The 12 Best Kid Friendly Trails of the Huntsville Area
Hiking with my family is one of my favorite activities. It’s a great way to exercise and expend the kids’ energy. It also offers a wonderful opportunity to breathe some fresh air, connect with nature, and, for the most part, enjoy the many trails that are free to use. Here are the top 12 kid friendly trails in the Huntsville area that will leave everyone delighted. 1. Harvest Square Nature Preserve: Located in Harvest, off Highway 53, this place is a hidden gem among the Land Trust of North Alabama properties. Most trails are easy, flat, and no longer than 1 mile, making them child-friendly. The Preserve features many boardwalks…
Wade Mountain Nature Preserve- Pulaski Pike Trailhead
Wade Mountain Nature Preserve is a 935-acre natural reserve located in North Huntsville, Alabama. It features an extensive network of trails that cover a total of 12 miles. The preserve offers multiple trailheads, including one at the start of the Wade Mountain Greenway on Pulaski Pike. Wade Mountain Greenway begins on the Pulaski Pike side of Wade Mountain, offering a smooth, paved walkway that stretches for approximately 1 mile. This pathway is ideal for individuals seeking a short easy stroll, bicyclists, wheelchairs and strollers. After walking the greenway for approximately 1 mile, two benches mark the end of the paved area and the wilderness starts. The Wade Mountain Greenway Trail…
Madison County Nature Trail
The Madison County Nature Trail, otherwise known as the Green Mountain trail, is a popular 72-acre park located in Southeast Huntsville on Green Mountain. It is a beautiful and serene nature trail that offers visitors a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life and immerse themselves in nature. The park is free of charge and open daily to the public from 7 a.m. to 30 minutes before sunset. The 1.5-mile easy nature trail loops around the beautiful Sky Lake. Along the trail, hikers walk through Cambron Covered Bridge and past other historically styled structures such as a log cabin, chapel, train depot, outdoor classroom, and more. This…
Old Railroad Bed Trail
Old Railroad Bed Trail is a 2.9-mile moderate point-to-point trail on Monte Sano with a lot of history. This trail is home to one of the country’s oldest and shortest-used rail corridors, the Monte Sano Railway. In the late 1800s, a hotel was built atop the 1,600-foot Monte Sano. In order to transport passengers to the hotel location at the top, the railroad was built by 500 construction workers in four months. The line opened August 1888 and guests paid 25 cents each way to get to Hotel Monte Sano. However, by October, a derailment caused by brake failure frightened passengers away. As a result, only freight cars used the…
Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk
Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk is an excellent place for a quick walk in Huntsville, Alamba. Located off I-565 on County Line Road, the trail is part of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. It is an easy, well-marked, 1.1-miles out-and-back trail, taking an average 20 minutes to walk. Beaverdam is partially split between a flat, lightly gravel path and boardwalk, making it another stroller and wheelchair friendly trail. The path is surrounded by Alabama’s largest Swamp Tupelos, trees that thrive in a constant flooded environment. This trail is perfect for young children and people of varying abilities. Wildlife sightings are common, especially during the wetter seasons. Our favorite time to visit is…
Hickory Cove Nature Preserve
Hickory Cove Nature Preserve is the newest preserve of the Land Trust of North Alabama, making it the Land Trust’s tenth preserve. The preserve spans 146 acres of mountainside and features the Legacy Loop Trail. Additionally, it is located alongside part of the City of Huntsville’s Trailhead Greenway. The Legacy Loop Trail is a moderate 1.74-mile loop that starts from the Trailhead Greenway, near a springhouse. The trail takes hikers through a forest, up and down the mountainside, ending near the entrance. Along the way, hikers can enjoy scenic views of rocky bluffs, wet weather falls, wildflowers, and a variety of trees. The trail is well marked and rated moderate…
Space and Rocket Center Trails
The Space and Rocket Center is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Huntsville. People from all over the country come to view the rockets and other space artifacts. What many people do not know is that directly behind the center, hidden in plain sight, lie some amazing space-themed trails. Along the trails, hikers will find broken-down aircraft, cockpits, planes, and even a “UFO.” The trails are fairly flat and easy to navigate, making them perfect for families with small children, people of varying abilities, and bicyclists. Each trail connects to the others, offering about four miles total, but hikers can easily exit the trail if they want to do…
Harvest Square Nature Preserve
Harvest Square Nature Preserve is one of my favorite hidden spots, located off Highway 53, next to Publix. Harvest Square is the smallest nature preserve of Land Trust North Alabama, covering 69 acres, with 33 acres of farmland and two miles of interconnected hiking trails. The trails are extremely diverse, ranging from crushed gravel, boardwalks, grassy areas, farmland, into woods, and next to two manmade ponds, Terry and Turner Ponds. The trails are mainly flat, making them perfect for young kids or people with varying abilities Trails: Beaver Dam Trail: (0.21 mi) An accessible crushed gravel trail that passes near the beaver home. This trail is at the start of…
Hiking Bethel Springs Nature Preserve
The largest waterfall in Madison County lies nestled on a 360-acre property on Keel Mountain. The Bethel Spring Nature Preserve is a beautiful hike located in New Hope, Alabama, offering hikers 1.8 total miles of free trails to explore. The preserve has two trails hikers can choose from. The first one, Bethel Creek Loop, is at the start of the preserve. The trail is a 0.3-mile simple loop. The trail starts off on a small bridge. Hikers proceed to pass through farmland, Bethel Creek and a valley view looking up at Keel Mountain. The next trail is one of my family’s favorite trails and is actually three trails combined to…
The Cook Museum of Natural Science
I recently had the pleasure of joining my kindergartener on a field trip to the Cooks museum in Decatur. The last time I visited the museum was before the pandemic, and I was still amazed by the facility and all that they had to offer. My son and the rest of his class all seemed to have the best of time getting to play and learning new facts about Earth. The Cook museum of Natural Science is a state-of-the-art natural science museum located downtown Decatur, Alabama. The facility host 62,000 square feet of hands-on experiences and exhibits for people of all ages to explore and learn about nature and science.…
Everything is Wonderful in Huntsville
