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Blog Posts / Trails

I ❤ Birmingham mural complete

Freshwater Land Trust's commissioned "I Love Birmingham" mural is complete, just in time for The World Games! It depicts different activities you can engage in on the trail system, in addition to the large text reading, "I ❤ BIRMINGHAM."  The colorful new mural was a gift to the city of Birmingham from Freshwater Land Trust for The World Games, and it truly brightens up the surrounding landscape and celebrates trails and recreation.…

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FLT’s Expanding Red Rock Trail System

Freshwater Land Trust is proud to serve as the facilitator of Red Rock Trail System (RRTS), a 750-mile master plan of trails, parks, bike lanes, and sidewalks in Jefferson County, AL. RRTS was recently featured in the online Comeback Town publication as well as AL.com. Check it out!…

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The High Ore Garden

On November 7th, a team of six 2020 Master Gardener participants assisted the City of Midfield with a beautification project at the popular High Ore Line Trail. For years, the City of Midfield Fire Department was searching for ways to improve a vacant lot next to the fire station, where the High Ore Line Trail…

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Letter from Our Executive Director

August 26, 2020 Dear FLT Community, Last July, I started my position as Executive Director of Freshwater Land Trust (FLT), and it has been a wonderful first year. I would like to thank our board of directors, junior board, staff, partners, and supporters for their warm and engaging welcome. As you can see from the…

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Trail extension will connect Rotary Trail to 41st Street

To support Jones Valley Trail Extension, give today or contact our office for more information. Freshwater Land Trust is leading a campaign to raise $1,000,000 to build Jones Valley Trail Extension. Running along 1st Avenue South, this highly-anticipated, multi-use trail will connect downtown Birmingham from Rotary Trail to Avondale’s 41st Street and make many future…

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Geocaching: A Real-Life, Backyard Treasure Hunt

During the Coronavirus pandemic, we are encouraging everyone to get outside as much as safely possible. If you are looking for new outdoor activity to try, consider geocaching! Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting game, enjoyed by people all around the world. Participants use GPS-enabled devices (like smartphones) to follow coordinates to a hidden “geocache.”…

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Trails Less Traveled To Try

During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, we want you to be able to get outside, to exercise, and to enjoy spring sunshine as often as possible! But even when you are outside, it is important to avoid large groups and remain at least six feet away from others. Luckily, Red Rock Trail System offers dozens of…

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Now Open: High Ore Line Trail to Red Mountain Park

Birmingham’s three-mile High Ore Line Trail is now complete and open to the public! High Ore Line Trail starts in Midfield at Jefferson County Western Health Center and runs three miles along an old railroad line where it ties into Red Mountain Park’s new entrance and parking lot on Venice Road. The trail is mostly…

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Photos: New trail in Gardendale

On June 12, the Five Mile Creek District opened a new trail in Gardendale! You can now walk, run, and bike eleven miles round trip between Gardendale and Fultondale on a flat, crushed gravel trail with trail heads at Black Creek Park, Shady Grove Road, Fieldstown Road, and Jew Hollow Road. For more details, check…

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Adopt-a-Trail: Birmingham Ultra Trail Society (BUTS)

We’re thrilled that the Birmingham Ultra Trail Society (BUTS) has adopted Boulder Canyon Loop in Vestavia! This one-mile loop trail winds through a picturesque canyon cut by Patton Creek with parking available at Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest and Vestavia Hills Elementary School Center. Members from the trail society have completed several workdays this…

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District purchases rail corridor, opens new trail

Five Mile Creek District purchases 16.5 miles of rail corridor, opens new trail in Gardendale FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JEFFERSON COUNTY, ALABAMA – A new recreational trail is open in Gardendale, adding two miles to Five Mile Creek Greenway in north Jefferson County. In July 2018, the Five Mile Creek District purchased 16.5 miles of rail…

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Adopt-a-Trail: Sentry Heating & Air

Exciting news: Sentry Heating & Air Conditioning has adopted one mile of Shades Creek Greenway! Also known as Lakeshore Trail, Shades Creek Greenway is 2.6 miles, paralleling Lakeshore Drive and the wooded banks of Shades Creek. “I love that there is always water running in the creek and that it’s a safe and local place…

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Adopt-a-Trail: William Harris

We’re excited to announce that local resident William Harris has adopted Clairmont Avenue Trail! Will adopted a half mile of trail and completed his first workday in February. Here, he shares more about his experience… Favorite Outdoor Places: I use trails to commute, exercise, and just to relax from the hustle and bustle of everyday…

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Adopt-a-Trail: Homewood High School

We are thrilled that Homewood High School’s Environmental Club has adopted one mile of Shades Creek Greenway!  Student volunteers completed their first workday in the fall and will continue weekly trail maintenance efforts throughout 2019. Environmental club sponsor Melonie McBrayer answered a few questions about the club and Homewood High School’s commitment to giving back…

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Adopt-a-Trail

In January 2018, we launched our Adopt-a-Trail program, a volunteer initiative supporting Red Rock Trail System. Volunteer groups take care of their adopted trail by removing litter, raking leaves, pruning and weeding, and performing other light maintenance tasks. Groups also have the opportunity to lead beautification, art, or planting projects. Adopting a trail is a fantastic…

