Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Maps: USGS Pine Beach, AL; DeLorme: Alabama Atlas & Gazetteer, page 64
F1; brochures available at trailhead kiosk
Trail contact: US Fish and Wildlife Service, AL 180, Gulf Shores, AL 36542;
(251) 540-7720; www.fws.gov/bonsecour
Finding the trailhead: From the intersection of AL 59 and AL 180, take AL 180
west 9 miles. Trailhead parking will be on the left and is well marked with a sign.
GPS: N30 14.872' / W87 49.761'
The Hike
Along Alabama's Gulf Coast, smack dab in the middle of a narrow strip of land
known as the Fort Morgan peninsula, there is an area over 7,000 acres in size
called the Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was established by
Congress on June 9, 1980, and is one of the last undisturbed areas of coastal barri-
er remaining in the state.
The refuge is aptly named. Bon secour is a French term that means “safe har-
bor” and it is just that, a safe harbor for a wide range of wildlife. Within the con-
fines of the refuge you will see hundreds of species of water fowl and migratory
birds like ospreys, great blue herons, brown pelicans, cattle egrets, and peregrines.
Wildlife includes your everyday variety like squirrels, rabbits, and raccoons, but
you'll also find armadillos, American alligators, and bobcats.
Bon Secour also plays host to a few endangered species of wildlife including
the Alabama beach mouse, which lives in the dunes; the piping plover, a shorebird
that nests on beaches; and the loggerhead sea turtle. Bon Secour has a unique pro-
gram where the public can help the sea turtle by monitoring their nesting grounds
during nesting season (May through September). Contact the refuge at (866) SEA-
TURTLE to learn more.
The best way to experience all of the wildlife and beautiful landscapes of Bon
Secour is on the Pine Beach Trail. This 3.4-mile out-and-back trail takes you
through all that the refuge has to offer, beginning in a maritime forest with wet-
lands and ending at the pristine white beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.
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