Madison County Nature Trail

The Madison County Nature Trail a.k.a. Green Mountain Nature Trail is a 72-acre (29 ha) park in Huntsville, Alabama.[1] It is located above the surrounding communities atop Green Mountain in southeast Huntsville. A 1.5-mile (2.4 km) trail surrounds 17-acre (6.9 ha) Sky Lake.[2] Facilities include a covered bridge, picnic area and open air pavilion. The Nature Trail is recognized as a Treasure Forest by the Alabama Forestry Commission. It is also considered a Wildlife Sanctuary. The entire park is owned, operated and funded by the Madison County Commission although it lies within the city limits of Huntsville.

Madison County Nature Trail
Cambron Covered Bridge
LocationHuntsville, Alabama
Coordinates34.59771°N 86.51681°W / 34.59771; -86.51681
Area72 acres (29 ha)[1]
Elevation1,340 feet (410 m)
Opened1975 (1975)
Operated byMadison County, Alabama
OpenAll year
Hiking trails1.5 miles (2.4 km)[1]

Facilities

The Park is open free to the public each day from 7 a.m. until 30 minutes prior to sunset, closing only on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.[1]

The trail consists of 1.5-mile (2.4 km) loop with additional side trails. It is a good trail for beginners, fairly flat and wide footbed with good signage.[3] 0.5 miles (0.80 km) of the trail is a Braille trail.[4] The trail crosses the Cambron Covered Bridge named after Joe E. Cambron, who was the Madison County Bridge Foreman from 1958-1974. The bridge makes for great photos, especially in black and white [2] A historic log cabin is open to explore. The log cabin was originally built about 1810 somewhere near New Market. It was donated to Madison County by the Herbert P. Walker family, brought to the Nature Trail, and reassembled.[2] Other facilities include an open air pavilion, A-frame chapel, outdoor classroom, picnic area and accessible rest rooms. Fishing is allowed Monday through Friday only, (fee charged).[1]

History

The Madison County Nature Trail was constructed beginning in 1974 with completion in 1975. The construction was financed jointly by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Madison County Commission. It has been noted that the Chairman, James Record, had a special love for nature and the environment and was instrumental in the building of the Nature Trail.[5]

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See also

References
  1. "Madison County Nature Trail". Madison County. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  2. Adams, Eric (2016). "Madison County Nature Trail". Huntsville Outdoors. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  3. Wright, Chet (20 May 2015). "Easy Peasy Hikes: Madison County Nature Trail". Woodlands and Waters. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  4. "Madison County Nature Trail". Nature for the Blind. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  5. Thomas, Leslie Nicole (16 November 2015). Legendary Locals of Huntsville. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-439-65463-7. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
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