"The 24-mile trail isn't one continuous greenway; it's stitched together through wooden boardwalks, sidewalks, bike lanes and paved pathways hugging Scenic 98 and County Road 1." That line comes from Hanlon Walsh's day-long ride from Gator Alley to Weeks Bay, published in Mobile Bay Magazine in late October. It's an accurate description of the trail most of us know along the bay. It doesn't describe the newest piece, which is going in miles south of Daphne and Montrose, on the far side of Weeks Bay, and is built to a different standard.
The new pavement is going in at the south end of the trail. The next round of grant money is already approved, and it points the trail inland toward Magnolia Springs and eventually Foley. For anyone who rides or walks Scenic 98, this changes what the Eastern Shore Trail is for. It started as a bayfront route between six communities, and the county is now building it into a regional connector.
The new segment runs from the Fish River bridge
Baldwin County's extension starts at the Fish River bridge and runs 1.84 miles along U.S. 98 to Pleasant View Lane. It's an 8-foot-wide asphalt path built inside the highway right-of-way. On September 30, Gulf Coast Media reported that the segment was about 80% complete and that county officials expected to finish it in November. When it's done, the county puts the whole system at about 24.8 miles, up from roughly 23.
The finish date has already slipped once. In the county's August 18 update, construction was underway and completion was expected in summer 2026. The September report moved that to November. Until the county announces an opening, treat November as a target.
Most of the money comes from a federal Transportation Alternatives Program grant. WKRG and the county both put the budget at $2 million, and FOX10 reported $2.1 million. Taylor Bufkin, a public information specialist for the Baldwin County Commission, told Gulf Coast Media that the grant "primarily funds construction of the new 1.84-mile trail segment, including the paved path, boardwalk structures, grading and site work." Engineering, environmental review and inspection are paid for separately through the county's roadway programs.
The next grant takes the trail inland
This extension is the first step in a longer plan. In the same Gulf Coast Media report, Bufkin said the county has been approved for another TAP grant to carry the trail from Pleasant View Lane to Magnolia Springs Highway. Separately, a 30 Cubed partnership with Magnolia Springs plans a multi-use path along Magnolia Springs Highway from U.S. 98 to the Magnolia River.
The county has said where it's headed. "This extension moves the Eastern Shore Trail one step closer to Magnolia Springs and ultimately Foley," Bufkin told Gulf Coast Media. "As the trail connects with Foley's larger sidewalk and trail network, multiple opportunities will open for regional multimodal connectivity." She described the U.S. 98 segment as closing "a key gap in the network," improving safety along the highway and moving the trail toward Magnolia Springs.
So the trail's next miles leave the bay. They follow a federal highway and then a county road toward central Baldwin. That makes the trail more useful for getting between towns and less of a pure bayfront ride.
Where the old route ends and the new one begins
The Baldwin County Trailblazers have long published a route description. It runs the trail along U.S. 98 and Scenic 98 through Daphne, Montrose, Fairhope and Point Clear, and ends it at Weeks Bay. Where County Road 1 curves, it sends riders either toward Mullet Point Park or toward the trail's end "under the Weeks Bay Bridge." The new county segment starts at the Fish River bridge.
The county describes the extension as connecting to the rest of the trail system. The published route material shows the old end and the new start at two different bridges. Before you plan a ride that assumes a separated path between them, check how you'll get from one to the other along U.S. 98.
The Weeks Bay Visitor Center is at 11300 U.S. Hwy 98, "just west of the Fish River Bridge," which puts it near the western end of the new pavement. If the new segment is your goal, it's a convenient landmark to orient by.
