Gulf Shores State Park was a good choice for my first stop.  I like it here and it had the best chance of being warm.  And it has been.  The weather has been great and it was a comfortable, familiar spot to start this trip.  (See wormhole from previous post)  Tomorrow I’m moving over to Henderson State Park on the Florida Gulf Coast in Destin.  I’ll spend time visiting with friends Cherie and Gary again this year.  After that I’ll start slowly working my way west ’til I get to Tucson in mid March.  That’s about the mid point of this year’s loop.

I wanted to say a word about the changes (new stuff) here at Gulf Shores SP.  They have not been sitting on their hands since I was here last year.  Their are numerous new sections of trails, including elevated boardwalk sections out over the marshes like the one pictured here.  These were some aggressive projects.  A new campsite loop was added over along one of the intercostal waterways.  The trails, new and old, are dotted with new swings and benches in little rest areas.  These seem mostly donated in memory of someone or given as a gift to the trail system by a group or organization.  It’s just a great environment.  Everywhere are people in wheelchairs, motorized or non, and on personal motorized devices.  This entire trail system is 100% accessible.  The entire park is surrounded by parking areas with entry points into the trails.  People can move into and out of the park trail system without fee.  I’d go out on a limb here and say it has to be one of the largest of it’s kind anywhere.

This campground wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but in my mind this State Park is a real gem.