Gulf Islands National Seashore: Naval Live Oaks Brackenridge Nature Trail

We packed up our campsite this morning and drove past one of the old batteries that line the beach. We were headed inland. First though, a stop at the Naval Live Oaks unit of Gulf Islands National Seashore. I was excited to see this place as I had read it was our nation's first tree farm, providing live oak wood for building our naval fleet. However, our visit turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The visitor center was closed and so we did not have enough good information to make the most of our visit. Still, we were able to walk a portion of the Brackenridge Nature Trail

and learned about some of the plants and animals of the area. We saw some wildflowers in bloom.

We also got to see some wildlife, a black snake hiding among the leaf litter and vegetation.