Alabama’s best outdoor adventures in the Black Belt—plan your trip now

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Meet the Alabama Black Belt, the 23-county region aptly named for its location across the lower midsection of the state and its rich, dark soil. This is where you’ll find some of Alabama’s best outdoor adventures.

The region’s river systems, lakes, bottomland forests and open prairies make it a destination for things you might expect, such as birding, fishing, paddling and hiking; plus some you might not, like whitewater rafting and ziplining.

To help you find your way, we zoomed in on the region from east to west, highlighting Alabama’s best outdoor adventures and what else to do when you get there.

Map: Where is the Alabama Black Belt?

East Alabama Black Belt: Adventure sports

The Black Belt’s easternmost counties seem to cover the most ground, water and even air with outdoor adventures that include whitewater rafting, ziplining and mountain biking.

Here’s where to find them:

🌊 Whitewater Express: Hop in a raft to ride the longest urban whitewater rafting course in the world on the Chattahoochee River between Phenix City and Columbus, Georgia. You can also take a 1200′ zip line ride over the river between the two states!

🚲 Chewacla State Park: A short drive from the Auburn-Opelika area, the park includes challenging mountain bike trails built by the Central Alabama Mountain Pedalers, along with a 26-acre lake, a swimming area, hiking trails + more.

Central Alabama Black Belt: Fishing

The most accessible part of the Black Belt, the central region, generally includes Montgomery and the surrounding counties to the south and west.

The standout activity in this region is fishing, thanks to Roland Cooper State Park and Dannelly Reservoir, a.k.a. Millers Ferry. The reservoir is one of the state’s best places for largemouth and spotted bass, and channel and blue catfish.

Also in this central region, Pike and Crenshaw counties have popular public fishing lakes.

👉 See the entire Black Belt fishing guide here.

West Alabama Black Belt: Birding

Birding is big in Alabama, with over 430 different species spotted statewide. The Alabama Birding Trails System comprises eight trails, half of which are in Alabama’s Black Belt.

Two must-dos for birders:

🐦‍⬛ The Joe Farm + Connecting with Birds and Nature Tours, LLC: A 200-acre Black Angus cattle family farm in Newbern offering hop-on tractor rides on a 6-mile birding + wildlife watching excursions

🐦‍⬛ The Alabama Black Belt Birding Festival: Now in its sixth year, this festival is set for July 31-Aug. 2 with dozens of birding experiences + presentations across eight counties.

👉 Plan your Alabama Black Belt birding adventure today.

Black Belt food, culture + where to stay

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We would never leave you hungry for good food, culture or coziness after all these adventures. Use the links below to find the best eats, arts, history and special places to stay in the Alabama Black Belt.

😋 Flavors of the Black Belt Trails
🎨 Arts & Antiques Trail
♥️ Culture, History + Creative People
🏕️ Unique Places to Stay

Take your pick among Alabama’s best outdoor adventures + start planning your Alabama Black Belt trip today at alabamablackbeltadventures.org.

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