Trail advocates throughout Jefferson County gathered in Brookside, Alabama today to celebrate the extension of the Five Mile Creek Greenway.

Longest Red Rock Trail

The new two-mile path makes the now 8.25 mile greenway the longest existing trail in the Red Rock Trail System.

A shaded, off-road gravel trail, the Five Mile Creek Greenway begins at Fultondale’s Black Creek Park and ends at Newfound Creek (4250 Powder Mill Rd, 35117) in the City of Brookside.

The trail was made possible when the Five Mile Creek Greenway Capital Improvement Cooperative District formed in 2002 as a regional effort to improve water quality and provide outdoor recreation in the Five Mile Creek watershed. Six towns joined forces to participate in the district:

Brookside
Center Point
Fultondale
Gardendale
Graysville
Tarrant

In July 2018, the District purchased a 16.5-mile rail corridor from CSX to develop a rails-to-trails project spanning from Fultondale to Graysville as part of the wider Red Rock Trail System network. The new trail extension is a continuation of those efforts.

“The fact that six different cities came together over 20 years ago to develop a shared vision for connected outdoor recreational opportunities in their area is remarkable,” said Rusha Smith, Freshwater Land Trust’s Executive Director. “The fact that the partnership continues today and has now resulted in a high quality, lengthy and beautiful trail for their residents and visitors is even more remarkable. Their unified efforts should be commended and duplicated in other places in our state.”

A Team Effort

Several organizations stepped up to make the trail extension a reality.

The project was facilitated by the Freshwater Land Trust.

Supporters included:

Dunn Construction hauled in the gravel for the trail while C & S Contracting cleared and spread the gravel. Dale Hyche built the fence for the Brookside gateway.

“For Brookside, this trail means bringing more people out here to see the beauty of our properties that we have out here and the beauty of Cornerstone Ranch. It’s absolutely a fabulous day,” concluded Mike Bryan, Mayor of Brookside.