Best Hikes in Alabama

Alabama's trail system spans Appalachian foothills, river gorges, Gulf Coast flatwoods, and everything in between. The state has quietly become one of the Southeast's best hiking destinations.

Pinhoti Trail (335 miles in Alabama) is the state's premier long-distance trail, running from the Georgia border north through the Talladega National Forest to its terminus near Flagg Mountain. The trail climbs ridgelines, follows creek valleys, and passes through some of the most remote forest in the state. Day hikers can access dozens of trailheads along its length.

Walls of Jericho Trail (6.8 miles round trip) near the Tennessee border descends 1,000 feet into a limestone canyon to reach a dramatic natural amphitheater where springs emerge from cave openings. The return climb is steep, but the payoff — towering rock walls, emerald pools, and wildflowers — is extraordinary.

Little River Canyon Rim Trail follows the edge of one of the deepest river gorges east of the Rockies. The canyon drops up to 600 feet, and overlooks along the trail provide vertigo-inducing views of the river below. Grace's High Falls and Little River Falls are must-see stops.

Sipsey Wilderness (Bankhead National Forest) is Alabama's largest wilderness area, with over 25,000 acres of sandstone canyons, waterfalls, and old-growth forest. The Sipsey Fork Trail follows the river through moss-covered boulders and towering hemlock trees — a landscape that feels more Pacific Northwest than Deep South.

Cheaha State Park Trails include the Rock Garden Trail, which scrambles over massive boulders and through narrow crevices, and the Cave Creek Trail, a beautiful loop through hardwood forest with creek crossings.

Gulf State Park Trails near Gulf Shores offer 28 miles of paved and natural-surface trails through maritime forest, coastal dunes, and around freshwater lakes. It's flat, easy, and perfect for families.

Dismals Canyon near Phil Campbell is a privately owned natural area with a short trail through a sandstone gorge filled with rare plants. At night, the canyon walls glow with bioluminescent dismalites — tiny insect larvae found in only a few places on Earth.

Alabama's hiking is underrated, diverse, and wonderfully uncrowded.