If you and your pooch are looking for a sedate stroll past some lovely scenery, it’s hard to beat the Montevallo Greenway Trail! One of the crown jewels of the charming college town of Montevallo, AL, the trail begins at Orr Park and makes its way through wooded wonderland full of wildlife. It’s well worth checking out the fascinating wood carvings in Orr Park before you start your walk! The trail is pretty pawpular with local pups and their people, as well as students at the University of Montevallo, but while you won’t have the route to yourself, it’s never truly crowded.
The Montevallo Greenway is ideal for those seeking a peaceful walk. The two-mile stretch runs along the gorgeous Shoal and King Creeks, and avid bird-watchers will be glad to know that it’s not difficult to spot herons, wood ducks, and kingfishers in the right season. You can expect to pass parkland and wooded areas, a historic nineteenth-century bridge, and even a beaver dam! Though there are plans to connect the trail to Stephen’s Park, it currently finishes up by the University of Montevallo playing fields.
One thing to keep in mind before you go is that the Montevallo Greenway Trail is not quite as accessible as some other urban greenways. For starters, though most of the surface is paved, some of the route is given over to natural terrain, and the path also features some steep (though short) inclines. Reasonably fit furry friends and their owners should have no trouble, but you definitely won’t get through with a wheelchair or stroller. In terms of facilities, you’ll find restrooms at the Orr Park trailhead and plenty of trash cans on the route, but remember to bring your own bags and water. Of course, waterways tend to attract plenty of buzzing, biting critters, so bug spray is a must in the summer, or you and your pooch will be scratching all the way home!