Chicot State Park.  The 600-acre Arboretum dates to 1961, and it is the oldest state-supported arboretum in the country.  The arboretum's land features more relief than you might expect for south-central Louisiana, and many trails take you over the arboretum's hills and through the arboretum's ravines.  The route described here uses all but one of those trails, and it explores all of the major habitats the arboretum has to offer.

Trailhead at back door of Nature Center

            Walk out the back door of the Nature Center and angle left to start the Walker Branch Trail, which embarks on a general westward course.  Trails in the Arboretum are mostly unmarked, but they are well-worn, well-maintained, and easy to follow.  The single-track dirt Walker Branch Trail descends slightly to reach a trail intersection at 0.15 miles, where a sign tells you that you need to turn left to stay on the Walker Branch Trail.

Hiking the Walker Branch Trail

            The trail rises slightly to cross a small ridge; ignore the Pawpaw Loop Trail that exits left.  Next you descend slightly to reach the longest boardwalk at the arboretum.  This boardwalk takes you over a seasonally wet area dominated by water tupelo and bald cypress trees.  This boardwalk is my favorite boardwalk on this hike, and numerous signs help you identify common plants in the wetland.

Boardwalk on Walker Branch Trail

            After crossing another low ridge, you reach another trail intersection at 0.7 miles where the Walker Branch and Wetland Trails part ways.  These 2 trails come back together later in this hike, so you could go either way here.  The Wetland Trail sounded more interesting to me, so I turned right to temporarily leave the Walker Branch Trail and begin the Wetland Trail.

Hiking the Wetland Trail

            Surprisingly considering its name, the Wetland Trail climbs slightly to enter a drier ridgetop environment.  Oak and hornbeam trees dominate the ridgetops in this arboretum.  Some scratch marks on the ground indicate where feral hogs had done some rooting, but I saw surprisingly little wildlife on this hike.  0.9 miles into the hike, you reach the trail intersection that forms this hike's main loop.  The Backbone Ridge Trail goes right, and that will be our return route.  Angle left to stay on the Wetland Trail.

Start of loop portion

            The trail descends slightly to pass a small pavilion/trail shelter and cross an older boardwalk.  The trail map calls this area a vernal pool.  The pool contained a couple inches of water when I came here in early February, and bald cypress knees make for a scenic area.

Vernal pool

            Past the vernal pool, the trail begins the hardest climb of this hike.  The difference between maximum and minimum elevations on this hike is only 75 feet, so the steep part of this climb is over pretty quickly.  At 1.3 miles, you reach the west end of the Wetland Trail where the Walker Branch Trail goes left and right.  This hike turns right to continue hiking west on the Walker Branch Trail; turning left would provide a shorter route back to the Nature Center.

Overlook platform on Walker Terrace

            A little more climbing brings you to the asphalt Walker Terrace, an ADA accessible trail, less than 500 feet later.  A wooden overlook platform overlooks nothing in particular, and you want to keep heading west on Walker Terrace.  1.5 miles into the hike, as the arboretum's Caroline Dormon Lodge comes into view, you reach another trail intersection and the western-most point on this hike.  Turn right to leave the asphalt and begin the dirt Backbone Ridge Trail.

Hiking the Backbone Ridge Trail

            The Backbone Ridge Trail is the arboretum's most strenuous trail, and you soon learn why: it drops steeply into a ravine only to cross a stream on a wooden footbridge and climb slightly less steeply out of the ravine.  The trail then curves right to begin a ridgetop course with more downs than ups.  You pass a couple more overlooks that overlook nothing in particular, but their benches make nice places to rest and rehydrate near the midpoint of this hike.

Overlook on Backbone Ridge Trail

            After some winding and some undulations, you reach the Backbone Ridge Trail's east end at 2.6 miles; this intersection closes this hike's main loop.  Turn left twice, once on the Wetland Trail and again on the Walker Branch Trail, to start heading back to the Nature Center.  At the last intersection before you get back to the trailhead, angle left to leave the Walker Branch Trail and begin the short Bald Cypress Trail.

Chicot Lake on Bald Cypress Trail

            Though only 0.2 miles long, the Bald Cypress Trail may be the arboretum's most scenic trail: it takes you past an inlet of Chicot Lake filled with bald cypress and water tupelo trees.  The dirt trail takes you down to the edge of the water for fantastic views.  Some stairs lift you up to a large overlook platform, and an ADA-accessible concrete trail returns you to the Nature Center to complete the hike.

