West End Lagoon Beach occupies the quiet terminus of Bienville Boulevard, where the island tapers to a sandy point and the Gulf's fury gives way to the Sound's whisper. The water here runs bath-warm May through October, stained faintly tea-colored by tannins from Mobile Bay's rivers. You'll find families anchored on the hard-packed sand near the parking area, but walk west along the curve and the crowds thin to scattered beachcombers hunting lightning whelks and sand dollars the size of your palm.
“The shallow lagoon lets you walk a quarter-mile offshore into Mississippi Sound, standing waist-deep where sailboats drift past on the horizon.”
Credit: FlickrMarine shoreline of Cayo Costa Island (Pine Island Sound, Florida, USA) 2
The lagoon's protected position makes it a nursery for juvenile fish—mullet leap in silvery arcs while pelicans patrol the shallows. At low tide, sandbars emerge like temporary islands, warm and ridged underfoot, perfect for setting up a chair in six inches of water. Bring water shoes; oyster shells and coquinas pepper the sand. The Audubon Bird Sanctuary borders the beach to the east, and you'll spot roseate spoonbills and black skimmers if you arrive near dawn.
There are no concessions, no lifeguards, no parking fees—just a gravel lot, a few picnic shelters, and miles of coastline that belong more to the shorebirds than to you. Pack everything in, pack everything out, and don't expect cell service to distract you from the rhythmic lap of water against sand.
