Five-Star Trails: Birmingham - Thomas M. Spencer

Five-Star Trails: Birmingham

35 Beautiful Hikes in and Around Central Alabama
Buch | Softcover
296 Seiten
2020 | 2nd Revised edition
Menasha Ridge Press Inc. (Verlag)
978-1-63404-307-6 (ISBN)
17,45 inkl. MwSt
This collection of 35 five-star hiking trails in the Birmingham area includes popular routes and hidden treasures.
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!

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

Erscheinungsdatum
Reihe/Serie Five-Star Trails
Zusatzinfo Black & white maps, charts, and photos throughout
Verlagsort Birmingham
Sprache englisch
Maße 139 x 215 mm
Themenwelt Sachbuch/Ratgeber Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie
Sachbuch/Ratgeber Sport
Reiseführer Nord- / Mittelamerika USA
ISBN-10 1-63404-307-3 / 1634043073
ISBN-13 978-1-63404-307-6 / 9781634043076
Zustand Neuware
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