Don't expect to have any amenities on D.I. Bring anything you may need. I love D.I. because it is a desolate place and a bit of outdoorsy-ness is needed. There is water there. It's in the big a88 ocean. You cant 'have it your way' here. There is no crew employed by the city to clean up everything and supply things. And if you see something you don't like laying there, don't take a picture of it, pick it up. It's on everyone here. How silly.
We visited in June of 2014 and the beach was very clean, not as packed as most beaches and we were able to enjoy an entire day relaxing and playing in the water.
We drove in to Dauphin Island on a cool, breezy, quiet Sunday in October. It is about an hour south of Mobile. We parked in public parking, and marveled at the dunes covered in a variety of grasses. We wended our way through the beautiful dunes on small paths and turned at the last dune, and had breathtaking panoramic vistas of the water in front of us- but still had quite a ways to go to get to the shore. It's a fairly long walk in comparison to many beaches I have visited. As we were there on a cool fall day, there were very few people on the beach- we essentially had it to ourselves. The sand is a beautiful powdery white, but when we walked out to the water, we found the water color varies from brown to blue. Also, in looking out, the water was full of oil rigs. At one point, we heard a couple of explosions, emanating from one of the rigs, and weren't sure if we should take cover or just keep walking the shore... There were many intact shells that varied in size for the shellers, and there are just as many sharp, broken shells that found their way into the bottom of my feet (ouch!). There are some pretty tide pools that form beyond the pier, and there was plenty of wildlife the day we visited- crabs, a variety of birds (gulls, pelicans, sandpipers, herons), fish, jellyfish, etc. The dunes and grasses provide gorgeous photo opportunities. This is not the prettiest beach, really due to the water color/quality, and debris in the sand toward the shoreline, but it was worth visiting for the (mostly) peaceful morning walk.
A trip to the public beach at Dauphin island is a lesson in the ever changing geography of a barrier island. The fishing pier is on dry land yet once had up to 20ft. of water below it. Sand Island off Dauphin Island, just south of the pier is now a peninsula for a nice walk out into the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of Mobile Bay. Surf fishing and cast netting are still done there and to see bait fish come into the area being hit from above and below is a great sighting. Dolphin can be spotted all around Dauphin Island. The lack of crowds and heavy traffic is a huge plus for this beach.
The public beach on the west end is nice but not worth a trip by itself. It only offers more peace and quiet than other beaches. There are no amenities other than a port a toilet. But I was there in the off season. They are supposed to have other amenities there during the busy season. However, if you are looking for quiet and long portion of beach to walk, this is your spot.Oh, and there is a sign stating a $3 fee for beach access, but there was no one there to collect the fee, nor did I see anywhere to pay.
I can only attest to this beach in Jan. and Feb. of 2015. It was beautiful, quiet, and different every day. I'm sure it's another matter in the busy seasons. We traveled with a dog, and one of the reasons we chose Dauphin Island was because they have so many dog-friendly beaches. We always had our dog on leash and under control. However, occasionally, others were not quite so thoughtful. Some people feel that the rules don't apply to them, and I would say (as a generalization) that it's usually the local people who don't follow the leash law on the beach. ("but he's a dog, he needs to run!") Other than those few minor annoyances, the beach is awesome, and has well earned the title "Sunset Capital of Alabama." Some days we found a lot of shells, which we weren't expected. Now, what to do with all these shells now that I am back in Ohio!?
I'm not high maintenance at all and didn't expect this beach to be. I'm not one to like big groups or crowds. I researched before our stay and have to say that I adored my stay on Dauphin Island. Every morning at 6 or 6:30 I got up, drove the short drive from the other side of the island for sunrise on the beach. Very few people were there to accompany me, a few with good mannered dogs on leashes (I had one also and never encountered anyone rude/ill mannered). There are bathrooms on site but they are a bit from the water. There is also showers to rinse off (I think sometimes they may turn some off so just look and there might be one up and running). There is a small price during the summer months, I'm not sure exactly when, but in February it's free. The sand is white and the water is pretty clear, not Florida clear but beautiful none-the-less. Be sure to catch the sunset also. I watched the sun rise on the East side of the pier and the sunset on the beach. I really enjoyed ever single morning and evening we spent there. We took the kids and they really enjoyed it (even though the water was sixty-something degrees lol), how could we not get in?
This was simply beautiful as we walked on the Western Beach watching the sunset. It was not crowded-just a few Islanders with us and watched the color meet the waves.
Finally a beach that we could walk our 2 boxers on as Florida is not pet friendly . The beach was nice and sandy with multiple shells available to obtain. Lots of folks were fishing and lounging around in the sun and saw bottle nose dolphins close to the shore!!
Went to several beaches on the island. It is cool in November now, but great for walking the beach. One beach is on south end of Island just west of the old fort goes for about a mile. Another is on the west end, as far as pavement goes. During the summer months there is a charge to park. This time of year no charge. Beach extends for several miles west on the south side of island with no homes or development of any kind. You have the place to yourself this time of year pretty much. Enjoy.