Pine Beach Trail

A thin peninsula of sand, scrub pine, and saw palmetto is the demarcation line between the salty blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the brackish to fresh water of Mobile Bay. This peninsula is the gateway to the Port City, and it is here that we find the Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge and the Pine Beach Trail.

The refuge encompasses 6,500 acres of fragile landscape. The name is French and means "safe harbor," and it literally is that as over 500 species of birds and animals call this area home. The Pine Beach Trail allows visitors to explore this "safe harbor" and is a wonderful juxtaposition between three different environments: a pine forest, a wetland, and the Gulf of Mexico. This easy trail is an excellent trip for the entire family and is a learning experience for everyone.

The path begins following dirt roads through the pine forest. Trees and plants are numbered and correspond to entries found in a free brochure available at the Refuge office to identify the species. It then makes its way through a lush wetland with an expansive view toward the Gulf. Brown pelicans and cranes are often found here doing the daily ritual of food gathering.

After passing by Big Lagoon, the trail makes its way past swaying sea oats over tall, white dunes to the shores of the Gulf of Mexico itself. This is an excellent location to surf fish if you are so inclined. It is NOT recommended that you swim here since there are no lifeguards, and dangerous rip tides can occur anytime.

As for the wildlife, many that live or frequent the Refuge are listed on the endangered species list. Pine Beach takes you to the habitat of two of the more famous ones. The first are the Alabama beach mice who call the dunes their home. Hurricane Ivan, however, took its toll on the dunes in 2004. Scientists believed the storm completely wiped out the mouse population but now believe they were able to move inland and were spared. Studies are under way to trace their population.

Pine Beach is also a nesting ground for the loggerhead sea turtle. Each spring, the turtles swim ashore and lay their eggs in the sand, later leaving them behind to hatch on their own. Once hatched, the baby turtles swarm to the Gulf to continue the cycle.

Again, Ivan damaged many of the nesting areas, but experts say that enough were spared so that the ritual could continue. That was until September 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit the area, the second major storm in less than a year. While Katrina wasn't a direct hit like Ivan, the storm surge on the beaches was extraordinary. The fate of these two Gulf residents remains to be seen.

It is a fascinating trek into a beautiful area of Alabama, but please contact the Refuge office for trail closings as a result of the two storms before heading down.

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Trail Type:: 4-mile (total) out-and-back
Difficulty:: Easy
Hours:: Sunrise to sunset year round.
Maps:: Brochure with map is available free at the Refuge office or online.
Fees:: No fee to hike.
Events:: Guided tours are available in spring. Contact the Refuge office for details.