Gulf State Park
Alabama State Park · Gulf Shores, Alabama
Six thousand acres between Gulf Shores and Orange Beach holding two miles of public beach, a chain of freshwater lakes behind the dunes and twenty-eight miles of paved trail through pine flatwood and maritime forest. The pier is one of the longest on the Gulf of Mexico and the lodge, rebuilt after Hurricane Ivan destroyed the original, sits directly on the sand. It is the quiet half of the Alabama coast and the reason a great many people who say they are going to Gulf Shores are actually staying here.
20115 State Highway 135, Gulf Shores, Alabama, 36542, United States
Open daily year round. Trails are free and open dawn to dusk; the beach pavilion and pier charge a small day-use fee and keep their own hours. Lodge, cabins and campground open to registered guests around the clock and book well ahead for spring, summer and October.