Sloss Furnaces Trail

Sloss Furnace is a historic industrial site in downtown Birmingham. For nearly a hundred years, this blast furnace produced iron for the “Steel City.” The site is now designated as a National Historic Landmark, and is a fun place to explore, wandering throughout the plant and past old machinery. Along the way, you can read about the significance of Sloss Furnace in Birmingham’s history, as well...

In many ways, Railroad Park has become a symbol for the revitalization of downtown Birmingham, and it’s helping to ignite a new excitement for the city. Opened in 2010, Railroad Park makes reference to the Steel City’s industrial past, and runs parallel to rail lines that are still used today. The park includes 19 acres of green space, several trails, scenic waterways, bridges, an amphitheater ...

Jemison Park is a 54-acre green space located in historic Mountain Brook. The main stretch of trail runs alongside Mountain Brook Parkway on one side and Shades Creek on the other, for a total of about 2 miles when connected with the Nature Trail and the Watkins Trace Trail. The park includes a few picnic tables and numerous benches spaced throughout the area. The trail is typically run as an ...

Park at the little league baseball fields that are across the road from the access point where the trail meets the road on the southeastern corner of the preserve that you can see on the map. Hike up a gentle incline NW on the Ridge and Valley Trail for about fifteen minutes to the trail intersection with the Possum Loop Trail, where you head left on Possum and follow the sign towards the overl...

From the park entrance there are several ways to get to Skyhy Tree House, and the trail system allows for loops of varying distances and difficulty. There’s a large map about a quarter mile down the main trail from the park entrance, and paper trail maps are usually available at this sign. The trail system has numerous intersections so it’s a good idea to have a map if you aren’t already famili...

There are several places you can drop your kayak in. This is one of the more accessible spots. Another popular spot for dropping in your kayak is located on Grants Mill Road. If coming from I459, it will be on your left shortly after passing Church of the Highlands. We opted to drop our kayaks in this location due to the calmness of the water. The water is very still and allows for kayaking bot...