Gulf State Park Beach
Gulf Shores, AL
A protected two and a half mile stretch of Alabama coastline that locals rely on to escape the private condo beaches nearby, with dune boardwalks that keep the fragile coastal habitat intact. It manages to feel wild despite sitting right next to one of the busiest beach towns on the Gulf.
Protected dune boardwalks keep the habitat intact on a two and a half mile stretch that manages to feel wild next to a busy beach town.
How we score beachesThe dune boardwalks are the only sanctioned way across the dunes. Cutting through damages the habitat and is discouraged.
Dogs are not allowed on Gulf State Park's Gulf-front beach, per official Alabama State Parks policy.
Alabama's protected dune stretch gets the same hot, humid summer as the rest of the Gulf Shores area, with hurricane season running June through November alongside it. Boardwalk access matters most in the shoulder seasons, spring and fall, when the dune vegetation is at its lushest.
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