The park's east beach unit at Alabama Point — protected dunes, boardwalks, and the wild edge of the coast just west of Perdido Pass.
Just before the big bridge, watch to your right for Alabama Point — the eastern beach unit of Gulf State Park, and one of the wildest, prettiest pieces of the whole coast. If you can, pull into the beach lot here and take a minute, because this is the dune country at its best.
Boardwalks lead out over tall, healthy dunes — great mounds of white sand stitched together by sea oats and beach rosemary — down to a wide, open beach with the jetties of the pass just to the east. These dunes aren't just scenery; they're the front line of the coast's defense and the home of some of its rarest residents. This is prime habitat for that little endangered beach mouse Boone will tell you about, and in the warm months, the dark quiet beach beyond the dunes is where the sea turtles come ashore to nest.
That's why you'll see the signs asking you to stay on the boardwalks, keep off the dunes, and — if you're ever here after dark in summer — keep the lights down. It's not fussiness. A footprint can crush a nest; a bright light can send a whole clutch of baby turtles crawling the wrong way, toward the road instead of the sea. On this coast, being a good guest matters.
Take it in, then let's finish at the pass. Back on the highway, continue east and up over the bridge — the view from the top is the reward.
Photo: Matthew Nichols · CC BY-SA 3.0
