Mike Rickles

The Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama has preserved over 3,400 acres of open space in Madison County including the 600+ acre Monte Sano Preserve on Monte Sano Mountain and the 500+ acre Wade Mountain Preserve in Northwest Huntsville. Leisurely walks and challenging hikes, wildflower trails and natural springs make the preserve a great place to experience the great Alabama outdoors.

The Nature Conservancy is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. Globally, the Conservancy has protected more than 117 million acres since its formation in 1951. The Alabama chapter was formed in 1989; more than 149,000 acres of conservation land have been protected in the state, including 17 owned preserves. Continue »

Monte Sano State Park affords stunning vistas from the top of the mountain just east of Downtown. Stroll mountaintop trails, have a family picnic and visit the Japanese garden and teahouse. The 14 renovated cabins and 89 campsites are great for weekend getaways.

Hampton Cove Golf Course is the northern gateway to Alabama's Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, featuring 54-holes of world-class golf. The course offers 36-holes of championship golf and an 18-hole par three short course.

Lodge, 20 chalets, 15 cottages and 18-hole golf on mountain. Camping and cabins on lake. Picnicking, tennis. More than 30 mi./48 km of hiking trails. American bald eagle winter home—educational programs in January.
 

Cathedral Caverns, 40 minutes east of Huntsville, contains wide chambers, an impressive stalagmite "forest" & a massive 60 foot-tall column with a girth of 200 feet. Fossils of sea life estimated at 220 million years old dot the walls.
 

One of the deep South's finest pockets of deep woods, Alabama's William B. Bankhead National Forest has a potential for adventure and natural beauty you'd expect of a bigger, wilder place. The forest's 180,000 acres encompass pine-clad and hardwood forest, burbling streams, deep gorges wildlife. Bankhead is part of the Warrior Mountains, the western terminus of the Appalachian Mountains; before Europeans arrived, the forests here had been hunted for some 12,000 years by the Choctaw and Cherokee peoples.
 

Orientation video, observation building. 2 short walking trails. 10,000-sq.-ft. interpretive center with wildlife and habitat exhibits. Best wildlife viewing is 1 to 2 hours before sunset in Dec. - Feb.
 

Point Mallard lies hidden among North Alabama's wooded pines, the 500-acre family recreational park lets you get in touch with nature 365 days a year. Play 18 holes of golf on one of the South's best golf course, stay in the 25-acre, wooded campground, visit the water Park home of America's first wave pool, cool off in the indoor ice skating rink, or simply enjoy nature on the hiking trails.
 

Cabins, 18-hole golf course, camping, marina, boat rentals, overnight docking. Picnic/day-use area: group pavilions, picnic area with grills, playground equipment, sandy beach, fishing, hiking, tennis, basketball, horseshoes. Convention facilities at resort lodge.
 

Muscle Shoals, Colbert County

See TVA's biggest hydroelectric plant, discover how it works, experience past and present at the video wall, touch a turbine, plumb the Tennessee River system, and even make your own electricity.
 

Noccalula Falls and Park
Gadsden, Etowah County

Falls cascade 90 feet over Lookout Mountain ledge into lush ravine. Home to Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge, park features botanical garden, pioneer homestead, nature trails, picnic areas. Year-round campground. Train ride, petting zoo.