Joe Wheeler State Park

North Alabama, Northwest Loop | Lauderdale | Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Winter

Joe Wheeler State Park (Site #3, Northwest Loop) is complete with extensive facilities, including a resort lodge, restaurant, and marina. The park provides access to the north side of Wheeler Lake and the associated backwaters, which are often good for …

learn more

Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge

North Alabama, Northwest Loop | Lauderdale | Best Seasons: Spring, Summer

Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) (Site# 9, Northwest Loop) has large open fields managed for warm-season native grasses interspersed with small patches of deciduous woodland and the seasonal sinkhole wetland. The refuge is gradually being conver …

learn more

Natchez Trace Parkway – Rock Springs Nature Trail

North Alabama, Northwest Loop | Lauderdale | Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer

Rock Springs Nature Trail (Site #10, Northwest Loop) winds through an idyllic wooded area from Colbert Creek to Rock Springs (approximate 20-minute walk). The creek is intermittently dammed by beavers, creating an impressive wetland abounding with a va …

learn more

Rockpile Recreation Area, Wilson Dam

North Alabama, Northwest Loop | Lauderdale | Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Winter

The Rockpile Recreation Area (Site 7, Northeast Loop) sits at the base of Wilson Dam. This area provides basic camping and picnicking facilities in a wooded setting along the edge of Pickwick Reservoir. Woodlands in the park attract numerous songbirds, …

learn more

Waterloo

North Alabama, Northwest Loop | Lauderdale | Best Seasons: Spring, Winter

The town of Waterloo  (Site #11, Northwest Loop) sits a few miles west of the Natchez Trace Parkway in northwestern Alabama. The area is renowned for the concentration of Bald Eagles that congregate here in the winter months. Sightings of half a dozen …

learn more