Guided Hikes & Adventures
We offer guided hike opportunities throughout the year to explore and learn about nature. These FREE events offer natural beauty and exercise for all ages and skill levels but donations to help preserve green space are accepted!
RESERVATION IS REQUIRED. Registration opens at the beginning of the month. Land Trust members get priority registration. Not a member? Join today! Space is limited to ensure quality and safety. There is no waitlist. If spots become available we’ll reopen the registration link.
You don’t need fancy equipment! However, we do recommend:
- long pants and comfortable shoes with good tread
- bottled water
- hiking sticks
- trail snacks
- a camera to capture the experience
- dogs welcome, but must be on leads.
In case of rain, hikes may be cancelled. All registered participants will be notified of cancellation via the email address provided. For additional information, please call 256-534-5263 or email questions@landtrustnal.org. Our office is open Monday-Friday 8 AM – 4 PM.
Upcoming Hikes
Our guided hike schedule is released at the beginning of each month.
Please note: In the event hikes are canceled due to weather or trail conditions, we will send a notification to registered participants to the email address provided at sign up.
Hike at Wade Mountain Nature Preserve
Saturday, April 1 from 2-4 PM
(Moderate / 2 hours / Around 3 miles) No fooling – The view from the Devil’s Racetrack trail is not one to be missed! If you haven’t seen it yet, join us for a hike up Devil’s Racetrack Trail. We’ll start at Spragins Hollow Trailhead and stay on Devil’s Racetrack Trail for the entire hike. As you ascend the hill, you’ll see Wade Mountain’s oak-hickory forest starting to emerge from its winter nap.
Hike Leader: TBD
Location: Wade Mountain Nature Preserve (Spragins Hollow Trailhead) – 10130 Spragins Hollow Road NW, Huntsville, AL 35810 – Access this trailhead from Winchester Road. This preserve has multiple trailheads so be sure to go to the right one.
Sign up
Hike at Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve
Saturday, April 8 from 2-3:30 PM
(Moderate / 1.5 hours / 1.5 miles) Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve, “hidden” just a short distance from downtown Madison, is a favorite hiking destination for folks in the area looking to get on the trail while staying close to home. Participants during this hike will travel along one of the most popular trails on the preserve, Rainbow Loop Trail. The route, going “clockwise,” will cover nearly the entirety of that trail with the exception of a short detour to walk on Balance Rock Trail as the hike wraps up. For those of you keeping track of such things, this is the hike that was rained out in February.
Hike Leader: TBD
Location: Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve – 230 Stoneway Trail, Madison, AL 35758
Sign up coming soon
Members-only Hike: Wildflowers at Matthews Nature Preserve
Tuesday, April 11 from 12-2 PM
(Moderate / 2 hours / Around 2 miles) Join us for a Members-only Wildflower Hike Series at Matthews Nature Preserve, a conservation property normally closed to the public. You will enjoy a relaxed pace stroll with Botanist Lynne Weninegar as your guide. Lynne will make frequent stops to identify and discuss the many spring wildflowers newly in bloom along the trail. This hike is the thrid in a series of three designed to compare and contrast wildflowers throughout the spring growing season. Sign up for individual dates or all three hikes! Must be a current Land Trust member to register for this event.
Hike Leader: Lynne Weninegar
Location: Matthews Nature Preserve in Limestone County – Directions and instructions about the meeting location will be provided to registered participants the week of the event. Please note: Getting to the starting point of this hike involves driving down a dirt road. Extremely low vehicles might have a difficult time.
Sign up
Foraging Hike at Harvest Square Nature Preserve
Sunday, April 16 from 2-4 PM
(Easy / Around 2 hours / 1.75 miles) Springtime is coming to Harvest Square Nature Preserve, and with it are new plants for foraging. Casey has lead foraging hikes since last fall, and it will be neat to see what springtime has brought. This hike around the preserve is not intended for collection, but for education. While the exact route of the hike will be determined that day, participants will see nearly the entire preserve with the exception of part of Senators Trail. Much of this walk is along crushed limestone paths and recently-installed boardwalks. NOTE: This hike is educational, so if you’re looking for a walk with no long stops to talk, it’s probably not what you’re looking for.
Hike Leader: Casey Lanier
Location: Harvest Square Nature Preserve – 111 Allyson Sadie Blvd, Harvest, AL 35749
Sign up coming soon
Hike at Blevins Gap North
Monday, April 17 from 9-10 AM
(Moderate / Around an hour / .75 miles) Is there a better way to start a Monday than with a short hike through the woods? We’re not sure there is! Join hike leader Julie Barnett for a short walk on Jones Valley Loop Trail. This walk is less than a mile, and will probably take well under an hour to complete. There is some climbing though, so it’s not too easy. This is a great opportunity to get out and see what the forest has to show us in the middle of April. Spring is definitely upon us!
