The Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail is the best reason to look beyond the beach in Orange Beach. The paved network runs for more than 28 miles through Gulf State Park and nearby city land, passing pine woods, wetlands, dunes, lakes, and the kind of quiet habitat that surprises people expecting only condos.
It is good on foot, better by bike, and easy to sample from several trailheads. Go early in summer, carry water, and keep an eye out for birds, turtles, and the occasional alligator in the wetland sections.