Gulf Coast Creation Care is excited to partner with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to bring the first forest therapy trails to lower Alabama and west Florida.
Four self-guided Forest Therapy Trails have been installed:
Live Oak Loop at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center, 30945 Five Rivers Boulevard, Spanish Fort, Alabama.
Baars-Firestone Wildlife Sanctuary Trail on the campus of the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Access the trail from the East Campus entrance off of N. Davis Highway. Follow Campus Drive to the first right, Old Ferry Pass Road. Use the left entrance to the Cross Country Trail just across from the parking lot on Old Ferry Pass Road.
William and Mary Hooper Trail at Beckwith Camp and Conference Center, 10400 Beckwith Lane, Fairhope, Alabama. Please call before visiting: 251-928-7844.
Charles Wood Japanese Garden, 700 Forest Hill Dr., Mobile, Alabama.
Forest therapy, forest bathing, and shinrin-yoku are all terms for a practice to improve health that began in Japan in the 1980s. Forest therapy can be either active or restful. Active practices can include vigorous walking, yoga, and breathing forest air deeply into the lungs. Restful practices can involve slowing down, breathing deeply, contemplation, and close observation of surroundings.
Forest therapy and time spent in nature have been proven to have many health benefits including decreased stress levels, anxiety, depression, and frequency of headaches; help with anger issues and weight loss; enhanced cognitive function; and improved immune function.