Hike Leader: Julie Barnet
Location: Blevins Gap Nature Preserve – North (Fanning Trailhead) – 2275 Cecil Ashburn Dr SE, Huntsville, AL 35802
Note: Located behind SE Church of the Nazarene. This preserve has multiple trailheads. Be sure to come to the right one!
Sign up coming soon
Forest Friends
Monday, April 17 from 10-11:30 AM
Families with young children (ages 18 months to 5 years) are invited to attend these nature discovery events designed to inspire a sense of wonder about the natural world. Through the sharing of stories, songs, and art, each playful exploration engages both adults and children as we make new discoveries about the plants and animals in this beautiful forest habitat. Because we believe that we protect the places that we love, we hope to inspire young children to feel a friendly, respectful connection to nature – forming a foundation for curiosity and enjoyment to last a lifetime. Families are welcome to stay after the event to enjoy a picnic from home.
Leader: Kelly Brooks
Location: Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve – 1263 U.S Hwy 72 East, Huntsville, AL 35811
Sign up coming soon
Hike at Blevins Gap South
Saturday, April 22 from 2-4:30 PM
(Moderate / 2.5 hours / Around 3 miles) Good news: Most of this hike’s route is either downhill or level! That means, though, that the sections where you climb are short and a bit steep, and some might call that bad news – it’s up to you! This hike will start at Blevins Gap Trailhead and begin by climbing a short section of Bill and Marion Certain Trail. Then you’ll take Sugar Tree Trail downhill to where it meets Smokerise Trail. You’ll follow Smokerise Trail back to where it meets Certain Trail just before returning to the trailhead.
Hike Leader: TBD
Location: Blevins Gap Nature Preserve (Blevins Gap Trailhead) – 3470 Cecil Ashburn Dr SE, Huntsville, AL 35802
Note: This preserve has multiple trailheads. Be sure to come to the right one!
Sign up coming soon
Hike at Monte Sano Nature Preserve (Oak Park)
Friday, April 28 from 1-3 PM
(Moderate / Around 2 hours / Around 2.5 miles) Join hike leader Julie Barnett for a weekday walk in the northwest corner of Monte Sano Nature Preserve. The hike starts at Oak Park Trailhead and heads up Oak Park Trail. You’ll then take Buzzard’s Roost Trail, circling around to take Oak Park trail back to the trailhead. It’s springtime, so that means all sorts of things are emerging. Different wildflowers are continuing to show, and the trees are leafing out. It’s a beautiful time of the year!
Hike Leader: Julie Barnett
Location: Monte Sano Nature Preserve (Oak Park Trailhead) – 2250 Oakwood Ave NE, Huntsville, AL 35801
Note: This preserve has multiple trailheads so be sure you go to the right one!
Sign up coming soon
Hike at Monte Sano Nature Preserve (Bluff Line Trail)
Sunday, April 30 from 2 – 3:30 PM
(Moderate / Around 1.5 hours / Around 2 miles) Hike leader Denise Swain is known for taking things slow and stopping to check things out when something looks good. This hike will start at Bankhead Trailhead and is simply an “out and back” on Bluff Line Trail. This isn’t a “flat” trail, but it’s one of the easier hikes on Monte Sano. By the end of April, the mountain should be in all of its spring glory – this is going to be a pretty walk.
Hike Leader: Denise Swain
Location: Monte Sano Nature Preserve (Bankhead Trailhead) – 2442 Bankhead Pkwy NE, Huntsville, AL 35801
Note: This preserve has multiple trailheads so be sure you go to the right one!
Sign up coming soon
Self Guided Trail Tours
Explore a self-guided trail tour from the list below.
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- Hike the Land Trust! – Discover ALL 70+ miles of #landtrustnal adventure! Take on the challenge at your own pace or follow our Hike the Land Trust guided hike series throughout 2022 as we lead the way to help you cover ALL Land Trust public trails!
- FREE Audio Trail Tour of Monte Sano Nature Preserve’s Old Railroad Bed Trail available in the TravelStorys app
- Waterline Trail (Monte Sano Nature Preserve)
- Trough Spring (Monte Sano Nature Preserve)
- Wildflower Trail (Monte Sano Nature Preserve)
- Exploring Green Mountain’s Upper Trails (Green Mountain Nature Preserve)
- Alum Hollow Trail (Green Mountain Nature Preserve)
- #HugaTreeLT Challenge
