12 Best Parks in Birmingham, Alabama

Once an industrial town and a hub of iron and steel production, Birmingham is now a thriving modern metropolis and cultural hub. Along with award-winning restaurants, acclaimed museums, and tree-lined historic neighborhoods, the city has various green spaces, ranging from historically significant urban parks and sculpture gardens to rugged mountain trails ideal for hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking. And with the city's mild year-round temperatures, it's always a good time to visit one of these parks for a scenic stroll, trail run, or zip-line through the treetops.

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Railroad Park

Address

1600 1st Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35233, USA

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Phone +1 205-521-9933

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Located in downtown Birmingham's heart adjacent to Regions Field—home of the minor league baseball team, the Birmingham Barons—Railroad Park is a 19-acre urban green space and community gathering place. Besides regularly hosting yoga classes and movie nights, the park has a designated skating area, playground, and outdoor workout equipment. Settle in for a lakeside picnic, bike or run on the park's walking trails, or head to the park's western edge to connect into the Rotary Trail, an urban path that welcomes visitors with its iconic “Magic City” sign. Rent a bike from a bike-share to pedal to the historic Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark, just 1.5 miles away.

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Red Mountain State Park

Address

50 Lodge Rd SE, Acworth, GA 30102, USA

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Phone +1 770-975-4226

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With more than 15 miles of trails and aerial adventure tours, Red Mountain Park is the perfect destination for nature lovers and thrill-seekers alike. Located just eight miles from the city, the park offers challenging terrain for experienced hikers and mountain bikers, like the three-mile Ike Maston Trail, a technical track that winds up and down the mountain. For an easier stroll, opt for the 2-mile, mostly flat BMRR South rail-trail, perfect for walking with children or strollers. The park is also home to the state's largest dog park, three scenic treehouse overlooks, and an adventure area with zip-lining, a climbing tower, and a tree-top obstacle course. To learn more about the mountain's history and Alabama life from former miners and current park rangers, download the free TravelStoryGPS.

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Vulcan Park and Museum

Vulcan Park Observation Tower and Statue — pabradyphoto / Getty Images

Address

1701 Valley View Dr, Birmingham, AL 35209, USA

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Phone +1 205-933-1409

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One of Birmingham's most iconic monuments, the Vulcan statue stands at 56 feet tall and is the world's largest cast-iron statue, a symbol of the city's role in the iron and steel industries. Visit the onsite museum dedicated to Birmingham's history, then ascend to the observation tower at the top, which offers panoramic views of the city and a gift shop with locally made crafts and souvenirs. The museum is part of a larger, manicured 10-acre green space and a 2-mile, tree-lined trail. The flat path along the ridge of Red Mountain is ideal for cycling, running, or a short hike with small children.

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Oak Mountain State Park

Address

200 Terrace Dr, Pelham, AL 35124, USA

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Phone +1 205-620-2520

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Located 20 miles south of the city in Pelham, this 9,900-acre park is the state's largest. The family-friendly Oak Mountain State Park has something for everyone: a 50-mile trail system offering everything from a gentle hike to challenging mountain biking, an 18-hole golf course and driving range, an archery center, a certified BMX track, horseback riding trails, a playground, and an interactive nature museum. During the summer months, swim in the lake, lounge at two public beaches, play at the cable wakeboard park, or rent a boat. For those wishing to stay overnight, the park has fully equipped cabins and campsites for rental year-round.

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Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve

Address

1214 81st St S, Birmingham, AL 35206, USA

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Phone +1 205-833-8264

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Once mined for ore processed at the nearby Sloss Furnaces, Ruffner Mountain is now a 1,083 private nature preserve. Open to the public Tuesday through Sunday, the preserve has 14 miles of running and hiking trails, which wind around the mountain past abandoned iron mines, forests, and local wildlife. Ruffner Mountain also has a nature center, with displays of turtles, rattlesnakes, and freshwater fish. Admission is free, although a donation of $3 is suggested. No bikes are allowed on the trails.

