Step by Step: Walking trails highlight area’s nature, history and arts
By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus
With the warmer temperatures of spring on the way, lace up your sneakers and hit the area’s walking paths, hiking trails and indoor tracks for a dose of exercise.
As people age, ways to stay physically active shrink. But many opportunities remain for individuals to meet the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity exercise. Think pickleball, swimming, yoga, biking and, one of the most popular activities, walking.
According to the AARP, most adults 50 and older walk daily, whether exercising, leisure walking, hiking or walking a pet.
Walking at a brisk pace for 150 minutes a week, according to the American Heart Association, can improve a person’s mental and emotional well-being, memory, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, increase a person’s energy and stamina, boost bone strength, prevent weight gain and reduce the risk of dementia, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several types of cancer.
For ways to get exercise while also exploring north Alabama’s nature, history and art scenes, check out these walking options.
Bankhead National Forest
An outdoor playground for nature enthusiasts, Bankhead National Forest, which covers 181,230 acres in Lawrence, Winston and Franklin counties, offers wheelchair-accessible paths. The Sipsey Recreation Area trail offers views of waterfalls and sandstone bluffs and picnic tables. The Brushy Lake trail, which Janice Barrett, outreach coordinator for Willd Alabama in Moulton, described as perfect for spring, is lined with wildflowers and offers views of the bluff and lake.
Marbut Bend
The flat 1-mile loop on Buck Island Road in Elkmont takes visitors through a wetland, by a pond created by a beaver dam, through an open field and along the Elk River. Expect to see migratory shore birds, wood ducks, deer, egrets and more. The trail is accessible to wheelchairs.
Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
The Atkeson Cypress Trail and Wildlife Observation Building Trail are both wheelchair accessible and begin from the Visitors Center on Alabama 67. The half-mile Atkeson Cypress Trail on the south side of the center snakes through a cypress swamp and wooded area. The 200-yard Wildlife Observation trail winds from the center, through a small section of forest and to the observation building, which overlooks a pond.
One of the most vibrant sections of the refuge appears along the Dancy Bottom Trail. Expect to see deer, squirrels and rabbits. Hikers can access the 2½-mile trail, which winds through a mixed pine and hardwood forest, from Red Bank Road.
The 5.5-mile hiking and biking trail near the Visitors Center offers views of Gray Field and Flint Creek, a popular spot for the thousands of sandhill cranes that winter at Wheeler. When the trail splits at the 1.9-mile mark, go to the right to follow Dinsmore Slough, which is full of ducks and geese, or go to the left to follow Flint Creek.
Accessible at Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitors Center, the 1-mile Beaverdam Swamp Boardwalk nestled in a tupelo swamp is home to tufted titmice, vireos, warblers, flycatchers and cuckoos.
Over 3 miles of trails await walkers, runners and bicyclists at Point Mallard Park in Southeast Decatur. The trail, part of the citywide Dr. Bill Sims Trail, borders Flint Creek.
Self-guided tours
Walking tours in Decatur allow residents and visitors opportunities to learn about the city’s historic structures and history. Download brochures at visitdecatural.org or pick up printed brochures at the Decatur Morgan County Tourism office, 350 Market St. N.E.
Civil War Battle for Decatur Walking Tour: The self-guided stroll includes 11 historic markers and covers about 13 blocks. The tour traces the four-day clash in 1864 between Union and Confederate troops for Decatur. The tour passes by three structures — the Old State Bank, Burleson House and Dancy-Polk House — that were built before the Civil War.
Trail of Tears Walking Tour: This tour tells the story of Native Americans brought to Rhodes Ferry during their forced removal by the U.S. government in 1837-38. They walked from the banks of the Tennessee River, where they arrived by steamboat, to the railroad station, where they boarded westward bound trains.
A Walking Tour of Historic Decatur, which features the city’s historic districts, Old Decatur and Albany, highlights the houses and buildings built beginning in the 19th century. Styles highlighted include colonial revival, California cottage, Dutch colonial and Frank Lloyd Wright influences.
Freedom Pioneers: African-American Heritage in Old Town: The tour of Decatur’s Old Town district highlights the history of the city’s Black community. Stops include the neighborhood’s historic churches, such as First Missionary Baptist Church, 233 Vine St. N.W., and Wayman Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, 412 Church St. N.W., which were designed by Walace A. Rayfield, the second licensed Black architect in America.
While in Old Town, stop by the former home of Judge James Horton, who oversaw the second trial, which was held in Decatur, of Haywood Patterson, one of the Scottsboro Boys defendants. In October 2023, the house was moved from Greenbrier to 212 Church St. N.W. For more information on the Scottsboro Boys, the term used to describe the nine Black teenagers who two white women falsely accused of rape in 1931, stop by the Morgan County Archives, 624 Bank St. N.E. On display at the archives is a wooden platform that served as the witness stand in the old Morgan County Courthouse in 1933, a witness chair, a juror’s chair, original trial records and keys to the holding cells.
Mural Trail: Walk around Decatur’s downtown district and take in the city’s outdoor art. Murals include
- Tribute to Johnny Sandlin, 217 E. Moulton St, honors the legacy of Sandlin, who produced records for bands including the Allman Brothers and Widespread Panic. The mural features Sandlin surrounded by Greg and Duane Allman, Jimmy Hall, Bonnie Bramlett, Oteil Burbridge, Derek Trucks, David Hood, John Bell and Chuck Leavell.
- The Sunny Side Mural, in the alley between Johnson and Grant streets, features symbols of the city, including azaleas, wildflowers, sandhill cranes, hot air balloons and mallards.
- Tribute to Jimmy ‘Yellowhorse’ Webster, 113 Sixth Ave. N.E., features a multicolored war horse surrounded by geometric designs. The mural pays tribute to Webster, who founded Webster’s Karate.
- “What Lifts You” Wings, 219 Second Ave. S.E., features large-scale 15-foot-tall wings by noted muralist Kelsey Montague.
- “Homecoming,” 206 Second Ave. S.E., features a young girl holding a flower by Decatur native Adam Stephenson.
- “A Stitch in Time,” 624 Bank St. N.E., depicts Decatur’s history with images representing the Spirit of America Festival, Rhodes Ferry Landing, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, Cherokee heritage, architecture of the Albany Historic District, the state bird and state flower.
Inside walking paths
On those lingering cold days in February and early March, head inside to the Decatur Mall or the Priceville Event Center, which features a free indoor walking track. The Event Center, 250 Marco Drive, Priceville, is open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. In Huntsville, try walking Parkway Place Mall, 2801 Memorial Drive S.W., or Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment, 2211 Seminole Drive S.W.