Splash Into Exciting, Your Information to the Best Beach locations in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach
15 min read
Are you looking for the finest Alabama beach locations in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach front? We have designed the ideal manual for you together with interactive maps, shots, and descriptions of just about every community access level along the 32-miles of pristine coastline.
Alabama has some of the greatest beach locations, not just on the Gulf Coastline but for all of the United States! Coastal Dwelling journal voted Gulf Shores as one of their 21 finest beach locations, and United states Nowadays rated Gulf Shores as #5 in their “Top 10 in Finest Coastal Modest Towns.”
When you arrive to Orange Beach and Gulf Shores beaches, you will find out far more than snow-white sugar sand and warm gulf h2o. You will obtain loads of area to spread out and continue to be healthier. A pay a visit to to Gulf Shores uncovers the simple issues that will make your getaway extraordinary, like stunning sunset vistas, mouth watering area food, and interesting outdoor routines like mountaineering, kayaking, and some of the greatest biking in Alabama.
Overview of Gulf Shores Alabama Beaches
Image Credit rating: Jenn Coleman.
The 4 main seashores along the Alabama Gulf Coastline are Gulf Shores, Gulf Point out Park, Orange Beach, and the Fort Morgan Peninsula. Perdido Crucial Point out Park in Florida is also near by, but this post focuses on the other aspect of the Flora-Bama line.
Ideal away, you may possibly be asking – what is the big difference concerning Gulf Shores and Orange Beach? They are both Alabama coastal towns that, more or significantly less, are separated by Gulf Condition Park. Gulf Shores is to the west, where Highway 59 reaches the coastline, and Orange Beach is to the east by Perdido Move and Wolf Bay. Fort Morgan Peninsula is west of Gulf Shores and runs to the mouth of Mobile Bay.
Each individual area delivers something distinctive and special, so we’ll consider the time to introduce 13 distinctly diverse shorelines and permit you come to a decision which one is very best for you.
Be a part of us as we discover:
Gulf Shores Shorelines (Gulf Shores Public Beach, Minor Lagoon Pass, Gulf Shores Public Entry Points)
Gulf Point out Park (Gulf Condition Park Pier, Branyon Seaside, Gulf Shores Pavillion)
Orange Beach front (Romar Beach front, Cotton Bayou, Alabama Stage)
Fort Morgan Peninsula Shorelines (Pine Beach front, Bon Secour / Cell Road Beach, Pizarro Ave Seaside, Fort Morgan Seashores)
Gulf Location (Gulf Shores Main Community Seaside)
Image Credit rating: Jenn Coleman.
Gulf Spot (Gulf Shores Main General public Beach) is the initial beach you’ll get to coming in from Freeway 59 and has anything you’d hope from a leading-notch seashore. The to start with factor you will notice are substantial public tons with paid parking and the best-groomed sand on the Alabama coastline. Nevertheless, soon you are going to appreciate all the other features that the Gulf Put Principal Public Beach front provides.
The beach alone is very well-appointed, with restrooms and showers on site, seashore attendants, open up-air pavilions, and accessible picnic regions. Extra than that, you are in the heart of downtown Gulf Shores in which you’ll discover ample sites to take in and drink devoid of reparking, this kind of as the famous Hangout Gulf Shores, beachfront Pink Pony Pub, scrumptious Picnic Seaside, and Sunliner Diner, a cool diner with a 1950’s vibe and décor. If you are looking for a ‘Full Service’ beach working experience, Gulf Location Beach is for you. It’s even around one particular of Gulf Shores’ most popular shore dives, the Whiskey Wreck, a 200-foot rum runner boat in fewer than 20 toes of drinking water.
Minor Lagoon Pass
Photo Credit score: Jenn Coleman.
At 10 miles lengthy and about a 1/2 mile large, Little Lagoon is not all that minimal. Very little Lagoon Move is exactly where the lagoon empties into the Gulf, about 3-miles west of Gulf Location. Minimal Lagoon Park provides parking and restrooms, as properly as beach front and lagoon accessibility, making this seaside a just one-cease out of doors location.
The mix of the seashore and lagoon is what makes Tiny Lagoon Move so special. It is like two beach locations in one with the attractive white Gulf-aspect beach front and the uber mellow lagoon-facet beach perfect for the kiddos. Which is not to say adults simply cannot appreciate the lagoon also. There’s a kayak launch on the lagoon that also presents accessibility for snorkeling and shore diving on the close by sea walls if you time the tides appropriate (best for the duration of a superior slack tide). Yet another basic satisfaction of Lagoon Move is observing the sunset from the lagoon facet fishing pier.