Lake Fausse Pointe State Park: Trail C (Blog Hike #1044)

Trail: Trail C
Hike Location: Lake Fausse Pointe State Park
Geographic Location: east of St. Martinville, LA (30.06008, -91.60961)
Length: 3.4 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: A flat loop hike with good wildlife viewing along several bayous and lakes.
Park Information: https://www.lastateparks.com/parks-preserves/lake-fausse-pointe-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=979662
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 16, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: From St. Martinville, take SR 96 east 12 miles to SR 352 and turn right on SR 352.  Drive SR 352 south 13 miles to the signed state park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and park at the main trailhead parking area on the left 0.2 miles from the entrance.  A sign and restroom building on the right mark the trailhead.

The hike: The drive into Lake Fausse Pointe State Park is pure Louisiana.  Most visitors start by driving through Lafayette with its oil/natural gas industry, large regional public university, and heavy French influence.  Next you drive through St. Martinville, a small town with a large Black population and heavy Roman Catholic influence.  The final 13 miles run along a levee, and few places outside of southern Louisiana have levees as long or tall as this one.

            Once you finally get there, you find a real gem of a park.  Consisting of 6000 acres deep in the heart of southern Louisiana's Cajun Country, remote and rustic Lake Fausse Pointe State Park is a sportsman's and nature lover's paradise.  For such a remote park, it has surprisingly good amenities.  The park offers a 50-site developed campground, 18 cabins, several primitive campsites accessible only by trail or canoe, a boat launch, a playground, and several picnic areas.

            For hikers, the trail system at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park consists of 3 loops all of which start from a common trailhead.  The loops are simply labeled A, B, and C in order of increasing length.  This hike takes you around the C loop, which traces the perimeter of the park.  While I would not want to come here in the summer due to heat and bugs, I saw a lot of wildlife and had a great hike when I came here on a Friday morning in early February.

Trail entrance at trailhead

            The common entrance trail heads west across the park road from the parking lot.  Almost immediately you cross a wide wooden bridge over Old Bird Island Chute to reach an information kiosk where Trail A exits right.  As directed by a wooden sign, continue straight to begin Trail C.

Lake Fausse Pointe

            Less than 5 minutes into the hike, you reach a west-facing wooden overlook platform that provides a nice view across Lake Fausse Pointe.  The large, calm lake is dotted with islands near the shore, and I saw several limpkins enjoying the lake on the warm and humid morning that I came here.  Past the overlook, the trail heads south through a seasonally wet forest with some tupelo trees.  Some wet areas will need to be negotiated, but wooden boardwalks get you over the worst of the wetness.

Trails B and C split

            At 0.3 miles and at the end of one of the boardwalks, Trails B and C part ways at another signed trail intersection.  This hike turns left to stay on Trail C, which is marked with orange plastic diamonds.  Soon you pass the first of 7 signed primitive backpack campsites.  Each of these sites are reached via a short signed spur trail, and each site has a picnic table, a fire pit, and room for a couple of tents.  These primitive campsites allow you to turn this hike into a super short and super easy backpacking trail provided the heat and bugs are not too bad.

Backpack campsite

            For the next 1.1 miles the trail heads southeast on a level course through classic lowland scenery.  In some ways this hike is very boring: there is no noticeable elevation change, and the scenery never seems to change.  Yet the park's remote location and abundant wetlands ensure good bird and wildlife viewing.  I saw 2 roseate spoonbills, an egret, some herons, some cardinals, a chickadee, some robins, and some deer on this hike.

Spur trail to canoe campsite #5

            At 1.3 miles, you reach signed canoe campsite #5, which is my favorite of the primitive campsites at this park.  Not to be confused with backpack campsite #5, this site is accessible by canoe trail and by hiking trail.  The site occupies a small knoll on the edge of the channel, and I saw much wildlife including several alligators while sitting and resting at this site.

View from canoe campsite #5

            For the next 0.7 miles the trail parallels the water channel as you round the south end of the loop.  The deep muddy channel stays in sight through the trees to the right.  The hiking is easy but the scenery repetitive except for the wildlife.  Just past 2 miles, the trail curves left to leave the channel.

Crossing a boardwalk

            After crossing the longest boardwalk on this hike, you reach a trail intersection at 2.3 miles where both options are marked with orange diamonds.  The option going left is a short-cut that leads to the park's conference center, and it is the wettest trail in this park.  This hike continues straight to hike the longer and dryer version of Trail C.

Hiking along Borrow Pit Canal

            Very quickly the trail comes out at the park's cabin area.  Turn left to hike 0.3 miles on the park's cabin road, but look for the orange diamonds on the right at 2.6 miles where Trail C leaves the road and returns to single track dirt trail.  The rest of the hike stays in a narrow swath of woods between the park road on the left and the Borrow Pit Canal waterway on the right.  This area is slightly higher than most of the ground you have trodden so far, and large numbers of palmettos live in the understory.  Just shy of 3.4 miles, you reach the trail's end at the main park road.  The trailhead parking area with your car is only a couple hundred feet to the right.

