Ever since people have begun gathering in cities, there have been ideas to improve the citizens’ experience. There are small ideas, like building a new mini-mart. There are bold ideas, like a Vulcan statue five times larger than the original, and then, there are ideas feasible enough to accomplish, but adventurous enough to elicit excitement.
That idea is The Red Rock Trail System.
Throughout the Birmingham urban area lies trails of all types, from asphalt cycling trails to winding forest paths. The folks at Freshwater Land Trust aim to connect many of these trails, creating a loop around Birmingham akin to the BeltLine in that Georgia town with the airport.
All told, the Red Rock Trail System will connect roughly 36 miles of trail, creating a loop that touches Homewood, Irondale, Fairfield, and Downtown Birmingham, with other trails criss-crossing throughout the interior, creating a total of 750 trail miles (129 of which have already been completed).
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Freshwater Land Trust hopes to complete the project by 2025, staying on track with their 15-year plan that began in 2010. A map for their action plan is shown below. For more details on the map’s contents, see the entire action plan here.
The potential in this endeavor cannot be understated. At the very least, it’ll revive community interest and restore trail quality to places all around Birmingham. But, at its best, it will provide valuable transit avenues, connect communities, and attract more people to the Magic City.
As it stands, many Birminghamians are unaware of the trails’ purposes beyond recreation, but given the proximity some of these trails have to housing and businesses, they can provide an invaluable transportation network, creating a more walkable city.
I spoke with Carolyn Buck, the director of the Red Rock Trail System, who said that some of Samford University students already use parts of the trail network for transit purposes, but there’s potential for much more.
Take, for example, the new stretch of Lakeshore trail, which runs from Columbiana Road to a new trailhead just across Lakeshore Parkway from John Carroll High School. Along this new stretch, one can find apartment buildings that back up to the trail. Not only does this provide a creekside recreation path for residents, it also grants them admittance to a trail by which they can access nearby amenities without requiring a car.
Residents can walk or bike to the new trailhead, where they will find themselves near a shopping center complete with restaurants, department stores, a gym, Wal-Mart, and a movie theater, among other businesses, all accessible without ever having to cross a major roadway. Sure, it’s no Copenhagen in terms of pedestrian experience, but it’s the start of a walkable community in a car-dependent suburban area. Now, that’s a feat.
Furthermore, a well-functioning network of hiking, cycling, and walking trails helps Birmingham’s professional scene. Innovate Alabama, a firm that focuses on attracting startup founders to the state, has an entire campaign dedicated to singing the praises of Alabama’s outdoor recreation scene. It’s called Seek Alabama, headed by their Executive Director of Outdoor Recreation Programs, TC McLemore. I spoke with him recently, and he noted that young professionals in the technology field are attracted to cities where outdoor recreation abounds. Cities like Bend, Oregon, Boulder, Colorado, and Seattle, Washington, come to mind. Together with Alabama’s already flourishing outdoor recreation scene, Birmingham, with a new trail network, and a more affordable cost of living to boot, has a real shot at entering that scene.
But, perhaps most importantly, this trail system gives Birminghamians a chance to connect with places they otherwise might not find themselves. Driving through an area can only do so much for our social, interactive brains. We’re boxed inside our machines, moving fast, rarely giving a wave or passing thought to the drivers next to us. But on the trail, we’re moving slower. We can take in our surroundings, stop to gaze at the flowers, the creek, or the eclectic mom ‘n’ pop restaurant we had never seen. Moreover, we really see each other when we take the time to interact and engage. I’m not saying you’ll necessarily meet your best friend or fall in love on the trail, but in the age of smartphones, streaming, and remote work, a kind smile to a passing stranger is something to be treasured. When people see and live among each other, they understand each other better, and no community ever suffered from too much understanding.
Who knows what we’ll see become of this? Will industry boom with this new amenity? Will the quality of our lives improve? Will there one day be a 36-mile ultramarathon around the loop? All possibilities, and all downstream of this endeavor. Every path starts with a step. I’m excited to see where this one leads.