Hikes Through History

Take advantage of the more comfortable temps coming with fall and take a hike at some of Alabama’s most historic sites that invite you to walk into the past. Most have a few offerings that are easy enough for the entire family, and they all throw a bit of education in with healthy physical activity.

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park:  (pictured above) Discover Alabama’s metal-making past at this 1,500-acre park in McCalla, near Birmingham. Scenic trails wind through forest and fields, tracing the paths used to transport the raw materials needed to create iron to the site’s massive stone furnaces. Though long dormant, the remains of the furnaces are still sitting beside bubbling Roupes Creek and can be accessed by a trek along the Furnace Trail. Iron Haul Road Trail is another popular trek in the park. A museum full of iron-making tools is also onsite.

Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve: (pictured below) This 1,000-acre nature lover’s nirvana in Birmingham also showcases the area’s industrial heritage. Much of its hilly lands were once mined for iron ore that was utilized at nearby Sloss Furnaces. It offers 12 miles of trails throughout the preserve. Don’t miss the short Crusher Trail that finishes with views of a giant rock crusher used by miners. The 1.2-mile Quarry Trail take you to a to a limestone pit where might spot eons-old fossil impressions in the rock. Guided hikes are an option too. Find details and a schedule on the preserve’s website.

Fort Toulouse-Jackson Park:  Uncover some of Alabama’s earliest recorded history at this 165-acre site in Wetumpka were the Tallapoosa and Coosa Rivers meet and merge into the Alabama River. It traces its diverse inhabitants back more than a millennium. Explore its 1,000-year-old Native American Mississippian mound; a recreated French fort from 1751 (Fort Toulouse); and the partially restored American compound, Fort Jackson, built in 1814 during the Creek War phase of the War of 1812.  Then make your way to the William Bartram Nature Trail, named for famed 18th century botanist, which offers a relaxed, mostly flat hike through wildflowers, bogs and woods. The park often hosts living-history events that only add to this special spot’s appeal.