Gulf Islands National Seashore Trail (Mississippi)

Length: 2.5 miles, out and back (but you can make it about 3 miles by adding in the loops to the observation decks)

Drive from Mobile: About 55 minutes

This is as close as you can get to a National Park in the Mobile area. Located near Ocean Springs, Mississippi, the Davis Bayou area of Gulf Islands National Seashore offers a trail, observation decks, campground, and waterfront views. Interestingly, Gulf Islands National Seashore encompasses 12 areas in two states, spanning 160 miles in Mississippi and Florida, but skipping completely over Alabama.

Check to see if the visitor center is open or look for a park ranger to get a map and a pamphlet about the park. Ask for the Junior Ranger booklet so your kids can earn badges just as they would in a National Park.

Scenery: If your definition of seashore is limited to sandy beaches, then Davis Bayou is not for you. But if you can appreciate marshy habitat (as we do), then the trail is well worth the drive. Davis Bayou is a healthy brackish water ecosystem, according to the National Park Service. As everyone who lives along the Gulf Coast should know, that means the water here is a mixture of salt and fresh water. It is not a stagnant swamp, as a bayou consists of constantly flowing rivers, streams and estuaries. The trail starts in a wooded area and includes observation decks with great views of the bayou. You can see plenty of one of my favorite plants, the saw palmetto, here. There is also a picnic area near the welcome center with a fishing pier, and a boat launch near the campground.

Wildlife: You may be able to spot some of the animals we typically associate with a bayou: alligators, great blue herons, ospreys, and diamondback terrapins.

Highlight(s): A spur trail takes you to a spot where you can see the ruins of a dining and recreation building that was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the wake of the Great Depression. This was part of Mississippi's Magnolia State Park until the National Park Service gained control of the land in 1971.

Trail markings: We were a little disappointed that some of the trail is actually the main road of the park. The spur trail was neat, but there was no real indication of where it ended and where you should turn around and head back to the road. We highly recommend that you take the loops toward the observation decks, which was not included as part of the trail on the AllTrails app but were visible on the AllTrails map. There is bridge at the far end of the trail that is worth walking over before you start your return.

About the trail: The trail is located in Davis Bayou and is maintained by the National Park Service as part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. This is the largest protected national seashore in the United States. Besides Davis Bayou, Gulf Islands National Seashore includes: Cat Island, Horn Island, Petit Bois Island, Ship Island and West Petit Bois Island, all in Mississippi; as well as Fort Barrancas, Fort Pickens, Naval Live Oaks Area, Okaloosa Area, Perdido Key Area, and the Santa Rosa Area, all in Florida. For more information about Davis Bayou and the other parts of Gulf Islands National Seashore, visit: https://www.nps.gov/guis/index.htm

G says: It was a super good hike. I like how for some of it, you were in the woods, and then you were in a marsh.

L says: After your hike, go get a popsicle from Pops Brothers in downtown Ocean Springs. I recommend the mango flavor. Other people in my family had blackberry lemonade, banana, and pistachio, and everyone loved their flavors.