This Scenic Alabama Trail Is Even Better in the Winter

One of the great things about hiking in Alabama during the winter is that we don’t experience the brutal winters that our friends up north do. We can hit the trails pretty much year-round, and don’t have to worry about ice on the trails or snowy conditions too much. That being said, one of my favorite reasons for hiking in the winter is that you’ll encounter fewer folks on the trail. Sure, you may be walking through stick season, but I’m a big believer that you can find the beauty in anything; you just need to change your perspective. Plus, hiking in the winter means there are fewer bugs (looking at you, mosquitoes), and that’s always a good thing. 

Next time you're looking for an adventure, check out the Alum Hollow Trail, one of the best winter hikes in Alabama. It's perfect for anyone looking for something relatively short but still scenic.

The Alum Hollow Trail is one of the best scenic winter trails in Alabama, and it’s worthy of adding to your bucket list this season. You’ll find it within the Green Mountain Nature Preserve, a 500-acre nature preserve near Huntsville that’s a nature lover’s playground. 

There are five miles of hiking trails here, and the one I want to highlight today is the Alum Hollow Trail. This 2.2-mile out-and-back trail is a pretty popular spot, though the crowds tend to thin out a lot in the winter. 

There’s less than 200 feet of elevation gain on the trail, and it’s well-marked. There are a few steps on the trail that give this a moderate rating on AllTrails, but it’s nothing super strenuous. You can knock it out in about two hours, which is the perfect kind of side quest for a weekend.

The highlight of the trail is Alum Cave. These unique rock shelters were used by Native Americans for many years, both as temporary shelters and as a final resting place for their dead. We don’t know much about this specific cave, but we do know that early hunters and gatherers visited Alum Cave for at least 10,000 years. This is based on tools and pottery shards found in the area over the years. 

There’s also a neat little waterfall along the trail, too! The flow of the fall varies depending on the rainfall, so try to time your visit after a rain so you can see the waterfall at its fullest. 

This fun little trail has a lot of character packed into a two-mile trail, and it’s one the whole family can enjoy. Make this your next winter hike in Alabama; you won’t regret it. Visit the AllTrails listing to learn more about the Alum Hollow Trail, and try planning your own trip using Only In Your State’s itinerary planner.

Read on to discover even more amazing winter hikes in Alabama.