Eight trails covering more than 3.5 miles wind through the woods near the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
Drawing as many as 600,000 visitors each year, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center is Huntsville’s most recognized tourist destination. The replica of a Saturn V rocket is the city’s most iconic landmark, and anyone exploring Huntsville will no doubt see the towering structure. But people willing to investigate a bit further will find many other intriguing, though less obvious, attractions on the grounds near the Space & Rocket Center.
Winding through the woods east and south of the center are eight trails covering more than 3.5 miles. The majority of the paths are level and cross easy terrain, making them accessible to most people. This is an especially good place to hike or bike with kids, not only because the trails are easy, but also because interesting objects lie tucked away in the forest.
As the Cockpit Trail implies, it’s home to the shell of an airplane cockpit. That’s just one of the many odd artifacts you’ll find in the surrounding woods. Other trails to the east are home to even stranger attractions, including the weathered hulls of small aircraft and the remains of old rockets. On the east side of the property, trails have more fanciful names, indicating that hikers are entering a strange realm. On the Sherwood and Nottingham trails, you won’t find Robin and his merry band of thieves, but you will see weird stuff, like military-style forest outposts draped in camouflage, which are used for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Aviation Challenge programs. While walking the Narnia Trail, kids will be fascinated with a whimsical wooden statue of a large rabbit.
Not so much a trail as a gravel path, the Aviation Pond Trail is also worth your time. It will give you a close-up view of the training grounds for participants in the Aviation Challenge. As you pass Aviation Pond, you can imagine learning to ditch your plane by soaring down the 150-foot zipline to splash into the water.
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