Find the top rated birding trails in Ft Payne, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
only thing keeping it from 5* is length. Parallels river 90%, light traffic. Surface is nothing fancy but in good condition.
well maintained trail, wide enough to accommodate walkers, skaters, cyclists, etc. with minimal, if any, inconvenience. No cross streets, though bridge interchanges require slowing down. Some narrow & blind spots, esp around RR underpass. Heat was not an issue, but probably more sun than shade overall, though not extreme. Light traffic on a midday Friday.
Aldridge Creek runs straight and shallow, not terribly scenic; extent of wildlife observed were a few aquatic fowl
Yesterday 10-10-24 we rode the trail. We parked near Jacksonville State Campus and rode the the trailhead to the Silver Comet start. Beautiful trail with great scenery. Only complaint was the asphalt needed some work. Some parts were marked when it was rough (although they’ve could stand to remark them) but lots of places weren’t marked so be careful and watch the road. We stopped in Piedmont for lunch at Elevated Grounds Coffee Shop. Paul had chicken salad sandwich and I had BLT. Both delicious ! The owner even greeted us when we arrived.
Really fun trail. Lots of bridges and boardwalks beside the river. Felt like being in a tree fort at times.
A very nice, well maintained trail with ample bathroom facilities, trash and recycle receptacles. Well paved double-lane path out and back. Beautiful views of Lake Guntersville and neighboring communities. Plenty of picnic tables and benches and water filling stations. If they could bridge busy Hwy 69 which you cross it might be perfect.
Fun ride new record of 41 miles on my e-bike. I’m sure I could have hit 50 no problem.
We started at the Martin Trailhead just west of Cedartown and rode to the state line. It was a good, wide path that I was comfortable really getting up to speed on the straightaways because visibility was very high in most areas and the trail was mostly clear of major debris despite being almost entirely shaded. My son who was riding as a passenger did throw a small limb off the trail when we made a stop on the return trip, but I don't recall it being there when we came through the first time, so it had likely fallen or been placed on the trail within the last 2 hours.
Went about 7 miles into Alabama from the Georgia line on our ride. It was a good, fairly smooth and flat ride. Compared to the Georgia side of the ride, however, there was a bit less shade and the path was significantly more narrow. It was hardly problematic in general, but it did have a larger impact when people were riding in pairs or passing relative to the wider Silver Comet portion.
This is a nice little loop now with the opening of the bridge near the baseball stadium. The only real point of issue on my ride was that in the park area on the east side of the river roots were pushing up the pavement to make for a pretty bumpy stretch down that bit of the trail. Once through that though, it was mostly smooth riding.
I do hope for more spurs and expansions to allow for additional access to stores and shops so that it can be used for much more than just joyrides.
This was our first long/all day ride. The trail really was beautiful, well maintained and paved the whole way. We entered at mile 1 and rode to the GA/AL line. The trail beyond Piedmont, which is the last populated area you will pass, is fairly remote, and at a very, very slight incline. The return is much easier! There are a couple picnic tables at the state line but no bathrooms. We saw deer and turkey crossing the trail.
You won't find many amenities on this trail but it's a pretty and peaceful ride. There are some parts of the trail that cross busy roads if you want to complete the entire trail.
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