Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge

When we arrived, we had no problem finding a parking space. There is no fee to use the hiking trails, but pets or bicycles are not allowed. We hiked the Pine Beach Trail(4 miles out and back). (A portable restroom is located along the trail). We really enjoyed walking through the maritime forest and scrub/dune habitat. There is an observation tower where you can view Gator Lake and Little Lagoon. We spotted a Blue Heron wading in Gator Lake. When we reached the end of the trail, we enjoyed the pristine sand dunes, white sandy beach, and beautiful green water(Gulf of Mexico). We spotted a bird nesting on the beach. If you are a nature lover, you will enjoy the diverse scenery this wildlife refuge has to offer.

Beautiful place, great atmosphere it happened that it was a sunny beautiful day as it had been extremely cold during the week, this made for perfect hiking weather, we did the Pine Beach Trail and let me say there is so shortage of beautiful views. Yes I keep using that word but for good reason. It was nice to see something different then end up right on the beach. Definitely loved the landing overlooking Gator lake. The water in the lagoon was pretty spectacular as well also seeing the remnants of the houses that were taken by Fredrick in 1979 was neat. One pretty trail and not much trash which is a plus. Kudos to a well kept trail.

A beautiful place for a walk! Winding trails through scenic lake and dune views that lead to a gorgeous beach. Very clean and quiet area as well. We were there for several hours and only encountered a few other people on the trails. We didn't manage to spot any alligators in Gator Lake, but it was still a lovely, peaceful day in nature.

We walked the Gator trail. The trail stopped near the lake where the boardwalk was closed. Unable to walk the Centenial trail as it was closed too. We walked about 1.5 miles total. I would suggest waiting until the park is completely open before heading out there. If you do go the trails are sand, so select your shoes wisely.

Always do a hike here every time I'm in the gulf. It's a gorgeous park with plenty of wildlife. In October there's monarch butterflies and migratory birds in November. Summer months are hot, but still lots of things to enjoy, not to mention the peace and quiet. I will say I hope they get the boardwalks repaired soon. Drastically cuts into the distance.