We were only here a couple of days, and it rained quite a bit, so we did not have much time to explore the area. Gulf State Park is known for its extensive boardwalk and paved trails that bicycles can use. There is also a very long pier for walking, fishing, and viewing the sunsets.
Gulf State Park
The park opened in 1939 following the Federal government’s donation of the property to the state. Gulf State Park was devastated by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Following, there was construction of a 1,540-foot Gulf of Mexico fishing pier, a 5,000-square-foot swimming pool, an interactive nature center, a beach pavilion, and renovation of the campground. But, still no spa/hot tub, food trucks, or wifi! This is a very large park. It includes 2.5 miles of white sand beaches, campground, trails, fishing and swimming. Twenty cabins, 11 cottages, and 496 campsites for both RVs and tents are available within the park’s 11.5 square miles. They have full hook-ups, showers, recycle bins, and paved bike paths. A private entity operates a zip-line, kayak and paddleboard rentals for use on Lake Shelby.
Our site was plenty big. Would have been nice if the asphalt pad was larger, like some of the other pads, to keep the sand and gravel out of the RV. Our site was very quiet and private, no need to close the shades at night, especially considering there are about 500 sites here.
Sandy took a walk with Jake, then a bike ride.
There is a playground. Not sure why it was placed next to water that had alligators! We didn’t see any.
There is a fish cleaning station. The great blue herons figured how to get an easy meal. The fisherman caught 3 sheephead fish using ghost shrimp as bait fishing off the beach.
