Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail System

Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail System. . , Transportation into Orange Beach was difficult in the early 1900’s. The First ‘real road’ into the area came through Gulf State Park. It was built about 1948, during the administration of Gov. Jim “Big Jim’ Folsom. It was called a ‘Farm to Market Road’ connecting Hwy. 59 to Hwy. 161 near Cotton Bayou as that area began to develop. Hwy. 161 was previously completed to the beach in 1945. For a short time, the only other road into Orange Beach was a swing bridge over the Intracoastal Canal near Portage Creek at the western foot of Wolf Bay. The roads in Orange Beach were all sand and they were few. , Route 2 was later added from the State Park road to Hwy. 161 farther north of the old Farm to Market Road and the Farm to Market Road closed. After some antics by local teenagers, Route 2 became known as the ‘Catman Road’ and the name became legend. , Reverse Side , For years Catman Road was a fast way through the park to the Gulf. In 2001, Catman Road was closed to motorized vehicles and became a bike and hiking trail. Hugh S. Branyon, then head of Gulf State Park, began working with the City of Orange Beach on its idea of creating a trail system utilizing logging roads, abandoned roads and paths, and Native American sites within the park. After partnering with the City of Orange Beach to reach other accesses within the City, the Hugh S. Branyon Trail System was born. , The Backcountry Trail was designated a National Recreation Trail in 2010 and is part of the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail. The trail system passes through 6 different ecosystems consisting of over 27 miles of trails. There are benches and shaded swings scattered throughout the trail system. A Butterfly Garden and Forest Pavilion are but a few of the things to see within this expanding trail system.