Gulf Shores Public Access Points
Image Credit history: Jenn Coleman.
There are 7 general public seashore access factors amongst Gulf Place and Very little Lagoon Move (2nd St, 4th St, 5th St, 6th St, 10th St, 12th St, and 13th St). They all have at least a person restroom, and the bolded details have community parking available.
You will not uncover the facilities of the key public seashore or the diversity of Tiny Lagoon Pass, but these obtain points are best for escaping the crowds. They also are crucial if you’re leasing a Gulf Shores beach rental that doesn’t have seaside accessibility so you can wander to your seaside rather of producing a brief push and having to park your car. There’s a special degree of rest that comes from parking after at the beginning of your vacation, and not driving once more until finally it is time to go dwelling.
Gulf State Park Pier
Photo Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Straight away to the east of Gulf Shores is Gulf Point out Park, and the first beach front you will arrive at at the Gulf Condition Park Pier. It is the second-major pier on the Gulf of Mexico right before Hurricane Sally collapsed a 200′ part around the finish of the composition. It’s been reopened and is nonetheless Alabama’s only general public fishing pier on the Gulf. On the other hand, you do not have to have to be an angler to delight in the Gulf State Park Pier.
There is ample parking at the pier and gorgeous beach locations on possibly facet. You are going to also find the most effective seaside amenities in Gulf State Park at the pier with the Bywater Beachside Cafe appropriate there and only a short walk to achieve the Lodge at Gulf Point out Park. Bywater Beachside has all your pub favorites, which include grownup drinks and seize-and-go seaside food items. It is also a great place for local are living audio and spectacular sunsets.
Next doorway, The Lodge characteristics two upscale dining establishments – Foodcraft and Perch, equally with Gulf-entrance eating. Both of those eating places validate parking, so if you’re not much too sandy or do a excellent job with your beach shower, you can just travel over for good eating and stay songs even though viewing the sun go down, sipping cocktails by the patio firepit. A great cap on an remarkable Gulf Shores seashore day– so basic but soooo superior! It helps make a great beach front day much too!
Branyon Seashore
Photo Credit rating: Jenn Coleman.
Branyon Beach is in Gulf Condition Park in in between the pier and pavilion. It has particularly limited parking and no features. If you control to get in, the sand is pretty, and you do not have to be concerned about crowds. The query is, how do you get to Branyon Seaside?
Just one way is to make a detour when biking Gulf State Park. The seaside is at the close of Gopher Tortoise Path. If you’re in the body fat tire group, you may well want to use the signal to cross the street and take a limited experience on the boardwalk to see the surf. Branyon Seaside is also about a mile walk from Gulf Point out Park Campground, so depending on your site you can stroll in from camping as properly. Who appreciates, perhaps you will get a person of the coveted parking areas and only have to have to wander throughout the road to get to Branyon Beach front.
Gulf Shores Pavilion
Picture Credit: Jenn Coleman.
The Gulf Point out Park Pavilion is a 100,000 square foot open-air beach front pavilion perfect for seashore weddings. Nevertheless, the usual buyers are family members wanting to love the easy pleasures of an uncrowded, purely natural beach with lots of room to spread out. It’s a tension-cost-free way to beach front with ample parking and modern day restrooms and showers.
There is even an interpretive centre that doubles as a reception place to raise recognition of the Gulf Coast’s environmental difficulties and some of the strategies Gulf Shores and Orange Seashore have risen to the celebration. You can take a look at the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trails with Gulf Condition Park’s Bicycle Share method if you get tired of the sand. All you want is a smartphone to decide up a bike at the Gulf Condition Park Pavilion, and you will be prepared to journey across the pedestrian bridge and onto the trails.
Romar Seaside
Photograph Credit rating: Jenn Coleman.
Orange Beach is just to the east of Gulf Condition Park, and the initially seashore you achieve is Romar Beach. I’ll be genuine, with so several beach accessibility factors, Romar Seaside is not my favorite. The seaside alone is very great and an beautiful place for beach condominium rentals. I stayed up the road at Turquoise Palace, and it was fantastic. Concerning the condo’s amenities and currently being in a position to return to my home when I desired, it was a impressive seaside family vacation.
