Rail-Trail
State: AL Length: 3.20 miles Surface: Asphalt, Dirt
The Alabama Department of Transportation used Transportation Enhancements funds (see www.enhancements.org for more on Transportation Enhancements funding) to construct a rail-trail in Dora, Alabama. This project consists of 2.2 miles of a 12-foot wide asphalt trail, one mile of an unpaved nature trail, five covered rest areas, fencing and landscaping. The Horse Creek Trail was constructed along an old railroad bed and runs from T. S. Boyd School to U.S. Highway 78 at the Horse Creek Golf Course. The trail is used daily by people who drive from miles around to simply enjoy a peaceful walk.
State: AL Length: 1 miles Surface: Asphalt
Birmingham's mile-long Vulcan Trail scales the ridge of 1,025-foot Red Mountain. In summer, the tree-lined trail offers cool respite from the heat, while bare winter trees yield city views. Best of all, it takes little effort to enjoy this breathtaking scenery; like most rail-trails, the route is flat. The paved surface is especially inviting for walkers, joggers and those taking pets for a stroll. From the parking area, the path traces the route of the former L&N Birmingham Mineral Railroad. (With roots as a steel town, Birmingham is one of the few geologic zones where one can find all three mineral components—iron ore, coal, and limestone—needed to make steel.) The trail offers a bird's-eye view of many notable historic structures and areas, including the Arlington Antebellum Home and the Birmingham Civil Rights District, a six-block tribute to the civil rights movement that contains the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame and the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, site of an infamous 1963 Ku Klux Klan bombing that killed four young black girls. The route runs below 10-acre Vulcan Park, home to the world's largest cast-iron statue and trail/park namesake. An Italian sculptor crafted the 56-foot statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis to showcase Birmingham's burgeoning industrial might. The park also houses the Vulcan Center, which traces the city's industrial past and offers rotating exhibits. While the park remains inaccessible from the trail, plans call for that to change.