ORANGE BEACH, AL – Off the beaten path, but not too far, is the new addition of camping to the Backcountry Trail on the Cotton Bayou Trail in Orange Beach.

“It’s just a cool little walk in the dunes,” Phillip West, coastal resources director for Orange Beach, said. “And this environment to me just looks like the southwestern U.S. You almost feel like you’re somewhere in Arizona, the stubby pines and everything.”

A stroll, or bike ride, would be in order. These three new tents set up in a sandy dunes area near the intersection of Cotton Bayou Trail and Catman Road are accessible only by foot or pedal.

The theme is rustic wood with real timber used to frame the porches and the woodsy feel. Officials are playing on the western theme for the new attraction.

“It’s going to be called the Outpost,” Gulf State Park Superintendent Lisa Laraway said. “There are three canopy tents up on a wooden platform. They have four cots that will be in each one of them. You can rent them all together or rent them separately. We decided to name them something western so one’s called the Duke, one the Bonanza and one the Alamo.”

The cots, known as the Big Boy, are made by the same company that makes the tents and each can hold 1,100 pounds. Four chairs are also provided with each tent as well as firewood.

It’s a bit primitive, besides the walk/bike option. There is well water on the site, but it hasn’t been approved for drinking.

“We have well water pumped and there’s a sink in there and it’s just for cleaning stuff,” Laraway said. “We’re going to build a huge picnic table with a pergola over the top of it. The whole concept is to get these rented and have a central meeting place.

“Each one will have their own little fireplace, but then we’re going to create a big middle section where people can come in.”

Modern bathrooms are three tenths of a mile away at the Catman Road and Rosemary Dunes Trail intersection and showers are 1.8 miles away in the campground.

“We’re working on outside toilets for men and women but the water table is causing concern,” Laraway said.

Solar panels will provide for lights, once installed, the hope is the power can be used for charging cellphones and running a fan.

The hope is the $50-per-night tents will bring in some much needed cash for the Backcountry Trail Foundation. And if these are successful other similar sites may be developed including treehouse camping.

“We have such a diversity of eco-systems, we want people to be able to stay inside the ridge and the wilderness area, the sandy area of the dunes and we’re looking at trying to put some on Little Lake but there are some logistical issues,” Laraway said. “The treehouses we’re hoping to maybe put on the ridge to where it would look over the area toward the campground.

“It’s probably a funding issue. We’re looking for fundraisers we can do like races and other things. We need more funding for the trail.”