The Green Mountain Preserve includes at least 13 trails covering more than six miles.
The Green Mountain Preserve has become a favorite destination for local hikers who appreciate the area’s rugged beauty and natural features, including waterfalls, rock shelters, wildflowers and excellent bluff views.
Located on the southeastern border of Huntsville, Green Mountain stretches for seven miles and rises to an elevation of 1,450 feet. The nature preserve, managed by the Land Trust of North Alabama, lies in the heart of the mountain, and it includes at least 13 trails with a combined distance of more than six miles. Many of the trails explore the plateau at the top of the mountain, while others explore the slopes and base of Alum Cave Hollow, a small valley that’s more than 500 feet deep.
The most popular path in the preserve is probably the Alum Hollow Trail. Much of this path runs along the top of a plateau, and the level terrain and bluff views appeal to a wide range of people, including parents hiking with their kids, trail runners, and regular visitors walking for exercise. But its main appeal is that it leads to Alum Cave (a rock shelter once used by Native Americans) and a neighboring creek with waterfalls.
While trails on the plateau offer easy terrain, the paths that explore Alum Cave Hollow offer moderate to strenuous treks for adventurous hikers. A highlight is the Ranger Trail, which makes a steep dive from the plateau and visits a lively creek in the lower elevations of the hollow. It then scrambles over rocky terrain and climbs to Alum Cave.
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