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Boulder Canyon Nature Trail

Address

1221 Montgomery Hwy, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216, USA

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Nestled in the southern suburb of Vestavia Hills, this short, wooded nature trail is a quiet hidden gem. At just under a mile, the path is moderately challenging and ideal for trail running, hiking, walking, or just taking in local wildlife, plants, and flora. Trail highlights include a wooden bridge and a cascading waterfall. The trailhead is located at the Vestavia Hills Library and ends at a local elementary school, making it popular with local families for post-school hikes.

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Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Address

2612 Lane Park Rd, Birmingham, AL 35223-1802, USA

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Phone +1 205-414-3950

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Nestled in 67.5 lush acres adjacent to Lane Park at the southern tip of Red Mountain, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens are home to more than 12,000 species of plants, 25 distinct outdoor exhibits ranging from a serene Japanese garden to a formal rose garden, and 30 outdoors sculptures. Admission is free, and the grounds include a 2-mile walking trail, an art gallery with rotating exhibits, a conservatory, and a library. The gardens host regular classes and events ranging from outdoor yoga to floral arranging and indoor plant care.

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Jemison Park

Address

Birmingham, AL 35226, USA

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Located in Mountain Brook, a suburb just southeast of the city adjacent to the Birmingham Zoo, this scenic 54-acre park is nestled along the banks of bubbling Shades Creek. Shaded by a canopy of trees and lined with colorful wildflowers, the gently rolling three-mile Natural Trail is popular with runners, walkers, bird-watchers, and families. For those wanting a longer excursion, the park's mile-long concrete path connects into the Watkins Trace Trail. The area also has picnic tables, benches, and creek access for fishing, swimming, and rafting.

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Shades Creek Greenway

Also known as the Lakeshore Trail, this paved, multi-use path winds through three lush, wooded miles along Shades Creek in Homewood, an affluent southern suburb bordered by Red Mountain Park to the west. The flat pavement is ideal for cycling, walking, running, and rollerblading, and the forest is home to several species of birds, butterflies, and native wildflowers. Park amenities include free parking at both trailheads as well as water fountains.

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Moss Rock Preserve

Address

617 Preserve Way, Hoover, AL 35226, USA

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Phone +1 205-739-7141

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This 349-acre oasis teeming with waterfalls and unique rock formations is located in Hoover, approximately 20 miles southwest of downtown. The 12 miles of hiking trails traverse through dense forests and bubbling streams and are home to various wildlife, six species of rare plants, and Little River Canyon Sandstone Glade—a rare variant only present in 35 places in the world. Trails are color-coded, with much of the white trail providing a gentle walk by the stream, while the blue trail is a more technical single track that climbs over boulders and descends through green valleys. For rock climbers, the preserve's boulder fields offer several challenging formations and climbing routes for all levels.

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Avondale Park

Address

4101 5th Ave S, Birmingham, AL 35222, USA

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Phone +1 205-254-2556

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Located along the slopes of Red Mountain, this 36.5-acre city green space is one of the city's best all-around parks. Highlights include a scenic lake, duck pond, a manicured rose garden and gazebo, tennis courts, playgrounds, walking paths, and baseball and softball fields. The WPA-era outdoor amphitheater regularly hosts outdoor concerts and live theatre productions, while the newly renovated villa at the park's south edge is often used for family reunions and special events. Free wi-fi is offered throughout the park, courtesy of the Avondale Library.

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Kelly Ingram Park

Address

500 17th St N, Birmingham, AL 35203, USA

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Phone +1 205-458-8000

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Part of downtown's six-block area Civil Rights District that includes 16th Street Baptist Church and the Fourth Avenue Business District, this park was the site of many of the era’s protests and demonstrations. Now the four-acre green space is populated with powerful sculptures commemorating the movement, which visitors can browse as part of a free guided audio tour. After visiting these landmarks, head to the nearby Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a Smithsonian affiliate that offers guided tours, oral histories, and permanent and rotating exhibits dedicated to significant events and figures in the city’s history.