Alabama's Coastal Connection
Connecting with Nature

Departure: Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary, Alabama
Destination: Eastern Shore Trail, Alabama
Time to allow: 2 days

There are many ways to enjoy Alabama’s Coastal Connection, but none offers more scenic views than this "Connecting with Nature" itinerary. Take two days and experience the beauty and variety of the natural assets of Alabama’s Gulf Coast and the interpretive facilities that help visitors understand their connection. Spring and fall are the best times of year to enjoy this itinerary, and completion times will vary depending upon the degree of interest in hiking and/or biking along the variety of trails.

Day 1

  • Start: Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary

    After beginning your drive along the rural farmlands of Mobile County and by the scenic docks of Bayou La Batre, continue across the Dauphin Island bridge onto the island.

    Arriving at the Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary, you’ll find parking and picnic areas and interpretive signage describing the habitats and birds you can find here and along the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail on which the sanctuary is a stop. Explore the 1,000-foot handicap-accessible boardwalk from the parking lot to “Gaillard Lake” or the raised walkway through the Tupelo swamp. The sanctuary encompasses more than a mile of trails through a variety of intact habitats, including preserved maritime forest.

  • Stop 1: Dauphin Island Sea Lab Estuarium

    From previous stop: 5 minutes / 0.5 mi (0.8 km)
    Directions:

    Upon leaving the sanctuary, turn right onto Bienville Boulevard and travel approximately one-half mile to the Estuarium.
    Suggested time at this stop: 2 hours

    The estuarium is an exciting educational facility highlighting the four key habitats of coastal Alabama: the Mobile Tensaw River Delta, Mobile Bay, the Barrier Islands and the Northern Gulf of Mexico. It includes the 10,000-square-foot exhibit hall and Living Marsh Boardwalk. This facility is a showcase of the plants, animals, and other natural resources found in the Estuary and its surrounding marine habitats.

    Through beautiful visuals and engaging interactive exhibits, the estuarium will leave you with a comprehensive understanding of the crucial link between the land and the sea-- how watersheds, rivers and estuaries interact with Mobile Bay, the fourth largest estuary system in the United States.

    This would be a good time to have lunch before continuing your trip.

  • Stop 2: Mobile Bay Ferry

    From previous stop: 5 minutes / 0.5 mi (0.8 km)
    Directions:

    Depart from the estuarium and turn right onto Bienville Boulevard. Then enter the boarding area for the Mobile Bay Ferry.
    Suggested time at this stop: 45 minutes

    The Mobile Bay Ferry connects the Mobile and Baldwin County segments of the byway and also offers travelers a unique connection with the waters of Mobile Bay. The 30-minute trip across the bay gives an up-close look at the waters and a chance to view the recreational and commercial maritime endeavors ever-active in these waters.

  • Stop 3: Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge

    From previous stop: 20 minutes / 12 mi (19.2 km)
    Directions:

    Upon disembarking the ferry, turn to the left, exiting Fort Morgan Historic Site and continuing approximately 12 miles to the Pine Beach Trail entrance to the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge on the right.
    Suggested time at this stop: 2 hours

    Habitats of the refuge include beaches and sand dunes, scrub forest, fresh and salt water marshes, fresh water swamps, and uplands. Explore all of these along the three-mile Pine Beach Trail, which will lead you to the sugar-white sands of the area’s spectacular beaches.

  • End: Scenic Views at Gulf Shores and Orange Beach

    From previous stop: 15 minutes / 10 mi (16.0 km)
    Directions:

    Continue on AL-180 to the east (right) from the refuge and follow the route into Gulf State Park and onto AL-135, which intersects AL-182.

    After a full day of hiking the trails and exploring the waters, take time out to relax and let nature come to you. A refreshing night’s stay at any of a variety of gulf front accommodations in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach allows you to sit back and enjoy the sounds of the surf, the smell of the salt air and the view of the sunset overlooking the Gulf waters. For the more rustic types, camping and cabin accommodations are available with lake or lagoon views.

Totals for Day 1

Total Distance Traveled: 23 miles / 36.8 km
Total Travel Time: 45 minutes
Total Stopping Time: 4 hours 45 minutes

Day 2

  • Stop 1: Orange Beach Marinas

    From previous stop: 10 minutes / 6 mi (9.6 km)
    Directions:

    From your beachfront accommodations, travel east on AL-182 (Perdido Beach Blvd.), or north on AL-161 and then east on AL-180, to the marina from which your charter departs.
    Suggested time at this stop: 2 hours

    From one of the many marinas in Orange Beach visitors can enjoy a scenic back bay excursion aboard a charter cruise boat. Most have regularly scheduled morning and evening sightseeing trips and will schedule private trips upon reservations. This trip will offer an intimate view of the hundreds of acres of back bays along the byway and an interpretive overview of the birds and marine life you’ll see there. Resident wild bottlenose dolphin are a favorite site on these tours.

  • Stop 2: Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

    From previous stop: 30 minutes / 26 mi (41.6 km)
    Directions:

    After the cruise, depart Orange Beach traveling west on AL-180 (Canal Road) to the Foley Beach Expressway. Travel across the toll bridge and continue to County Road 20, where you’ll take a right. Continue on County Road 20 until it takes a 90-degree left turn and becomes County Road 83. When you reach US-98 in Elberta, turn left and continue through the towns of Foley and Magnolia Springs. Just beyond the Fish River, the entrance to the Weeks Bay Estuarine Research Reserve’s interpretive center is on the left.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    Weeks Bay is one of only 27 National Estuarine Research Reserves in the country and offers an exceptional opportunity for travelers to enjoy the educational materials of the interpretive center or take to the boardwalks and enjoy the environment first hand.

    Estuaries represent some of the most sensitive and ecologically important habitats on Earth. They provide sanctuary for many species of waterfowl, store nutrients for larval and juvenile marine life, and serve as breeding grounds for many desirable species of ocean fish. As one of the largest estuaries in the country, the Mobile Bay system is the foundation for the environmental beauty and diversity of Alabama’s Coastal Connection’s setting.

  • Stop 3: Downtown Fairhope

    From previous stop: 20 minutes / 11 mi (17.6 km)
    Directions:

    Turn left (west) from the interpretive center and travel on US-98, which turns into Scenic Route 98 and runs north along the coast. Follow that route into downtown Fairhope.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    Enjoy lunch overlooking Mobile Bay at one of Fairhope’s local restaurants. Seafood is a specialty here, so savor the flavor of the bounty of the waters that are such an integral part of life here and all along the byway. Walks on Fairhope’s famous municipal pier provide spectacular views.

    Since Fairhope is known as an artists’ colony, the art lover could take a leisurely visit to the Eastern Shore Art Gallery or the many local stores.

  • End: Eastern Shore Trail

    From previous stop: 1 minute
    Directions:

    The trail can be accessed all along the byway on Scenic Route 98, which runs north along the coast, through the Eastern Shore area.

    Work off your lunch by taking in the beautiful Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Take your choice of hiking or biking on the multi-use Eastern Shore Trail, where you can enjoy beautiful bay views and oak-canopied roadways.

Totals for Day 2

Total Distance Traveled: 43 miles / 68.8 km
Total Travel Time: 1 hour 1 minute
Total Stopping Time: 4 hours