Nonetheless, the public access level at Romar Beach front was a bit missing. Come ready as there are only pay stations and port-o-potties somewhat than everlasting restrooms. Also, there ended up even now a great deal of persons on the beach with all the nearby condos. If you rent a condo in Orange Beach or are blessed more than enough to possess a single, you will love Romar Seashore! If you are a diver or snorkeler, you may well appreciate examining out Romar Reef, an synthetic reef a few hundred feet offshore (glimpse for the poles with mounted purple lights that sit near the shore to come across the spot). Usually, there are improved methods to entry the community seashores of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
Cotton Bayou Beach
Image Credit score: Jenn Coleman.
Cotton Bayou is a substantially much better alternative than Romar Beach front for general public accessibility in Orange Seashore. It has about three moments as several parking areas, flush toilets, and showers, for starters. You can also seize a snow cone at Paradise Snow in season. There are nonetheless a good deal of beach condos, but they aren’t promptly adjacent.
After you achieve the beach, you are going to obtain the white sand and warm water that brought you to the Gulf in the initial put. Also, like Romar Seaside, if you get a condominium all over right here, you are in for a take care of! There is nothing rather like proudly owning a piece of paradise or, at the very least, renting it for the weekend.
Alabama Issue
Photo Credit history: Jenn Coleman.
There was a time when I believed that Perdido Move divided Alabama Stage on the west side and Florida Place on the east, but that would be way too easy. So I searched Alabama Point on Google Maps, and it appeared on the west facet of the move, just north of the bridge, which matches the geography well sufficient, but not any of the beach descriptions. Alternatively, I’ll defer to the park signal situated on the jap facet of the bridge/move that evidently suggests – ‘Alabama Place.’
This ‘Alabama Point’ matches the well-known descriptions of a 6000-foot broad white sandy seashore with boardwalks that sales opportunities through the dunes to the ocean. I go through quite a few stories of free parking, but the spend stations in the great deal say if not. I even read one post expressing they “loved the surfing,” but I’m using that with a grain of salt. My go-to resource, Magicseaweed, states, “Alabama seaside breaks are abominably fickle” but provides that it’s “one of the most effective alternatives on the Alabama mainland” – even although Orange Seashore is technically on an island. They also location Alabama Stage on the west aspect of the go, so there is that.
The name video game does not get any greater for the jetties, which are prime fishing spots. The jetties foremost into Perdido Move are key fishing spots. Whilst some do snorkel right here, we really do not advise it due to the tides and anglers. Alabama Point is on the west facet of the pass and Florida level is on the east.
So let’s just say Alabama Stage, aka Florida Point, aka Place East, is on the east facet of the pass with the corresponding park signal. This beach has a moderately sized paid parking great deal and the aforementioned 6000′ white sandy beach. It also has restrooms, showers, and typical foods trucks, together with the super lovable Frost Bites that work out of an Airstream. You are going to also be close to fine eating at Cobalt, which has a kicking pleased hour from 3-5, which you can capture if you time your seashore pay a visit to correct.
Shell Beach front
Photograph Credit history: Jenn Coleman.
Oh, what about Shell Seaside? It’s a compact, paid large amount, 900′ previous the entrance to Alabama Place, with no features. It is shut ample to be overflow parking for Alabama Stage if you will need it. It is the place you’ll locate Alabama Issue Reef, just one of Gulf Shores’ synthetic snorkeling and diving reefs. It’s positioned a couple hundred toes offshore and marked on the seaside by two poles with crimson lights.
Pine Beach front
Photo Credit rating: Jenn Coleman.
The pursuing 4 entries in our Gulf Shores Beach Tutorial are situated on the Fort Morgan Peninsula. There are about 13-miles of beaches on the peninsula with limited obtain, no lifeguards, and no seashore flag warning process at these seashores. Having said that, readers can text ALBEACHES to 888777 to acquire day-to-day beach problems and warning flag position.
The first seaside you’ll arrive at is a all-natural gem identified as Pine Beach front. It is situated inside of the Bon Secour Nationwide Wildlife Refuge and accessed by the aptly named 1.5-mile-extended Pine Beach front Path. The beach front by itself is gorgeous and distant, but the tactic makes it special.
