Ever since 1995 a nonprofit grass-roots group calling themselves the Baldwin County Trailblazers has engaged in a relentless campaign to develop a continuous multi-purpose trail that follows the eastern shore of Mobile Bay in Baldwin County, Alabama.

Their initial challenge was to create the public appetite for sidewalks in small communities that had “gotten along just fine without them,” then to connect them all.

They wrote the grants and helped raise matching funds. In unincorporated areas they worked with county commissioners and the local press… again selling a product that had yet to exist.

Today a wide variety of trails constitute the Eastern Shore Trail… many waterfront, some historic, wilderness and small town, both off road and paralleling roads. One dubbed “Gator Alley” tunnels under an interstate highway giving hikers a close look at alligators and giant turtles swimming below in d’Olive Creek or sunning themselves on its banks.

These trails are largely constructed of concrete or asphalt but because of the wide variation in grade a lot of elevated boardwalks and high-rise bridges, both wooden and metal, are also common.

There are many attractions along the way from wilderness parks… as in Daphne’s Village Point Park… to sophisticated waterfront resorts. Perhaps the most fun of all is a stroll out on Fairhope’s half-mile municipal pier to check out the fishermen’s luck, follow a sailing regatta in progress, or to marvel at windsurfers skimming by on a strong tail wind.

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