Meaher State Park

Length: 0.8 mile out-and-back trail that you can add another 1.4 miles to via the woods and/or a walk to the beach. Pick up a map at the gate.

Distance from Mobile: About 10 minutes via the Causeway.

We did not see any gators, but we did see a couple of really cute raccoons. And by cute, I mean this was the first time we have seen raccoons in daylight. Usually we see them at our campsites at night rummaging through our food.

On this pleasant December day, we saw either two or three raccoons below us from the boardwalk. They are sneaky little creatures, as they would see us and run away from us through the long grass.

The AllTrails app marks this as a 0.8-mile out-and-back, but we were able to get in a 2.2-mile walk by wandering through some wooded paths and then walking on a dirt road to a beach where swimming is not allowed.

Overall, Meaher State Park gives you great views of Mobile Bay, downtown Mobile and the Eastern Shore. You can see various species of birds, and we hear you can often catch a glimpse of a gator or two. It is an easy drive from Mobile. But there is not much to this small park. We have driven by many times, but this was our first time to stop. We will likely come back sometime, more for the wildlife spotting and bird watching than for a hike though. And I would like to kayak here.

Scenery: On the shore of Mobile Bay and the Blakeley River, Meaher State Park is located on the south side of the Causeway. It is a nice natural spot overlooking the Mobile-Tensaw Delta between Mobile and Spanish Fort/Daphne that houses a campsite mostly for RV's.

Wildlife: The wetlands provide a wonderful habitat for blue and white heron, sandpipers, ducks, raccooms and gators. We saw several people fishing. I am not good at identifying birds and ducks, but my youngest son called the small ducks "gator bait," so we will go with that.

Trail markings: AllTrails listed this as a 0.8-mile trail, which is essentially a path that leads to a boardwalk over the marshes. We received a map upon arrival that showed trails in a wooded area north of the boardwalk. The trails there are not well-marked and do not seem to match the map. It is a small area, though, with many options to take a left or a right or go straight. I cannot imagine that anyone could get lost here, so I just let the boys decide which direction to go at each intersection. We followed Cane Cutter Lane to a beach covered in shells. You cannot swim here, but it was worth the walk to add in some extra distance and to get some nice views.

About the park: Meaher State Park sits on 1,327 acres of wetlands. Besides this hike, the park offers picnic tables and a pavilion, a boat/kayak ramp, a campground and a fishing pier. There are also some small cabins with waterfront views.

It costs $2 per person to enter the park. Children 12 and under are free.