Blevins Gap Nature Preserve Trails
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Intro:
Blevins Gap has over 10 miles of hiking trails available in the mountains of Huntsville, AL. Built by the Land Trust of Huntsville, the "little Appalachian trail" sits on 971 acres
of forest, rock overhangs, and mountains. It is by far one of the most scenic hikes in the Huntsville/Madison area.
Trail Head:
The main trail head is located just off of Cecil Ashburn Dr in Huntsville.
To access the trail heads: The trail head is near the parking lot, you cant miss it.
NOTE:12/16/2018. Beginning in January 2019 the trail head on Cecil Ashburn DR will no longer be accessible due to road construction. For more info visit the Blevins Gap page on the Landtrust of North Alabama's website by clicking here: Landtrust-Blevins Gap Page.
Difficulty:
Be prepared for some up hill climbs. I rate this "medium" just because it can be a bit physically demanding going up. But for the most part it is safe and not to difficult.
Hiking the Trail:
On this hike I decided to take the Bill and Marion Certain Trail. As you are entering the trail from the parking lot you will go a short distance before seeing a red sign
pointing the way to each trail. Take a left here. You will now be on the Bill and Marion Certain Trail. As you walk up the trail you will come to a fork. At the fork you will stay left. The Bill and Marion trail
will be marked with blue ribbons around the trees (this is done so as not to confuse you as to which trail is which at this point, the trail to the right is the sugar tree trail which is marked in yellow).
Continuing on the blue Bill and Marion trail you will get to a split. This is where the West Bluff Trail begins. I advise you to take the West Bluff trail (you will loop back onto the Bill and Marion trail anyway).
The West Bluff trail has some amazing overlooks that will give you awesome views from atop the mountain. You will continue on the West Bluff Trail until it loops back into the Bill and Marion trail. From here you will
now be over looking the other side of the mountain (and let me tell you it is AWESOME!!!). Continue on the Bill and Marion trail until you reach the end. From here you can turn back and take the Bill and Marion trail
along the east side of the mountain and it will take you back to the parking area.This hike should be about a 4 mile round trip. I was told the Bill and Marion trail is the best to take, but you may also want to try the Smokerise, Lowerey, or Sugar Tree trails as well.
There is also another parking area located at the Southeast Church of the Nazarene. This area gives you access to the Fanning and Stevenson Trails, but I suggest you do the Bill and Marion Certain Trail for the best experience.
Varnedoe trail: The new Varnedoe trail connects to Sugar Tree trail on one end, and the Bill and Marion Certain trail on the other. A good loop to do is
begin on the Bill and Marion Certain trail. Once you are at the end of it you will see where the Varnedoe trail begins. You can take the Varnedoe trail which takes you about half way
down the mountain and back to the Sugar Tree trail. You can then take the Sugar Tree trail back to the parking area for a good four mile round trip.
Fanning Trail: The Fanning trail begins at the Southeast Church of the Nazerene parking lot (you can park in their lot to access trails). The trail connects with other loops
on that end of the preserve or you can hike it all the way to the Bill and Marion Certain trail.
GPS Coordinates:
Blevins Gap trail head (Certain Trail and others):
N 34°39.412' W 086°30.985'
Overlook:
N 34°38.565' W 086°30.908'
Scenery:
Blevins Gap is on top of a mountain, so you are going to get a breath taking view from each of the overlooks along with views of forest, rocks and wildlife.
Trail Maintenance:
The trails are good shape
Facilities:
At the Blevins Gap parking area there is a Porta Potty available for use.