GULF SHORES — Visitors to Alabama's Gulf Coast have a new stretch of trail to explore following the opening of a 4.4-mile extension of the Fort Morgan Trail at Gulf State Park.

Community leaders, elected officials and Alabama State Parks staff gathered Friday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the extension, which brings the Fort Morgan Trail to about 10.5 miles along Alabama Highway 180, also known as Fort Morgan Road.

The new section runs west from Plantation Boulevard to a new terminus near Fort Morgan Pizza. The paved trail is 10 feet wide along its entire length and provides a route for walkers, runners and cyclists. The project includes 12 bridges designed to help preserve coastal wetlands along the route. A new bathhouse at the western terminus includes four private, family-style suites.

"This is a great day for south Baldwin County," Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship said. "Extending the Fort Morgan Trail gives residents and visitors more opportunities to walk, bike and enjoy the beauty of Alabama's Gulf Coast."

Blankenship said projects such as the trail extension can create new ways for people to experience the outdoors while supporting tourism and improving recreational opportunities for local communities.

The Fort Morgan Trail also connects with the Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail system, giving visitors access to about 28 miles of paved trails throughout Gulf State Park and connecting to Orange Beach.

The $5.6 million project was funded through the federal RESTORE Act, which directs penalties paid by companies responsible for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill toward projects intended to restore and protect the Gulf Coast's environment and economy.

The trail extension is part of a broader investment by Alabama State Parks to improve facilities and expand recreational opportunities across the state.

"We're thrilled to see the Fort Morgan Trail extended because trails like this one bring people outside, connect them to nature and give everyone another reason to spend time on our gorgeous Gulf Coast," Alabama State Parks Director Matthew Capps said. 

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.