Bethel SpringĪnother Land Trust of North Alabama preserve is Bethel Spring. Please consider dropping in a few dollars to help them continue their mission and keep all of their trails open for public use. There is no admission fee to hike the trails of Green Mountain, but there is a donation box at the trailhead. The thick forest provides an excellent canopy to cool things off in the hotter months, but the best time to take this hike is in the fall when the winged elm burst with color. The meandering hike to the falls is an easy 2.3-mile out-and-back that is perfect for hikers of all ages and families as it winds its way over a ridge for views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. One of their preserves, the Green Mountain Preserve, offers visitors a chance to visit another one of the area’s many waterfalls - Alum Hollow.Īlum Hollow is a 30-foot tiered waterfall that splashes down its rocky face to a deep pool. Several of these greenspaces were created in part through the efforts of the non-profit Land Trust of North Alabama.

These spaces are designed to preserve and protect some endangered environments while providing visitors a chance to escape the noise and hurry of the city and experience nature. Huntsville is blessed to have many fascinating and beautiful greenspaces gracing the area. Alum Hollow Falls (Photo Credit: Joe Cuhaj) 2. When ready, simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead. The good news is that you only have to hike down a few yards to get a good view of the falls. This is a difficult, steep, and rocky trail. Step off the trail on the downhill side, follow the spring, and in a few yards, you will come to Lodge Falls.īack on the trail, continue another half mile and arrive at a picnic pavilion and the McKay Hollow Trail. Getting to the falls is a little more difficult.Īs you head south from the trailhead, in 0.10 miles, you will come to a spring - Blue Spring - near the lodge. The walk to the farthest waterfall is a half mile (a total 1-mile out-and-back hike).

The blue-blazed North Plateau Loop is a very easy walking trail that begins at the park’s Hiker’s Trailhead on Nolen Avenue SE (labeled “Main Trailhead Parking” on Google Maps). Lodge falls is a tiered cascade that drops down a few stony ledges while McKay Hollow Falls is a short plunge waterfall with a long cascade. One of those trails, the North Plateau Loop, holds a secret just off the trail: two waterfalls - Lodge and McKay Hollow Falls.īoth waterfalls are 40 feet tall.

The park was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and features camping, a planetarium, and 22 miles of hiking and biking trails. One of my favorite state parks in Alabama is Monte Sano in Huntsville. Monte Sano State Park (Photo Credit: Jason Patrick Ross / ) 1. Here are six beautiful waterfalls in Huntsville that you should visit. The area’s many creeks and streams continue the process to this day, giving us some incredible waterfalls to visit. Eventually, the water receded as the land was forced upward leaving behind ancient shell banks and coral reefs that died and dried out, and a bedrock of soft sandstone and limestone.Īs the centuries rolled on, the elements have carved out huge crags, cliffs, caves, and sinkholes. Thousands of years ago, the region was covered by a shallow ocean. Known more for its tech industry and connection with NASA and rockets, the city of Huntsville has a unique geological history that has blessed the area with many of these waterfalls. Hundreds of these stunning water shows dot the landscape primarily in the north and central region of the state. Alabama, with its rolling hills and myriad of rivers and streams veining across it, has a little secret: It’s littered with stunning waterfalls.

Waterfall hike near me