The stretch through Daphne, Montrose and Fairhope
North of Weeks Bay, the trail still has the mixed character the Mobile Bay Magazine ride describes. Walsh's route covered six communities, four creeks and two bays. Here are the stops that ride named, from north to south, with access details where official or Trailblazers sources give them.
| Stop | Community | What's there |
|---|---|---|
| Gator Boardwalk at Gator Alley | Daphne | Boardwalk over D'Olive Creek, listed by the Trailblazers as a parking option |
| Village Point Park Preserve | Daphne | Oak-shaded boardwalks through cypress knees to a sandy bay beach and pier |
| Press & Co. | Olde Towne Daphne | Cafe and market on the route, about four miles in |
| Rock Creek and Fly Creek boardwalks | Montrose | Boardwalk crossings along the bluff on Scenic 98 |
| Ecor Rouge historic marker | Montrose | Marks the "Red Cliff" bluff |
| Flying Creek Nature Preserve | Fairhope, 22430 Main St. | Trailhead with bicycle amenities, restrooms and parking |
| Fairhope Municipal Pier and Park | Fairhope, 4 N. Beach Rd. | Duck ponds, the Blind Tiger, public parking |
| Grand Hotel and Point Clear Boardwalk | Point Clear | The Boardwalk runs past sleeping porches and picket fences |
| Punta Clara Kitchen | Point Clear | Fudge, preserves and fruit butters on Scenic 98 |
| Mullet Point Park | Barnwell, 13201 County Road 1 | Listed by the Trailblazers as a parking option |
| Pelican Pointe | Weeks Bay | Where County Road 1 ends at the mouth of Weeks Bay |
A few of those stops are worth a closer look. The Ecor Rouge marker says the bluff is the highest coastline point between Maine and Mexico, and that the site was once home to Native Americans, French settlers and a British hospital camp. Flying Creek Nature Preserve, home to the John Martin Nature Center, is one of the few public places to reach Fly Creek from land. The City of Fairhope lists it as a trail connection with a trailhead, so it works as a starting point as well as a stop along the way. On the Point Clear end, County Road 1 runs close to the houses and has open bay views, and Walsh found the smooth straightaway easier going on thin road tires than on a mountain bike.
Ride quality changes from section to section. One rider's TrailLink review from March 2026 mentions rough sidewalks, small bridge crossings and several road crossings along the route. That's one rider's experience, not an official condition report. Still, it matches Walsh's choice of a sturdy mountain bike "given the mix of terrain."
Why the pieces look different
The Eastern Shore Trail has no single owner. The Trailblazers handle advocacy and planning. Fairhope's Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee works with them on safety and use inside the city. The county commission runs the Fish River extension, and McElhenney Construction won the construction contract. ALDOT maintains the state and U.S. highways in the regional connectivity plan and calls trail planning a partnership with local governments.
That split explains why a boardwalk in Daphne, a sidewalk in Fairhope and a new asphalt path east of Fish River can all count as the same trail. Each segment is built by whoever had the funding and authority when it was built. Fixing the older pieces depends on the same process. In their 2025 year-end appeal, the Trailblazers said they were working with county officials on a safe pedestrian crossing over Point Clear Creek on Scenic 98. They also said they had applied for grant money for trail kiosks in spring 2025 and weren't awarded it. That appeal also describes a countywide connectivity plan that municipalities adopted in February 2025, which is the framework the southern extensions fit into.
Where to park and start
The county says the trail is free and has access points along the whole route. These are the public parking spots named in the Trailblazers' route map and on the City of Fairhope's parks page:
- Gator Boardwalk in Daphne, along with public parks on Main Street in Olde Towne
- Flying Creek Nature Preserve, 22430 Main Street, Fairhope
- Fairhope Pier, and the parking deck behind the Hampton Inn on Section Street
- Mullet Point Park, 13201 County Road 1, Barnwell
The Trailblazers' parking list is several years old, so check for current signs and hours when you arrive. If you want to see the new segment, the Weeks Bay Visitor Center is the closest named landmark to its western end. Once the county confirms the opening, the 1.84 miles from Fish River to Pleasant View Lane will be the most recent addition to a trail that's now growing south toward Magnolia Springs.
If you're comparing homes on the Eastern Shore and want to know how close one is to a trail access point, from Gator Alley in Daphne to Mullet Point Park, Bo Nichols can walk you through it street by street. Book a consultation and bring the trail map.
