Orange Beach, Alabama has 28 miles of trails, barrier islands, and sand that literally squeaks

Orange Beach isn’t your average shore town

You’d expect a beach town on the Gulf Coast to sell you on its water and call it a day.

Orange Beach does have the water, but it also has a 28-mile award-winning trail cutting through nine ecosystems, barrier islands you can only reach by boat, a glass-blowing studio overlooking a bay, and a pier that stretches nearly a third of a mile into the Gulf.

The sand squeaks when you walk on it. That’s where the story starts.

The sand here isn’t just pretty — it squeaks

Pull up to the shore at Orange Beach and you’ll notice something right away. The sand is almost blinding white, and when you step on it, it makes a faint squeaking sound.

That’s the quartz talking. The grains washed down from the Appalachian Mountains over thousands of years, and they’re so fine and uniform that they rub together when you walk.

Those 32 miles of Gulf shoreline run from Gulf Shores to the Florida state line, with Baldwin County holding it all together.

Orange groves, a post office, and a fishing village

Long before the resort hotels arrived, three small communities sat along this stretch of coast: Orange Beach to the west, Caswell in the center, and Bear Point to the east.

The name came from orange groves planted by Lemuel Walker Sr., who also ran the area’s first post office out of his home in 1901. Locals started renting boats for day fishing trips in the 1920s.

The first paved road didn’t reach the area until 1947, and the lights didn’t come on until 1948. The city didn’t officially incorporate until Aug. 1, 1984.

Gulf State Park holds nine worlds in 6,150 acres

The park opened in 1939, and at 6,150 acres, it runs from the Gulf all the way back into pine forests, freshwater marshes, and coastal hardwood swamps. Nine distinct ecosystems sit inside its borders.

One of its strangest features is Lake Shelby, a 750-acre freshwater lake sitting so close to the salt water of the Gulf that it’s one of the nearest pairings of fresh and salt water on the entire Gulf Coast.

More than 2 million people come through each year to swim, fish, kayak, camp, and bike.

The trail USA Today called best in the country — three years running

The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail winds 28 paved miles through the heart of Gulf State Park. USA Today readers voted it the best recreational trail in the country in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Walk or bike through longleaf sand ridges, live oak maritime forests, and freshwater marshes, and keep your eyes open. Deer, bobcats, alligators, bald eagles, and osprey all live along the route.

The trail earned National Recreational Trail status in 2010, the first Alabama state park trail to get that designation. It’s fully ADA accessible and open to walkers, cyclists, and inline skaters.

A pier that cost $13.6 million and juts nearly a third of a mile into the Gulf

The Gulf State Park Fishing and Education Pier stretches 1,540 feet into the Gulf of Mexico, with 2,448 feet of total fishing space spread along its length, making it one of the largest pier fishing platforms on the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Sally tore out a 200-foot section in September 2020, and the pier came back in August 2024 after a $13.6 million renovation.

Depending on the season, you can pull up sheepshead, Spanish mackerel, pompano, cobia, and king mackerel. You don’t need a boat to fish seriously here.

The Wharf runs on lights, music, and a very tall Ferris wheel

The Wharf sits on the Intracoastal Waterway with more than 60 shops, restaurants, and things to do packed into one waterfront district.

Its Ferris wheel is one of the tallest in the Southeast, and from the top, you get a long view of the marina and the coastline.

Every night, the SPECTRA Laser Light Experience runs a free synchronized light and music show down Main Street. The 10,000-seat amphitheater draws major acts through the warmer months.

You can also ride the Wharf Express train, play mini golf, catch a movie, or bring the dog.

Follow the dolphins through Perdido Pass

Atlantic bottlenose dolphins live in these waters year-round, not just for the summer. Multiple operators run cruises through Perdido Pass and the back bays, and most of them guarantee a sighting.

Deep-sea charters leave from several marinas and head out into the Gulf after red snapper, amberjack, tuna, and marlin.

If you’d rather move slowly, sunset catamaran cruises trace the coastline at dusk with wildlife visible on both sides.

Charter fishing has been part of this town’s identity since the 1920s, and the boats are still going out.

Four barrier islands you can only reach by water

Perdido Pass holds four barrier islands: Bird Island, Robinson Island, Gilchrist Island, and Walker Island.

The city bought Robinson Island in 2003 and Walker Island in 2013 specifically to keep them out of commercial development. You can reach them by kayak, paddleboard, jet ski, or boat, but not on foot.

The currents between the islands run too strong for wading across.

On summer holidays, Bird Island and Robinson Island fill with anchored boats, and the sandbars turn into something between a floating party and a wildlife refuge.

Paddle the back bays where herons fish alongside you

Cotton Bayou, Wolf Bay, and the Intracoastal Waterway stay calm enough for paddleboarding and kayaking most of the year. Launches sit near Boggy Point and Cotton Bayou, and rentals are easy to find.

Out on the water, you’ll spot herons, egrets, pelicans, and dolphins working the shallows. Clear kayak tours let you look straight down through the hull at the marine life below.

The no-motor zones on the east side of the barrier islands protect seagrass beds, which keeps the wildlife thick in those areas.

Blow your own glass, then watch 150 Gulf Coast artists show theirs

The Coastal Arts Center sits on four acres along Wolf Bay, and it runs one of the more unexpected attractions on the Gulf Coast.

The Hot Shop is Alabama’s main hot glass-blowing facility, open for live demonstrations and hands-on classes where you make your own piece and have it shipped home.

A 10,000-square-foot gallery across two floors shows work from more than 150 Gulf Coast artists.

Each March, the center hosts the Orange Beach Festival of Art, which brings visual, performing, musical, and culinary arts to its grounds.

The events calendar runs from Mardi Gras through Thanksgiving

The town packs its calendar hard. Mardi Gras parades roll through in winter.

The Orange Beach Festival of Art fills the Coastal Arts Center grounds each March.

The Seafood Festival and Car Show draws crowds in the fall, and the Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival brings songwriters from across the country each November. Freedom Fest takes over the Fourth of July.

And somewhere in Orange Beach, nearly every single day of the year, someone is playing live music. The summer population swells from about 8,000 residents to more than 100,000 visitors.

Visit Orange Beach, Alabama

Gulf State Park gives you the most direct access to the beach, with public parking, restrooms, and outdoor showers along the Gulf shoreline. The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail is free and open daily inside the park.

The Wharf entertainment district sits off the Foley Beach Express at 23101 Canal Road, about central to everything.

Orange Beach is roughly 32 miles southwest of Pensacola International Airport in Florida, making it an easy drive from the panhandle.

Check the official website for Gulf State Park hours and current pier access details before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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