In a fitness-minded city, there are lots of opportunities for outdoor recreation as spring beckons
Last fall, Mountain Brook received some positive media attention as a city where fitness is part of the lifestyle of many of its residents.
The city was ranked No. 1 in a survey called “Alabama’s 50 Top Cities for Fit Lifestyles 2020” and published at fitness website barbend.com.
The survey looked at about 10 factors, including exercise opportunities, physical inactivity, access to healthy food, obesity, smoking and excessive drinking.
This month, we share some insights and observations from local officials and city residents about the meaning of Mountain Brook’s lofty ranking.
As a way to celebrate the coming of spring this month, we also provide a guide to outdoor recreation opportunities for Mountain Brook residents.
We include city facilities, such as Jemison Park and Cahaba River Walk.
We also list other destinations in the area, such as Red Mountain Park and Railroad Park.
So if you’re eager to find a release from both a long winter and the monotony of huddling inside during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, you have plenty of options to get exercise or have fun outdoors.
A FIT MINDSET
Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch celebrates the culture of fitness the city seems to have.
“I love that Mountain Brook is full of residents who care about health and fitness,” Welch said. “Almost every resident I know living in our city is passionate about some physical activity, whether it be golf, tennis, biking, running or walking, weight training.”
The ranking “means our residents are interested in staying healthy,” said Virginia Smith, president of the Mountain Brook City Council.
“Driving through any neighborhood in Mountain Brook you can see many residents walking, running, and biking,” Kimberly McGuire, the president of the Junior Board of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.
“Lots of people I know in Mountain Brook work hard at their jobs and at home,“ she said. “Working out and exercising is an outlet for self-care and connection to friends.”
“Our favorite thing to do as a family is to get outdoors,” said McGuire, who lives in Mountain Brook with her husband and two small children. “We enjoy being able to walk out of our door and easily take a walk around our neighborhood, thanks to the many sidewalks. We also enjoy taking an easy hike on one of the scenic trails in the area.
“Getting some fresh air on a run or walk with the family, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to exhibit a healthy lifestyle for my children,” McGuire said.
Caroline Shea — a Mountain Brook native and 2016 graduate of Mountain Brook High School — believes that an awareness of health and fitness is woven into local family life.
“I think so many of the parents value health and fitness, which is echoed in the schools and passed down to the next generation,” she said.
“Mountain Brook is absolutely a fit place,” Shea said. “It is evident seeing the amount of walkers and runners on Jemison Trail and neighboring roads.”
“Most everyone I know tries to get some form of physical activity semi-regularly,” Mountain Brook native Maggie Baker said.
Fitness “can also greatly improve mental health,” said Baker, a 2016 MBHS graduate. “With Mountain Brook’s expectation of a fit city, we are hopefully encouraging overall well-being for everyone who lives here.”
EXERCISE IN THE PANDEMIC
Smith said that, during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she has noticed even more the fitness mindset of Mountain Brook residents.
“Maybe it’s because more people are out exercising, as opposed to perhaps indoor exercising,” she said. “The sidewalks are crowded.”
Shanda Williams, Mountain Brook Park and Recreation Superintendent, said that the city’s many walking and jogging trails have gotten a lot of use since the beginning of the pandemic.
“When COVID-19 first hit and all the businesses shut down, the trails remained open, and became everyone’s escape from being homebound,” she said. “Even though the number of people on the trails at any one time have dwindled since businesses have opened, we still see a lot of activity on the trails and in our parks. Being outdoors is still considered the safest place to be during COVID-19.”
Williams said she was glad that Mountain Brook was able to offer the trails to people as an outlet during the pandemic.
“Being quarantined at home can be very isolating and difficult for some,” she said.
LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES
“There is a wealth of different types of opportunities for outdoor activity in Mountain Brook, be it your nature trails or your actual field space,” Smith said.
“We don’t have bicycle trails, but we have trails that are known as bike routes by the bicycle community,” she said.
The city has many “free outdoor exercise opportunities,” McGuire said.
CITY VISION
Mountain Brook residents can attribute the presence of these numerous opportunities for recreation, in large part, to the “mindset of prior city leaders who had the vision of putting in 45 miles of sidewalks and walking trails,” Welch said.
“Our city does an excellent job of maintaining our parks and trails with help from many volunteers such as the members of Friends of Jemison Park,” he said.
“Mountain Brook has done a fantastic job of making sure neighborhoods in the city have easy access to sidewalks,” McGuire said. “This makes exercise and outdoor recreational activities an easy option.”
“Because of all of our amenities, there just seems to be a natural attraction to some sort of physical activity,” Welch said. “The city budgets significant resources to maintaining and improving our sidewalks, trails, parks and athletic facilities. Most recently, we have embarked on a $5 million youth athletic facilities upgrade and renovation.”
A GUIDE TO CITY RECREATION FACILITIES
► Cahaba River Walk (CRW), 3503 Overton Road, offers fishing, swimming, rafting, a paved walking trail and a dog park, as well as a pavilion, picnic tables and other activities.
“Cahaba River Walk is one of my favorite parks because, even though it’s small, it has a lot to offer,” Williams said.
The park’s most popular features are the dog park and “easy river access,” Williams said, adding that the facility also offers several scenic views of the river.
The dog park is popular “because there are not many dog parks in this area, and it’s in a convenient location for Mountain Brook and Liberty Park residents.” Williams said, noting that it’s also close to Interstate 459.
