Discover the Best Hikes in Birmingham, Alabama
Where railroads ran and mines once burrowed into mountains, the healed landscape is repurposed for beautiful hiking and biking opportunities. New and expanding venues around the city provide more chances to get outside and to appreciate the labor and industry that built the city. Explore 35 of Birmingham's best, five-star trails, divided into six distinct areas in and around the city.
With the expert guidance of local author Thomas M. Spencer, you'll find yourself on an Appalachian mountain peak or on the banks of the Cahaba River, as it broadens to snake through the Coastal Plain. Visit old-growth forest in the Sipsey Wilderness, or hike down into the "Grand Canyon of the East" at Little River Canyon. Across this landscape, you'll find a diversity of plant and animal species-some rare and endangered-rivaling those found anywhere else in North America.
Book Features:
Descriptions of 35 five-star hiking trails for all levels and interests
GPS-based trail maps, elevation profiles, and detailed directions to trailheads
Insight into the history, flora, and fauna of the routes
Ratings for scenery, difficulty, trail condition, solitude, and accessibility for children
Lace up, grab your pack, and hit the trail!
Reihe
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Editions-Typ
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
Black & white maps, charts, and photos throughout
Maße
Höhe: 213 mm
Breite: 140 mm
Dicke: 18 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-63404-307-6 (9781634043076)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Born in Birmingham, Thomas Spencer grew up hiking and camping in his native state, and for two decades he crisscrossed Alabama as a reporter for The Anniston Star and The Birmingham News, specializing in coverage of the outdoors and the environment. During his reporting career, he covered the acquisition of the Walls of Jericho, the protection of endangered species, the development of recreational assets such as the Alabama Scenic River Trail and the Pinhoti Trail, and the movement to expand green space and trails in the Birmingham metro area. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Tom is now the senior research associate at the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, based at Samford University. An Eagle Scout, he is a founder of The Friends of Red Mountain Park and serves on the board of the Cahaba River Society.
OVERVIEW MAP
OVERVIEW-MAP KEY
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PREFACE
HIKING RECOMMENDATIONS
INTRODUCTION
City Center
Civil Rights Heritage Trail: Birmingham's Walk to Freedom
Oak Hill Cemetery
Railroad Park
Vulcan Trail-Southside Loop
Suburbs
Aldridge Gardens
Irondale Furnace & Mountain Brook Trails
Shades Creek Greenway & Homewood Forest Preserve
Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest
Moss Rock Preserve
Moss Rock Preserve: Boulder Field
Moss Rock Preserve: Boulder Gorge Loop
Moss Rock Preserve: Waterfall Loop from Sulphur Springs Road
Oak Mountain State Park
Oak Mountain State Park: King's Chair Loop
Oak Mountain State Park: Lake Tranquility Loop
Oak Mountain State Park: Peavine Falls
Oak Mountain State Park: Shackleford High Points Hike
Red Mountain Park
Red Mountain Park: Birmingham Mineral Railroad Loop
Red Mountain Park: Grace's Gap
Red Mountain Park: Mine History Hike
Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve
Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve: Ridge & Valley Loop
Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve: Tree House to Hawk's View
Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve: Wetlands Retreat
The Cahaba River & Points South
Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge
Perry Lakes Park & Barton's Beach
Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park
Cheaha & Points East
Cheaha-Cave Creek-Pinhoti Trail Loop
Cheaha State Park: Bald Rock & Pulpit Rock
Chinnabee Silent Trail
Flagg Mountain: The Southernmost Appalachian
Pinhoti Trail: Lower Shoal Shelter Section
The Sipsey Wilderness & Points Northwest
Big Tree Loop
Hurricane Creek Park
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Little River Canyon & Points Northeast
Little River Canyon National Preserve: Eberhart Trail
Palisades Park & the Bridges of Blount County
Turkey Creek Falls
APPENDIX A: SUGGESTED READING & REFERENCE
APPENDIX B: OUTDOOR RETAILERS
APPENDIX C: HIKING & OUTDOOR CLUBS
APPENDIX D: ADVOCACY & VOLUNTEER GROUPS
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
MAP LEGEND