Shepard State Park: Marshwalk and Oscar Trails, et. al. (Blog Hike #1043)

Trails: Marshwalk, Delta, Golf, and Oscar Trails
Hike Location: Shepard State Park
Geographic Location: Gautier, MS (30.37519, -88.63086)
Length: 2.7 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: A double loop over and around Lamott Bayou's salt marsh.
Park Information: https://shepardstatepark.com/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=979603
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 2, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: In southeast Mississippi, take I-10 to Gautier-Vancleave Road (exit 61).  Exit and go south on Gautier-Vancleave Rd.  Drive Gautier-Vancleave Rd. south 3.2 miles to US 90 and turn left on US 90.  Drive US 90 east 2.4 miles to Oak Street; there is a traffic light at this intersection.  Turn right on Oak St., then 2 blocks later turn left on Graveline Road.  Drive Graveline Rd. 1.2 narrow and winding miles to the signed park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the entrance fee at the park office to obtain a code to open the park gate, then drive the main park road 0.3 miles to the parking lot for the athletic field, dog park, and Marshwalk on the left.  Park in this lot.

The hike: Located in the bootheel of Mississippi less than 2 miles from the Gulf of Mexico/America, Shepard State Park consists of 395 acres in and along Lamott Bayou's salt marsh.  Despite the state park name, the park has been maintained and operated by the City of Gautier since 2013.  The park retains state park level amenities, which include a 38-site developed campground, a picnic pavilion, an archery range, a dog park, and a disc golf course, which is reviewed in Parking Full Time Disc Golf Reviews.

            For hikers, Shepard State Park offers 13 trails, but most of its trails are short nature trails that are less than 1 mile in length.  The park's longest trail is the 2 mile Oscar Trail, and the park's most scenic and popular trail is the Marshwalk, an elevated walkway over the salt marsh.  Combining those two trails with the short Delta and Golf Trails forms the hike described here.  While I was not sure what to expect when I drove into this park, I had a very pleasant hike here with abundant marsh scenery.

Marshwalk trailhead

            From the parking lot, head northwest around the restroom building and across the lightly wooded sandy dirt area to reach the signed start of the Marshwalk.  At 1005 feet in length, this Marshwalk is the largest pier ever constructed over a marsh in Mississippi, and it is the only one with Thruflow decking, which offers low maintenance and high traction.  The walkway offers great views across Lamott Bayou's marsh, and the Marshwalk won the Small Project Award of Merit for its engineering when it opened in 2021.  A large number of interpretive signs tell about the marsh's flora and fauna.  I expected to do some good wildlife and bird viewing on this walkway, but I honestly did not see much wildlife when I came here on a warm and humid late morning in early February.

Hiking the Marshwalk

            At 0.25 miles, you reach the other end of the Marshwalk and a trail intersection.  The option going left leads across the India Bridge to the Oscar Trail, and we will go that way eventually.  To extend the hike, turn right at this intersection and the next one to begin the Delta Trail.  The trail, road, and bridge names at this park form a non-standard phonetic alphabet, which is why many of them seem so unusual: the names tell you nothing about what you will see on the trail.  The trails at this park are unmarked, but small green signs mark trail intersections.

Starting the Delta Trail

            The 0.3 mile Delta Trail takes you around a short loop on the north side of Lamott Bayou's marsh.  Where the trail splits to form its loop, angle right to stay close to the marsh.  Dense woods featuring tall pine trees, magnolia, holly, and palmetto cover this area.

            At 0.4 miles, turn right to cross a wooden bridge across a small arm of Lamott Bayou.  Next you climb slightly to reach the lightly wooded sandy dirt area you started in; you can see your car a few hundred feet away.  Turn left twice to re-cross the small arm of Lamott Bayou, now hiking on the Golf Trail.  The front nine of this park's disc golf course is also located in this area.

Hiking through pine woods

            Just shy of 0.6 miles, you come out at Cherokee Road.  Turn left to walk a short distance on this dirt/gravel road, then turn left again where the signed Delta Trail enters the woods.  At 0.65 miles, you close the short Delta/Golf Trail loop.  Turn right and then left to retrace your steps to the marsh.  Where the Marshwalk exits left, continue straight to cross the India Bridge and begin the Oscar Trail.

