How to make 2023 your healthiest year yet on these 6 accessible Alabama trails

Sponsored

They don’t call it “Alabama the Beautiful” for nothing. As you set your fitness and bucket list goals for 2023, why not visit one or more of these accessible Alabama trails? Views, wildlife and heart health are guaranteed on these wheelchair and stroller-friendly trails that are suitable for all ages.

1. Cheaha State Park—Delta

• Trail: Doug Ghee Accessible Trail
• Location: Bald Rock at Cheaha State Park, 19644 Highway 281, Delta, AL 36258
• Contact: (256) 488-5111 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube
• Entry fee: $5 per person

This 1/4 mile boardwalk trail is family-friendly, ADA accessible Alabama trail and a favorite for bird-watchers. Plus, it takes you to gorgeous views at the Bald Rock Overlook through a hardwood forest. You’ll learn more about Cheaha’s history, culture and natural history thanks to interpretive signs along the trail.

2. Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge—Decatur

• Trail: Wildlife Observation Building Trail
• Location: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, 3121 Visitor Center Road, Decatur, AL 35603
• Contact: (256) 350-6639 | Website | Facebook | Instagram
• Entry Fee: none
• Note: Call ahead of time to find out about closures due to repairs.

This 35,000-acre Wildlife Refuge was established back in 1938 as a wintering area for ducks, geese and other waterfowl. Today, you’ll find thousands of waterfowl and cranes wintering in the Refuge, including the endangered whooping crane, which first arrived in 2004. The park is undergoing some renovations and repairs, so call ahead to make sure you can go where you want to go.

In addition to hitting the trails, let Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama help take care of your health in 2023.

3. Bolton-Orr Ecological Preserve at Ebeneezer Wetlands—Montevallo

• Trail: Ebeneezer Swamp Trail
• Location: Bolton-Orr Ecological Preserve at Ebeneezer Wetlands, GPS: 33.16777441277244, -86.80946947939047
• Contact: (205) 665-6463
• Entry fee: none

Not every university can claim its own swamp, but Montevallo can. Ebeneezer Swamp Ecological Preserve is located about six miles from campus. While there, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to another world, full of unique plants, creatures and abstract animal sculptures.

4. Chief Ladiga Trail—Piedmont

• Trail: Alabama’s Chief Ladiga Trail connects with Georgia’s Silver Comet Trail
• Location: Piedmont, just 37 miles northeast of Anniston, 202 Dailey Street, Chief Ladiga Trail, Piedmont, AL 36272 (Welcome Center)
• Contact: (256) 447-3560 | Website | Facebook group | Instagram
• Entry fee: none
• Note: there are many other entry points along the 33-mile trail

This 33-mile route is a great way to cover some distance, see some beautiful sights and make your way to the Alabama-Georgia line. Alabama’s first Rails to Trails project, it is fully paved along the route. Whether you’re pushing a stroller, a wheelchair a bike or your own feet, you’re sure to have an adventure to remember.

5. Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail—Gulf State Park

• Trail: Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail
• Location: Gulf Shores, Orange Beach + Gulf State Park
• Address: 24037 Perdido Beach Blvd, Orange Beach, AL 36561 (Rosemary Dunes Trailhead)
• Contact: Website | Facebook | YouTube | Gulf Shores + Orange Beach Tourism Website
• Entry fee: none

28 miles of interconnected trails meander through nine distinct ecosystems, so you’re sure to see loads of different flora and fauna, whether you’re walking, riding or something else. This trail has been named a National Recreational Trail by the US National Park Service and an Alabama Coastal Birding Trail.

6. Muscle Shoals Reservation Trails

• Trails: ADA accessible trails at Waterfall Walk, Native Plant Garden Trail + Reservation Road Trail
• Location: 73 Thunder Road, Muscle Shoals, AL 35661
• Contact: Website | 800-882-5263
• Entry Fee: none

Around the Wilson Dam area of Muscle Shoals, you’ll find 17 miles of trails, and some are ADA accessible. Expect to see wildflowers, historical sites and wildlife in this beautiful area overlooking the Tennessee River.

Eager for more places to hike in Alabama? We’ve got 5 Alabama hiking trails you need to check out today for spectacular views, exciting wildlife + more.

Make 2023 your healthiest year yet with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.

Sponsored by: