Six of the Best Hills to Run in Birmingham

Runners in Birmingham are no strangers to the various hills that are scattered around the city. It’s not always fun going uphill, but it makes for a great running workout. Whether you’re looking for some new routes to run or a new hill to give your legs a total strengthening workout, here are the hills in Birmingham ranging from Railroad Park to parts of Hoover that you’ve been waiting for.

Columbiana Road

This is one of the larger hills you can run in Birmingham. Located in Homewood routing all the way to Montgomery Highway, this hill is huge. The bottom of the hill starts on Columbiana and Lakeshore Drive. Running up this hill is no walk in the park. The hill goes on for miles so runners can choose their starting point. Whether you make it a long endurance run or a short sprint run, this hill will be a challenge.

5 points/20th street south

In Five points south near UAB there is a nice hill that can also be used for a sweet workout. Your legs will feel the burn on 20th Street and 6th Avenue. This is a shorter hill so it could be one you run sprints on, or to make it challenging, include in a longer route running through Five Points.

Railroad Park

You may not have noticed, but the lawn at Railroad park is definitely a spot to run hills. This is another hill that would be nice to do sprints on. It’s a grass hill so it’s even easier on your bones and body. Add the hill to your Railroad park workout routine and fire up those lower body muscles.

Memory court

This steep hill is located in Mountain Brook. It’s not far from the Country Club of Birmingham. This hill is home to many personal trainers who take their clients on a run or hard cardio day. If it’s personal trainer approved, I think it’s good to say it’s a nice hill for everyone to run on.

Homewood High School hill

When traffic isn’t flying through here for pick-ups and drop-offs at Homewood High School, this extremely steep hill is great for a lower body uphill run. The Samford University track team runs this hill during pre-season to get ready to compete in the Spring, so it’s sure to kick your butt into shape. There are two stops that you can make on this uphill run, so depending on your fitness level pick your poison.

Chapel Road

This hill, located in Hoover, runs along a pretty long road. This hill would be great to add to a running workout and finish running up or down the hill. It is pretty steep for a long hill so you can expect to feel like noodles after a run around this hill.

Get up and take down these hills. Make it a goal to conquer one hill after another. These Birmingham hills aren’t going to run themselves. If you’re also looking for new neighborhoods for a good run, check out our previous post about the best routes to run with maps to help you out.