The Gulf State Park Tradition...

[Teamubr]

Oh forgot to add ....

@Teamubr, reservations made to folks 62yo and over get a 15% discount.

You might want to put that on your long-term calendar ..... Just sayin'.
I HAVE to find a foil on the other side of the equation although I think I'm still older than him ("him" being @Teamubr).

You know I'll be saving that 15%. I'm going to use Donna's birthday though. She's older than me.

And, Ed, we have had this conversation before. Did you graduate from high school in the 70's? Didn't think so, youngster.

j

 

[Teamubr]

I'm wondering if you can book for the 14 days to make sure you get the second week where you want and then drop the 1st week?

I'm thinking about doing 2 weeks at GSP anyway, but I am doing a Mediterranean cruise next year in September and that will take up 2 weeks or so. Donna only gets so much time off.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

I'm wondering if you can book for the 14 days to make sure you get the second week where you want and then drop the 1st week?

I'm thinking about doing 2 weeks at GSP anyway, but I am doing a Mediterranean cruise next year in September and that will take up 2 weeks or so. Donna only gets so much time off.

j

Not sure Jim. I have a trip there coming up in May where I have 2 sites booked and changed one of them and they let me, but I do know if you want to alter a booking you can't do it online. You have to call them.

 

[tiggerdad]

Also be aware of price hikes at GSP.

Live Oak Road campsites along the lake (and across) are about $66/night (about $56/night on Sumac which is next road back behind the water). Oh and add 30% for various taxes/fees (city, county, sales, resort, reservation).

Now that $66 rate goes to $85.

Just setting expectations.

ED

That is true on pricing differences. I just changed my upcoming trip. I'm on Canal in 493 for 4 nights then was going to have to move to 120 but site 484 opened up on canal and I moved to it and it was more.

 

[bama_ed]

And, Ed, we have had this conversation before. Did you graduate from high school in the 70's? Didn't think so, youngster.

j

Jim,

"THEY" say memory is the 2nd thing to go .....

Old Guy Ed

PS - "and I can't remember what the 1st thing is".

 

[bama_ed]

I'm wondering if you can book for the 14 days to make sure you get the second week where you want and then drop the 1st week?

I think you can.

You will have to pay in full initially and then call to drop the front nights but as I did for this trip coming up soon, you can modify the reservation over the phone and get a refund.

ED

 

[Teamubr]

Great news for anyone coming in and has avoided the Foley Beach Express toll bridge.

As of 5/30/2024, no more toll.

https://mynbc15.com/news/local/major-announcement-expected-on-orange-beach-express-toll-bridge

j

 

[bama_ed]

Great news for anyone coming in and has avoided the Foley Beach Express toll bridge.

As of 5/30/2024, no more toll.

https://mynbc15.com/news/local/major-announcement-expected-on-orange-beach-express-toll-bridge

j

I always come down the Baldwin/Foley Beach Express Highways from I-10 and avoid the toll bridge by driving over to Highway 59 via County Road 4/Cotton Creek Dr. as mentioned in the link above. But my destination is Gulf Shores anyway and the avoiders they are referring to in the link are guests headed to Orange Beach.

I noticed when I drove in on CR4 on Monday that the construction for the bridge intersection was underway with grading equipment active again. Today I drove along Canal Road and the elevated piling around the Intercoastal Canal are in place on the north side and the planned traffic circle intersection with Canal Road was just recently started, it appears, on the south side.

This is the pic of the new bridge with Canal Road.

The approach from the north will be on the right side of the pic. The Gulf is on the left. This bridge, as the article says, will be 1 mile west of the existing toll bridge.

I like the idea that the new bridge, when completed, will handle south bound traffic only and the existing bridge will handle north bound traffic only.

You can see the approach of the bridge under construction in the Google Maps satellite view just east of the airport.



It will also eventually be extended north of CR4 to connect to the Foley Beach Express just south of the service station that is between the north bound and south bound travel lanes a short distance up.

So yep, no tolls soon and then traffic will split once the new bridge is finished.

Bama Ed

PS - the estimated bridge completion date currently is Spring 2026

 

[tiggerdad]

I always took Roscoe road just before the toll bridge and bypassed it. This is good to know.

Appreciate that Jim

 

[bama_ed]

Here is a very timely primer as we edge closer to the booking window for next summer.

It's Matt Mitchell's "12 Sacred Rules of Southern Beaches" (3m24s long).

Actually the window is not far away.

Ed

 

[tiggerdad]

Window very close Ed.

Matt is spot on too, especially about those car tags.

 

[Teamubr]

I have it on my calendar. Still deciding when I'll be down and how long we'll stay.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

We always came down on the Thursday before memorial day weekend to beat crowd. May shoot for that Friday, coming down EARLY in the morning and if site not ready then hanging out in overflow lot on generator until it is.

 

[Teamubr]

What area are most people considering?

Still the Live Oak/Sumac area?

j

 

[bama_ed]

What area are most people considering?

Still the Live Oak/Sumac area?

j

That's my plan.

But you have to drop a line right at the crack of dawn to catch a fish.

ED

 

[tiggerdad]

What area are most people considering?

Still the Live Oak/Sumac area?

j

That is my plan

 

[Teamubr]

I will probably plan on arriving on Saturday. We are still shooting for the week with the most votes at the top? It says May 30th (Thursday?) - June 5th. That Saturday is June 1st.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

I will probably plan on arriving on Saturday. We are still shooting for the week with the most votes at the top? It says May 30th (Thursday?) - June 5th. That Saturday is June 1st.

j

Thats next May, so the 30th in 2025 is on a Friday. I put the dates out in a Friday start as that is when most people start their vacations, but essentially sometime during the first week of June seemed to be the majority preference.

Some folks will likely overlap, maybe come in later the week or early.

 

[Teamubr]

Thats next May, so the 30th in 2025 is on a Friday.

Yep, I clicked on the calendar in Windows and thought I put in 2025. Obviously not.

Does anyone (I'm sure there is) know what time the reservation window opens? Midnight? 6 am? something else. The reservation site doesn't say.

j

 

[bama_ed]

Yep, I clicked on the calendar in Windows and thought I put in 2025. Obviously not.

Does anyone (I sure there is) know what time the reservation window opens? Midnight? 6 am? something else. The reservation site doesn't say.

j

Jim,

The one time I tried that in the new booking system it was midnight Alabama time one year out from arrival day (I think it was actually if you wanted to arrive May 30, 2025 you could book at 12:01am May 30, 2024) but you will want to check/confirm that closer to time.

I also recall I had to reset/reload, back out and start over a couple times before the new start date appeared in the system. It was like 12:05-12:10am before everything worked like it should.

Remember you can book up to 14 days on a reservation but you will have to prepay in FULL when you book. If you later want to drop unwanted days, you can do that (I have) in advance but you have to CALL/EMAIL the Gulf SP Reservation office and they will refund the money for the dropped days.

Sorta like the Fort "use-ta".

Ed