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Adopt-a-Trail: Rotary Club of Birmingham

We are excited to announce The Rotary Club of Birmingham has joined our Adopt-a-Trail program! Volunteers will work on Rotary Trail every few months, and twice a year the trail will be maintained by their contracted partner, Blackjack Landscaping. “The Rotary Club of Birmingham recently signed up through the FLT’s Adopt-A-Trail to adopt The Rotary Trail. This…

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Adopt-a-Trail: ROAM Projects

We are excited to announce our new Adopt-a-Trail partnership with ROAM Projects, a company that promotes and facilitates trail running across the U.S. and abroad. “We focus on promoting trail running in beautiful places and helping people get there, whether it’s taking a weekend trip or exploring a regional trail system,” said Greg Wingo, owner. Wingo is…

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Adopt-a-Trail: Goodwyn Mills Cawood

We are proud to announce our new Adopt-a-Trail partnership with Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC), an architecture and engineering firm working across the southeastern United States. GMC adopted the Jones Valley Trail on 1st Avenue South. Crystal Shurett, an environmental scientist at GMC, says the company decided to adopt a trail because they believe in playing…

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Adopt-a-Trail: Treeline Expeditions

We are proud to announce our new Adopt-a-Trail partnership with Treeline Expeditions, an eco tour guide service that leads outdoor adventures for teens, adults, and families. Bill Andrews, director and owner of Treeline Expeditions, says the crew decided to adopt a trail because they wanted to give back to the environment and to the community.…

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Kiwanis Vulcan Trail: 7,700 visitors since opening

Kiwanis Vulcan Trail opened to the public on March 20, 2018. Since that time, the trail has had at least 7,700 visitors according to our trail counter! Residents, tourists, families, wheelchair users, runners, and others have taken advantage of this fabulous new trail, despite a rainy spring. We can’t wait to see the visitor number…

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Wildwood Preserve

Our Wildwood Preserve is now open to the public! The 51 acre nature preserve is nestled between I-65 and Shades Creek and is home to a variety of native wildflowers as well as marbled and spotted salamanders. The nature trail is approximately 0.5 miles long, one way, with a moderately difficult incline on the return leg.…

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Adopt-a-Trail: Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land Trust

We are proud to announce our new partnership with the Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community Land Trust (DH-SCLT). The DH-SCLT is the first community organization to volunteer for the Freshwater Land Trust’s Adopt-a-Trail program, a new initiative to support the Red Rock Trail System. “The Freshwater Land Trust is thrilled to partner with the Dynamite Hill-Smithfield Community…

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Now Open: Kiwanis Vulcan Trail

We are proud to announce that Kiwanis Vulcan Trail is open and ready for you to visit! This off-road trail is now 2.2 miles long and connects Vulcan Park & Museum to Green Springs Highway. Kiwanis Vulcan Trail is a new outdoor place where you can walk, run, and ride your bike and it is key for many of…

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Kiwanis Breaks Ground on New Park and Vulcan Trail

We are excited to announce that last Friday, May 19, 2017, the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham broke ground on their Centennial Park/Vulcan Trail project. This $4.6 million investment will reconnect Vulcan Park and Museum to downtown Birmingham, both visually and physically, through a new park, a new trail, and a new lighting system on Birmingham’s iconic…

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Why the Red Rock Trail matters

In 1925, renowned landscape architects Fredrick Law Olmsted, Jr. and John Charles Olmstead designed a plan for Birmingham that included parks within walking distance of every home. A planned network of open green spaces along low-lying creeks and high ridge lines would connect these parks to each other and their surrounding neighborhoods.  Unfortunately, this plan…

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20 Projects: Civil Rights Trail

During the Civil Rights Movement, Birmingham, Alabama became the site of history. During the 1963 civil rights campaign, the Alabama metropolis was plunged into the national, televised spotlight as African-Americans, of all ages and genders and led by Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., staged non-violent protests against Birmingham’s segregation codes…

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20 Projects: Cosby Lake

Nearly 20 miles northeast of downtown Birmingham lies the city of Clay, Alabama. Part rural community, part Birmingham suburb, the city stretches from the edges of Center Point and Trussville into increasingly rural terrain. However, Clay has a special distinction for its location: it’s right in the sweet spot of the Turkey Creek watershed, a…

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20 Projects: High Ore Line & Trail

At the Freshwater Land Trust, we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary of helping preserve and conserve the landscape of central Alabama. Over the next few months, we’ll give you in-depth looks into some of our most prominent projects, from downtown Birmingham to rural Blount County and everywhere in between. In Midfield, an industrial suburb of Birmingham…

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20 Projects: Rotary Trail

At the Freshwater Land Trust, we’re celebrating our 20th anniversary of helping preserve and conserve the landscape of central Alabama. Over the next few months, we’ll give you in-depth looks into some of our most prominent projects, from downtown Birmingham to rural Blount County and everywhere in between. During Birmingham’s industrial age, railroad tracks once…

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