The city is adding a drinking fountain at the park in March, similar to one installed recently at Irondale Furnace, Williams said.
In 2019, the Cahaba River Walk was also dedicated as an official Cahaba Blueway access point. It is one of about 15 such sites created so far as part of the Blueway program to allow people to enjoy the Cahaba, one of the most beautifully and biologically diverse waterways in the region.
For more information on each site, current water quality and other information, go to cahabablueway.org.
► Irondale Furnace, located at 4143 Stone River Road, is a unique facility offers a walking and jogging trail, as well as dog stations, picnic tables, scenic views and other features.
“The Irondale Furnace trail has remnants of an old Civil War blast furnace that was used to supply pig iron to the arsenal in Selma,” Williams said. “The scenery along the trail is absolutely beautiful in the fall.”
► Jemison Park, 2615 Mountain Brook Parkway, features the Jemison Park Nature Trail, which is good for all skills levels. There’s also fishing, swimming, rafting, bird watching and other activities. The park features beautiful native plants and scene views, as well.
“I love that you can walk the full mile of the Jemison Trail and then use the spur trails on the way back to have a very different experience,” Williams said. “We have also added a couple of pedestrian bridges that not only allow everyone a safe passage over the creeks, but they have the best views of the park.”
It is “one of Alabama’s most beautiful trails as it meanders along Shades Creek,” Welch said.
► Mountain Brook Athletic Complex, 3650 Bethune Drive, is one of the city’s crown jewels. It offers fields for baseball and softball, as well as soccer fields and tennis courts, and a playground will be installed at the complex this summer.
However, the baseball and softball fields will be closed for use by individuals until the end of the summer, in part due to ongoing construction. They will be used by teams during the spring season.
“After that, the fields should be open for general use, but any game or practices will need our permission,” Williams said.
The other sports fields in the city — including those at Crestline Elementary, Cherokee Bend Elementary and Mountain Brook Elementary — are open to the public during non-school hours for use by individuals and small family groups, but there are some restrictions on their use. For details, call 205-802-3877.
WALKING AND JOGGING TRAILS
The trails in the city include those at:
► Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church, 3405 Brookwood Road
► Nature Trail, 3344 Overbrook Road
► Watkins Trace Trail, 2400 Mountain Brook Parkway
The Park and Recreation website also includes information about Overton Park, 3020 Overton Road, which offers such amenities as a basketball court and tennis courts, and the soccer fields at Rathmell Sports Park, 3576 East St.
There are several playgrounds as well, including the Crestline Tot Lot at 3781 Jackson Blvd. and Canterbury Park at 2750 Canterbury Road.
“We have been updating our playgrounds over the last few years,” Williams said, noting that Canterbury Park was redone last year with new equipment.
She did stress that users should continue to exercise caution during the pandemic.
“We cannot keep all the surfaces sanitized,” she said. “We recommend that families bring their own hand sanitizers and bottled water.”
For a complete list and detailed descriptions of all municipal parks and trails in the city, go to mtnbrook.org/parksites.
For COVID-19 safety protocols and temporary restrictions at city facilities, go to mtnbrook.org/parksrec.
OTHER FACILITIES NEAR MOUNTAIN BROOK
► Red Mountain Park, 2011 Frankfurt Drive, was once the site of iron ore mining, Red Mountain Park is now a 1,500-acre urban green space, one of the largest in the country. It offers more than 15 miles of trails, two city overlooks, the 6-acre off-leash Remy’s Dog Park and other amenities. Check the website for hours. For more information visit redmountainpark.org, or call 205-202-6043.
► Railroad Park, 1600 First Ave. S., is a 19-acre green space in downtown Birmingham, Railroad Park is on First Avenue South between 14th Street and 18th Street. Often called “Birmingham’s Living Room,” Railroad Park offers a number of opportunities for recreation. There are several walking and running trails, including the Magic City Loop (3/4 mile), Rail Trail (1/3 mile), Powell Avenue Promenade (1/3 mile) and Limestone Trace (1/2 mile). There is also outdoor gym equipment, a designated area for skateboarders, a lake, sweeping lawns and a great view of downtown. For more information, visit railroadpark.org or call 205-521-9933.
► Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve, 1214 81st St. S., an urban nature preserve in South East Lake with more than 1,000 acres, and offers 14 miles of trails and is a protected area for thousands of species of native plants. Before going to the facility, call or check the website for updates regarding any restrictions on visitors due to COVID-19. For more information, visit ruffnermountain.org or call 205-833-8264.
► Developed by Freshwater Land Trust, the ever-growing Red Rock Trail System is an ongoing effort to develop a 750-mile net-work of greenway trails and on-street walking and cycling paths in Jefferson County over the next couple of decades. The Jemison Park Nature Trail in Mountain Brook is part of this network. For more information, visit freshwaterlandtrust.org or call 205-417-2777.
► Mountain Brook residents in search of an easy stroll in beautiful, calming surroundings should not overlook the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The facility is owned by the city of Birmingham but located near Mountain Brook Village. In addition to the indoor conservatory, the gardens offer numerous outdoor attractions. For example, the 6-acre Barber Alabama Woodland includes the facility’s oldest native trees. Call or check the website for current safety protocols related to COVID-19. For more information, visit bbgardens.org or call 205-414-3950.