You park in a experienced hammock of dwell oaks and hike underneath pines, in excess of salt marshes, in between lagoons, and last but not least by sand dunes to reach the ocean. It is potentially the most biodiverse 1.5 miles all around. There are effectively-positioned interpretive signals highlighting the exceptional flora and fauna and an observation tower at the edge of Very little Lagoon for bird seeing. There is no beach rather like Pine Beach front in all of Gulf Shores / Orange Seaside.
Fort Morgan Seashores / Cellular Avenue Seashore
Image Credit history: Jenn Coleman.
Even nevertheless Pine Seaside is technically in Bon Secour Countrywide Wildlife Refuge, most people assume of Cell Road Seashore when they imagine of the beach locations in the Fort Morgan space mainly because of the easy entry. It has a compact ton with minimum parking which is proper next to the seaside, offering you a unusual combination of entry and isolation.
There is certainly no avenue parking, so many individuals use the Pine Beach front Trail parking great deal as a de facto overflow parking. Even nevertheless the driver has to walk a mile back to the seaside, they can fall their pals and seashore toys off ahead of trekking back. The seaside itself is no-frills. You occur listed here to get absent from anything and all people.
Pizarro Ave Seaside Entry
Picture Credit: Jenn Coleman.
Alabama typical regulation states that all beach locations under the suggest large tide line are community residence. They also allow public accessibility details along the coast, but that does not normally translate to community parking. Lots of of the aspect streets off the main Fort Morgan Street have entry, but several have parking. Which is great if you come about to personal or hire on the peninsula, but we don’t recommend it for day-trippers.
The Pizarro Ave large amount is the exception to the rule. It’s a tiny, community large amount with about 16 spaces, but it receives you into a remote shoreline that couple of people go to. If you’re blessed and formidable, you may well try walking down the seashore and attempting to discover the stays of the Rachel Wreck, rumored to be the one particular correct rum runner wreck.
Historic Fort Morgan Beaches
Photograph Credit score: Jenn Coleman.
Historic Fort Morgan sits at the idea of the Fort Morgan Peninsula at the mouth of the 413 sq-mile Cell Bay. The h2o stream in and out of the significant bay makes perilous currents that swimmers will need to be aware of. The nearer you get to the mouth of the bay, the bigger the hazards. That currently being reported, there are some lovely sandy beach locations at Historic Fort Morgan.
The initially one particular you will access, Fort Morgan Fishing Beach front, is just outside the house the park boundary. In just the park, there’s a route that leads down to a slim, gritty seashore facing Cell Bay. It’s attainable to stroll close to the corner to a greater patch of sand, but that is a whole lot of work. My advice would be to save the fishing seashore for fishing, the fort for historical visits, and the seashores farther up the coastline for swimming.
There are not several canine helpful Gulf Shore seashores. In reality, Fort Morgan is the only pet-welcoming beach front in Gulf Shores. Canine should be leashed and remain on the bayside in between the fishing pier and entrance to the fort.
Greatest Beaches of Gulf Shores FAQs
Photo Credit: Canva.
Where by is the clearest water in Gulf Shores Alabama? The clearest waters in Gulf Shores are deemed to be at Fort Morgan Beach front.
What is the prettiest beach front in Alabama? In accordance to U.S. News, Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Gulf Condition Park, Dauphin Island, and Fort Morgan are among the prettiest shorelines in Alabama.
What is the minimum crowded beach front in Alabama? Fort Morgan Beach front has a lot less crowds than other beach locations in the spot.
Closing Feelings on the Beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Seaside
Photo Credit history: Jenn Coleman.
It is challenging to beat the easy pleasures of sitting down underneath an umbrella at the seaside. It’s the perfect blend of surf and sand, solar and shade. Gulf Shores and Orange Seaside just take that pleasure to a new amount with sugar-whiter sand, warm Gulf of Mexico drinking water, and two pleasant beach cities wrapped in southern allure.
Every person has their very own idea of what tends to make ‘the best seaside,’ but there is a superior opportunity that Gulf Shores and Orange Beach front have a single waiting around for you! You just want to know where to glimpse.
Read Extra From Coleman Concierge:
Photograph Credit score: Jenn Coleman.
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Picture Credit history: Jenn Coleman.
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Hello! We are Jenn and Ed Coleman aka Coleman Concierge. In a nutshell, we are a Huntsville-centered Gen X couple sharing our stories of wonderful adventures by means of action-driven transformational and experiential travel.