Start of Oscar Trail's loop

            After a short but steep climb, the Oscar Trail splits to form its loop at 0.8 miles into the hike.  Turn left to begin a clockwise journey around the Oscar Trail.  The next section is my favorite part of the Oscar Trail: it heads southbound with Lamott Bayou's marsh just through the live oaks and palmettos to the left.  No clear views of the marsh emerge, so be thankful for the new Marshwalk.

Hiking beside the marsh

            For the next mile the Oscar Trail embarks on a gently undulating course roughly parallel to the marsh's edge.  The trail winds almost as much as a mountain bike trail, but you should ignore several shortcut trails that exit right.  At 1.8 miles, the trail curves left to begin heading north flush against the park's west boundary.  I shared this part of the trail with a turtle, and the hiking is pleasant if unremarkable.

Passing a turtle

            2.1 miles into the hike, you reach an unsigned trail intersection.  Follow the yellow arrow that directs you to turn right to stay on the Oscar Trail; the option going slightly left leads to the Yankee Trail, which is a mountain bike trail.  After hiking east for 0.3 miles, you close the Oscar Trail's loop.  Continue straight to return to the Marshwalk, then turn right to retrace your steps across the Marshwalk to the parking lot and complete the hike.  This park has many other short trails, and the Romeo and Tango Trails are located on the other side of the parking lot if you want to extend your hike.  Those trails offer nice walks through the woods but scenery similar to what you have already seen.

Perdido Key State Park (Blog Hike #1042)

Trail: (unnamed)
Hike Location: Perdido Key State Park
Geographic Location: Perdido Key, FL (30.29383, -87.47000)
Length: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: An out-and-back along the south shore of Old River offering good bird watching.
Park Information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/perdido-key-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=979496
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming December 12)

Directions to the trailhead: Perdido Key State Park is located on Perdido Key southwest of Pensacola.  From the Alabama/Florida state line on Perdido Key, take Florida SR 292 east 3 miles to Lafitte Reef Drive.  Go north on Lafitte Reef Dr. 2 blocks to the trailhead on the right.  There is room for a couple of cars to park at this trailhead; take care not to block the gate, street, or any driveways.  If the trailhead parking lot is full, you can park at the Tourist Information Center at the corner of SR 292 and Lafitte Reef Dr. and walk the last 2 blocks to the trailhead.

The hike: Located on its namesake barrier island southwest of Pensacola, Perdido Key State Park is Florida's western-most state park.  Before the land became a park, it was owned and managed by the United States Navy as an area called the Gulf Beach Gunnery Range.  The Navy auctioned the land as excess land in 1954, and the State of Florida acquired the land to establish the park in 1980.

            As usual for a barrier island park, the beach takes centerstage, and this park protects over 2 miles of white sand Gulf of Mexico/America beach.  The park has no campground, but day-use visitors enjoy shelling, swimming, and fishing in addition to 8 picnic pavilions.  For hikers, the park offers only one short nature trail.  While the trail does not go to the beach, it does take visitors over low white sand dunes to views of Old River, and the abundance of nearby water makes this trail an excellent choice for birding.

Vehicle gate and stile at trailhead

            From the small parking area on Lafitte Reef Drive, head east by walking through a stile that takes you through a fence with a locked gate.  Orange aluminum discs mark the trail, but for the most part the path is clear and obvious.  This entire hike proceeds through a 2 city-block-wide strip of sandy scrubland between Old River on your left and SR 292 on your right.  Both of those boundaries remain out of sight through pine trees and shrubs for most of this hike, but vehicle noise from SR 292 will be your constant companion.

Heading east across the sand

            The trail surface alternates between softer and firmer white sand, and some of the softer sand can make for unstable footing.  Most of this trail is exposed to the sun.  Many grasses cover the ground where the sand is more stable.

Old River view

            A meandering eastward route brings you to this hike's only view across Old River at 0.4 miles.  While this viewpoint faces north, this park's location as Florida's western-most state park becomes clear: the houses you see across the wide river are in Alabama.  This view is the most aquatic view on a mostly sandy hike, so take some time to enjoy it.

Bench at trail's end

            Past the Old River view, the trail continues east through more sandy and sunny coastal scrub.  At 0.9 miles, the trail unceremoniously ends at a simple black and white disc that says "end" and a wooden bench.  The bench occupies a sunny spot, and I did some great bird watching while sitting here: I saw some mourning doves, some goldfinches, an egret, some herons, and some hawks.  After bird watching to your heart's content, retrace your steps back across the sand to return to the trailhead and complete the hike.

