Explore the best rated trails in Daphne, AL, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Fort Morgan Road Trail and Rattlesnake Ridge Trail . With more than 16 trails covering 84 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail is really a net work of trails within the Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores AL. I highly recommend doing it without a map. Just let your instincts take you from trail to trail. There are paved segments,boardwalk segments, wooded areas, marshy areas all teaming with wildlife. The surfaces are in good shape and you can easily rack up 25 miles of riding. I started at sun up at the park headquarters where there is a lot of parking. I spotted osprey and other marsh birds and some gators. All in all a great ride.
I had planned to cross over from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island on the Ferry to ride but the Ferry was broken down. So Plan B was to ride the first trail I came to....the Fort Morgan Road Trail. I road it from Peninsula Golf Course to the entrance of Gulf State Park and back. The trail is in very good condition and I would categorize it as easy. I did enough "extra" to total 14 miles. It connects to the network of trails within the state park known as the Hugh Branyon Backcountry trails. When you combine the two you could easily do a 30+ mile ride on nice surfaces.
We spent 4 days biking all the trails in the Gulf State Park - returning to many trails multiple times. The trails are in excellent condition, there are several areas to stop, relax and view the natural areas you’re biking through. The boardwalks are impressive and well maintained. This is a top-notch biking area and if we’re ever in the area again, we will definitely return to these amazing bike trails!
I can't improve upon the above Trail Description or the previous Trail Reviews. In simplest terms, the trails of Alabama's Gulf State Park are absolutely awesome! My wife and I traveled from California in March of 2022 to experience the trails and we had the time of our lives!
Be sure to visit the Gulf State Park website for a map or have the Rails-To-Trails TraiLink app handy since there are twenty-seven trails and/or connectors within the park. We wanted to ride as much of the expansive system of trails as possible, and it was like putting a challenging puzzle together to organize our routes.
Every trail has something that makes it interesting or fun. Our favorite trail was Gulf Oak Ridge for its beautiful views from the overlook platform, and for riding through the forest of trees which envelope the trail.
Kudos to Alabama State Parks for this park and its system of trails. I wish I could ride these popular trails every day like michaelraydunaway!
I ran from north to south after starting at the very north end of the paved path. The path section of the path measured 1.75 miles (3.5 miles out-and-back). You can continue running onto a non-paved section of the trail. I stopped at 2 miles but it looks like i might be closer to 2.2 if you run all the way to the road (4.4 miles out-and-back).
You do cross a number of roadways. Most of these are small side streets but there are 2 larger roads where you may get stopped by traffic.
We ride this trail about 300 times a year. It’s a great trail but someone is asking the State to ban E-bikes. We are Seniors with various ailments so it’s nice to have this place to ride. Not sure what Alabama is thinking when it comes to e-bikes but many are riding them. We understand some of the young people that come here & ride out of control have caused this to be considered but don’t take it out on the Seniors not to mention thousands of Snowbirds that vacation here.
A lot of people have given this trail a bad review, I didn't think it was all bad! It is a sidewalk, so there are a lot of crossings, but it's a wide path very good signage, and you go through beautiful neighborhoods, the alligator boardwalk, and some coast views. I crossed over 4000 miles on this trail so I've been on a lot of trails! I wouldn't do this trail with skinny tires because of all the crossings but we enjoyed it overall very much.
This trail system is second to none. Very well maintained, plenty of entry points with parking, they even have a free bike rental program. Nature at it’s best, wildlife, beautiful lakes and just so much to see and so many places to stop and enjoy the moment. Besides a few side trails, which are not made for road bikes, the entire trail system is paved. There are several bridges, one of which is 1.1 miles long. Take your time because you will see alligators, water fowl, otters etc. It’s a marvelous trail system you don’t want to miss.
Sure it’s a bit busy and “townie” in the middle but it’s a charming, well maintained and absolutely beautiful ride. The sand dunes and birds with the ocean sounds in the background. We thoroughly enjoyed this trail.
We ride this trail everyday & so does many others if they are not walking or jogging. The trail has many entry points where you can park. On the perimeter there are many places to eat & easy to get to the beach as well. Also access to Gulf State Park or the Sportsplex in Orange Beach not to mention there are bike lanes along the coast for miles even going into Florida.
A nicely wide paved trail that essentially takes you around one side of Gulf State Park.
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