With natural beauties like DeSoto Falls, Cathedral Caverns, Cheaha State Park, Oak Mountain, Gulf State Park and Guntersville Lake, Alabama has no shortage of ways to enjoy the outdoors—and one new way is coming soon to Springville, Alabama. Keep reading for all the details on Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve.

The new Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve

As you might have guessed, Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve sits along the Big Canoe Creek in central Alabama. With the opening of the preserve, locals and visitors will be able to enjoy the creek’s beautiful surroundings, which includes 422 acres of forest land. Here’s some of the flora an fauna you can find there, according to Outdoor Alabama:

White-tailed deer
Eastern wild turkey
Beaver, spotted bass
Goldstripe darter
Blacknose dace
Mountain laurels
Oak leaf hydrangeas
Wild azaleas
Buckeyes

Visitors to the new preserve can enjoy hiking, mountain biking, wildlife observation, birding and more. In addition, the preserve plans to add pavilions and expanded trail systems for hiking and horseback riding.

The ribbon cutting ceremony

Located just 30 minutes northeast of Birmingham, Springville is home to the new Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve. On February 2, they’ll host a ribbon cutting, and the preserve will be open to the public starting February 3.

If you’d like to attend the ribbon cutting, here are the details: