Jeff Friend Trail at Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge now open

Jeff Friend Trail at Bon Secour Wildlife Refuge now open

The Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge’s Jeff Friend Trail celebrated a recent grand re-opening. The trail, located off State Highway 180 in Gulf Shores, was closed for renovations in September of 2017 to improve its accessibility for those with mobility impairments. The trail improvement project received its initial funding when it was chosen as a Phase VI Early Restoration Project through the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment process. That funding was later combined with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Deferred Maintenance Funds, bringing the overall project cost to just over $890,000. The combination of these two funding sources was the first of its kind, and allowed for additional improvements to the trail.
The Jeff Friend Trail now features new composite material boardwalks, several new viewing platforms, easier to navigate trail materials as well as a new ADA parking area. “We are pleased to once again, open this one-mile loop trail to the public for their enjoyment,’’ said Brittany Petersen, Assistant Refuge Manager. More info: Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. at (251) 540-7720 or visit fws.gov/refuge/Bon_Secour.
Directions: From Highway 59, Head west on Highway 180/ Fort Morgan Road towards the Fort Morgan Ferry. Stay on Highway 180 for approximately 6-miles and the trail sign for the Jeff Friend Trial will be on the left hand side. Turn in to the parking area and follow the signs for the Jeff Friend Trail.