Monte Sano Nature Preserve: Trails, Map and Homes Nearby
A large Land Trust of North Alabama preserve on Monte Sano Mountain with free public trails for hiking and mountain biking, minutes from downtown Huntsville. Below: what to know before you go, the trails, a map, and homes for sale nearby.
Know before you go
- The Land Trust of North Alabama describes this as an 1,100-plus-acre preserve, one of the largest urban land preserves in the country.
- The Land Trust lists 24 trails covering roughly 22 miles.
- Trailheads: Bankhead (2442 Bankhead Pkwy NE), Cleermont (500 Cleermont Dr SE), Oak Park (2250 Oakwood Ave NE), Monte Sano South (1970 Monte Sano Blvd SE), Three Caves (901 Kennamer Dr SE) and Cold Springs (150 Fearn St SE), all in Huntsville 35801.
- Trails are free and open dawn to dusk every day.
- The paved Tollgate Greenway runs through the preserve for walkers and cyclists.
- Three Caves: a former limestone quarry inside the preserve. The 0.26-mile Three Caves Loop circles the quarry, but the caves themselves are closed to visitors because of falling rock.
Where: Six trailheads; Monte Sano South Trailhead is at 1970 Monte Sano Blvd SE, Huntsville, AL 35801
Official page with current maps, rules and notices
Trailheads on the city map nearby: Wildflower (about 6 parking spaces), Three Caves (about 35 parking spaces), Cold Spring (about 3 parking spaces), Bankhead (about 30 parking spaces), South Monte Sano (about 20 parking spaces), Monte Sano Hikers (about 30 parking spaces), Oak Park (about 114 parking spaces), Burritt Trails (about 10 parking spaces).
Trails
Trails the City of Huntsville maps here, longest first.
| Trail | Miles | Difficulty |
|---|
| Wagon Trail | 2.1 | Easy |
| Old Railroad Bed Trail | 1.8 | Easy |
| Trough Springs Trail | 1.6 | Moderate |
| Young-Kennedy Trail | 1.3 | Easy |
| Cold Springs Trail | 1.3 | Moderate |
| Oak Park Trail | 1.1 | Easy |
| Water Line Trail | 0.9 | Moderate |
| Toll Gate Trail | 0.7 | Easy |
| Wildflower Trail | 0.6 | Easy |
| Buzzard's Roost Trail | 0.6 | Easy |
| Watts Trail | 0.4 | Easy |
| Dallas Branch Trail | 0.4 | Easy |
| Bankhead Bikes Only | 0.3 | Not rated |
| Surrender Trail | 0.3 | Easy |
| Three Caves Loop Trail | 0.3 | Easy |
| Flourish Trail | 0.2 | Easy |
| Connector Trail | 0.2 | Not rated |
| Belue Trail | 0.2 | Not rated |
| Falcon Falls Trail | 0.1 | Not rated |
| Sink Hole Trail | 0.1 | Easy |
| Oak Park Bikes Only | 0.1 | Not rated |
| Toll Gate Connector | 0.1 | Not rated |
| Discovery Trail | under 0.1 | Easy |
Mileage is measured from the City of Huntsville trail map (14.7 mapped miles here) and can differ from the managing organization's published total. Trail names and segments change; use the official trail map on the trail.
Map
Homes within 2 miles of Monte Sano Preserve
As of October 2026. The live listings below update every day.
51homes for sale now
$570Kmedian list price
156sold in the last 12 months
$535Kmedian sold price
Towns: Huntsville, Brownsboro.
Neighborhoods with homes for sale or recent sales: Greenwycke Village, Fagan Springs Estates, Briarwood Estates, Montdale, Blossomwood, Walker Woods, Mountain Brook, Briarcliff, Oakdale, Woodmont, Covemont Estates, Wakefield.
Living close by means you can be on the trail before work or after dinner. Before you buy, drive to the trailhead you would actually use, check parking at busy times, and ask whether the lot backs up to preserve land, which usually means no building behind you but also trail users nearby.
More: all hiking trails, greenways, every park and homes whose listings mention a trail.
Questions
Does it cost anything to visit Monte Sano Nature Preserve?
Trails are free and open dawn to dusk every day.
Are there homes for sale near Monte Sano Nature Preserve?
As of October 2026 there were 51 homes for sale within 2 miles of Monte Sano Preserve, and 156 sold in the last 12 months. The listings on this page update daily.
Want to live close to the trails?
We are a local, family-owned brokerage. Tell us what you like to do outside and how close you want to be, and we will send homes that fit, from walk-to-the-greenway neighborhoods to land near the mountain preserves.
Search homes for saleCall or text (256) 808-6861Sources: Land Trust of North Alabama - Monte Sano Nature Preserve; Land Trust of North Alabama - Preserves; Wikipedia - Parks and Greenways in Huntsville; City of Huntsville GIS open data (parks, greenways, trails, trailheads, launches).
Trail, park and launch locations come from the City of Huntsville GIS open data and the official sources listed on this page, as of October 2026. Hours, fees, rules and trail conditions change, so check with the land manager before you go. Distances are straight-line miles. Listing information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Wyze Realty is not affiliated with any park, preserve or organization named here.
