Get your walking shoes ready! Five Mile Creek adds two miles of trail in Gardendale, with plans to become the longest trail in Central AL
Reading time: 2 minutes
Good news, Birmingham trail-lovers. You can now explore a new two-mile section of the Five Mile Creek Greenway in Gardendale!
The pedestrian and cyclist-friendly trail runs from Jew Hollow Road to Shady Grove Road, where it connects to Fultondale’s Black Creek Park Trail. It’s beautiful and partly shaded, which is much-needed this time of year.
To make the new trail possible, the Five Mile Creek District–a regional effort to improve water quality and provide outdoor recreation in the Five Mile Creek watershed–purchased a 16.5-mile rail corridor from CSX Transportation in 2018. Funds were secured through a federal grant as well as $373,000 from local partners. Currently, 5.5 miles of the 16.5 miles purchased are built, making the trail an 11-mile round trip (if you’re up for it)!
The goal is to make the Five Mile Creek Greenway the longest trail in Central Alabama. Almost 16 miles of the planned 35 are complete. Once finished, the Five Mile Creek Greenway will connect Graysville, Brookside, Gardendale, Fultondale, Tarrant and Center Point. It’ll tie into Jefferson County’s Red Rock Trail System, a network of more than 120 trails completed by the Freshwater Land Trust.
“Trails like this connect us to nature, create opportunities for exercise, and attract new residents, businesses, and visitors. They add so much value and beauty to our communities.”
Carolyn Buck, Freshwater Land Trust’s Red Rock Trail Director
Map of the Five Mile Creek Greenway from Freshwater Land Trust
If you want to learn more about the Red Rock Trail System or donate to keep trails like this coming to the Birmingham area, visit freshwaterlandtrust.org.