Gulf State Park: Beach Mouse Bypass Trail (Blog Hike #1041)

Trail: Beach Mouse Bypass Trail
Hike Location: Gulf State Park
Geographic Location: Gulf Shores, AL (30.25516, -87.64361)
Length: 2.9 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: February 2025
Overview: An out-and-back on boardwalk along the south shore of Middle Lake.
Park Information: https://www.alapark.com/parks/gulf-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=979495
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming January 30, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: This hike starts at the Gulf State Park Beach Pavilion, which is located on SR 182 2.8 miles east of SR 59 or 3.6 miles west of SR 161.  Be sure to pay for parking at the large beach pavilion parking lot before you start your hike.

The hike: For my general comments on Alabama's Gulf State Park, see my hike on this park's Catman Road Trail, which is described elsewhere in this trail journal.  I first came to this park in October 2007 3 years after Hurricane Ivan had destroyed its buildings and nature trails.  Only asphalt trails such as the Catman Road Trail existed here then, but nearly 10 years later a system of elaborate wooden boardwalks was built on the south side of the park's Middle Lake.  This hike stays on boardwalk for its entire length, and it features the boardwalk system's main trail: the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail.  As a bonus, this hike begins and ends at the beach that makes this park famous, so you can also get some beach time before or after your hike.

Pedestrian bridge near trailhead

            From the west end of the beach pavilion parking lot, head west on the boardwalk, which climbs slightly as it passes between a restroom building and the interpretive center.  The interpretive center contains some interesting exhibits about the beach, sand dunes, and wetlands that will be seen on this hike and about the plants and animals that live there.  A single boardwalk "switchback" lifts you up to concrete pedestrian bridge over SR 182.

View of beach pavilion from pedestrian bridge

            After crossing the pedestrian bridge, another boardwalk "switchback" takes you down to an intersection with the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail at 0.3 miles.  The entrance boardwalk ends here, and the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail, which is also a boardwalk, goes left and right.  We will go both ways eventually, but first turn left to begin heading west toward the park's main campground.

Beach Mouse Bypass Trail

            The Beach Mouse Bypass Trail is named for the Alabama and Perdido Key beach mice, a pair of federally endangered species of rodents.  The Alabama beach mouse was reintroduced at Gulf State Park in 2011, but it continues to struggle due to loss of coastal dunes habitat.  I did not see any beach mice on my hike, which is unsurprising: they are mostly nocturnal creatures.  The boardwalk lets you bypass the beach mice in the sense that it keeps you off of the sand dunes in which they live.

Trail shelter

            The boardwalk passes through a single trail shelter on its way to its west end.  The trail shelters on this boardwalk offer benches and partial shade on an otherwise mostly sunny hike.  This part of the boardwalk also offers the best views of Middle Lake with the park's main campground visible across the lake.  I saw many waterfowl here including coots and egrets, and I saw some turtles sunning on logs.

Campground across Middle Lake

            At 0.5 miles, you reach the west end of the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail where it enters the campground.  As an alternate to this hike, you could form a loop around Middle Lake by turning right, hiking through the campground, and then hiking the Campground, Cross Park, and Rosemary Dunes Trails to get to the east end of the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail.  All of the other trails in that loop are asphalt trails, and I wanted to stay on the boardwalk.  Thus, I turned around and started hiking the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail eastbound in the opposite direction from which I had just come.

Middle Lake

            0.7 miles into the hike, you get back to the entrance boardwalk, which exits right.  The entrance boardwalk will eventually be our route back to the beach pavilion parking lot, but for now continue east on the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail.  This boardwalk is also open to bicycles, and a large number of two-wheeled trail users zoomed past me as I hiked here.  Bicycles on a boardwalk feels strange, but the boardwalk is plenty wide to allow them to pass safely.

East end of boardwalk

            The east end of the Beach Mouse Bypass Trail traverses land that is a couple feet higher in elevation than the west end.  Therefore, the marsh is not as wet, and large numbers of live oak, palmettos, and even pine trees grow here.  I saw many common woodland birds including red-winged blackbirds, mourning doves, and goldfinches while hiking this part of the boardwalk.  More trail shelters provide good opportunities to sit, rest, and do some bird watching.

Gulf State Park beach

            At 1.6 miles, you reach the east end of the boardwalk and its intersection with the Rosemary Dunes Trail.  If you took the alternate route around the lake I described earlier, you would approach this intersection via the asphalt trail to the left.  Turn around and retrace your steps first west on the boardwalk and then south across the SR 182 pedestrian bridge to return to the beach pavilion parking area.  No trip to Gulf State Park is complete without seeing the beach, so why not take the short mesh walkway across the dunes to the south to get to the white sand beach?  The view was surprisingly natural and uncluttered when I came here on a Tuesday afternoon in early February, and a walk along the beach made the perfect finish to my boardwalk hike at Gulf State Park.