DeSoto State Park is especially scenic with the green of spring.

Please note: due to local and state guidelines surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, some information below may not be accurate. Before you travel and plan your next adventure, make sure to check each business/park/campsite for any closures or guidelines and for the most up to date information. Enjoy wandering through the wildflowers on your next nature hike this Spring!

Following a relatively warm winter, the first burst of wildflowers has come to Alabama, while some plants will bloom until the end of April, adding a riot of color to any outdoors excursion and providing good incentive to dust off the hiking boots.

While some nature and wildflower hikes in Alabama are easy walks, other trails stretch for miles, crank up your heart rate and cross tough terrain as you hunt for trout lilies and spring beauties. Here, four moderate-to- strenuous wildflower hikes that explore state parks, land trust preserves, and wilderness areas.

1. Lake Guntersville State Park Cutchenmine Trail

Hugging the base of Sand Mountain, the 2.3-mile Cutchenmine Trail is home to dogwoods, red buckeye and dozens of other wildflowers. Beginning just beyond the park office, the trail drops to a bridge, crosses a creek, and then begins to roll through pines and hardwoods. Throughout the hike you’ll encounter a few gradual climbs, but nothing too steep, so this is a popular path for beginner mountain bikers. (While hiking this trail, it’s wise to ditch the headphones and stay alert for approaching riders.)

As you walk, scan the sides of the path for trillium, which has mottled green leaves that resemble military camouflage and surround a deep red flower. Also, search for wild phlox, which has a purple star shape at the center of five delicate white petals. After you’ve traveled 2.3 miles, the trail ends at a creek that is often dry, and you can retrace your steps to the trailhead.

2. Sipsey Wilderness Thompson Creek (Trail 206)

Within the first 20 minutes of this 5-mile out-and-back hike, you can spy a wide spectrum of wildflowers, from purple trillium to yellow violets and red buckeye. From the Thompson Creek Trailhead, follow Trail 206 south and look for at least two dozen species of flowers along the edges of Thompson Creek. Keep an eye out for Virginia bluebells as well as spring beauties, with petals painted purple and white.

If you’re planning to do an overnight trip, you’ll find campsites in the low-lying areas near the water. After descending for about a half mile, the trail rises through a canyon to the point where Thompson Creek joins Hubbard Creek and forms the Sipsey Fork. Just ahead, at the 2.5-mile mark, you can scramble up to Shiprock, a massive rock formation that resembles a ship’s bow. In this area, you can also thread the Eye of the Needle by slipping between two boulders that lean against each other and form a slim opening. From here, retrace your steps to hike back to the trailhead.

3. Huntsville Land Trust Wildflower Trail

At the base of Monte Sano Mountain, beside the clear waters of Fagan Creek, the spring beauties and trout lilies are already in bloom. Along this path, you’ll find the May-apples dangling beneath their green umbrellas, while bloodroot and Virginia bluebells add bright colors to the hardwood forest. Located at the end of Cleermont Drive in southeast Huntsville, the Wildflower trail stretches only about a half mile, following a mellow stream, but you can extend your walk by ascending the mountain via the Alms House and Tollgate trails. As you climb, you’ll not only see more flowers, but also get in a workout.

From the Land Trust Parking Lot on Bankhead Parkway, the Tollgate Trail makes a moderate-to-steep ascent, and the rough and rocky path requires sturdy footwear. After winding upward through oak and hickory, this path ends on the upper portion of Bankhead Parkway. If you take this route during the latter half of April, you’ll catch the second major wave of wildflowers, including toothwort, Sweet Betsy trillium and large colonies of mature trout lily plants, which take up to seven years to flower.

Getting There: From Governor’s Drive in Huntsville, drive north on California street and turn right onto Hermitage Drive. From Hermitage Drive, turn left left onto Cleermont Drive and travel to the end of the road. A small gravel trailhead parking area is on left at the end of Cleermont.  

4. Desoto State Park/Little River Canyon

Need a quick wildflower fix? This moderate 1-mile loop is just the ticket, beginning in Desoto State Park at Indian Falls, where a thin curtain of water emerges from beneath a bridge to drop into a ravine. From the falls, the trail makes a slight incline to skirt the West Fork of Little River, where you’ll need sturdy shoes for some mild rock-hopping. As you proceed, keep your eyes peeled for the white, cupped blooms of mountain laurel, and the magenta flowers of Catawba rhododendron.

If you’re in the mood to mellow out, the riverbank is lined with broad, flat rocks where you can lie back and relax in the sun. Eventually, the trail bends away from the stream and climbs gradually to the bluff above Little River. During the ascent, you might find ivory clusters of oakleaf hydrangea, or oxeye daisy, with its thin, finger-like petals and a center that resembles an egg yolk. After you leave the bluff top, the trail quickly makes its way back to Indian Falls.

Written by Marcus Woolf for RootsRated in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of AL and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.

As devices become more integrated into a child’s development, it is more important than ever to make outdoor activity a regular part of life from an early age.

Please note: due to local and state guidelines surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, some information below may not be accurate. Before you travel and plan your next adventure, make sure to check each business/park/campsite for any closures or guidelines and for the most up to date information.

It’s Alabama, so we know the weather can be all over the place; or, as we call it “deceptive Spring”. So, here are 7 tips for introducing your kids to outdoor activities this Spring. See you outside!

The health benefits of getting outdoors are well documented. Even a simple 30-minute walk around the neighborhood can do wonders for your overall well-being. And making time to get outdoors is more important now than ever, as people of all ages spend an increasing amount of time on smartphones and tablets.

As devices become more integrated into a child’s development, it is more important than ever to make outdoor activity a regular part of life from an early age. When people aren’t exposed to outdoor activities at a young age, they often struggle to pick them up later in life. In the same way that kids grow up using and learning on devices, participation in outdoor activities should be an integral part of childhood.

Once kids get older it isn’t always easy to get them outdoors. Sometimes a hike or bike ride doesn’t seem as exciting as winning a battle on their favorite video game or watching a new YouTube video. Below are seven tips that will make it easier to pull your kids away from the tube and put down the controller.

1. Be Prepared and Consider the Weather

When you take kids outdoors, the adventure will quickly come to a halt if they get extremely hungry or thirsty. Bring a backpack with snacks and drinks, or for extended trips make a picnic lunch. It’s also a good idea to have some first-aid supplies just in case. Everyone will be much happier if you’re able to treat minor scrapes.

When kids have a positive first experience in nature, they’re much more likely to be interested in further adventures. To help ensure it’s a good time, avoid going out in bad weather. If kids wind up cold, wet, and miserable, you’ll struggle to coax them out again.

2. Start Small

If a kid has never been camping, the idea of a weekend campout under the stars may be overwhelming. Start with an overnight trip or just an evening camping in the backyard. This will help ease fears about sleeping outside, and it will give kids confidence that they can sleep with the sounds of nature.

Take this conservative approach with any outdoor activity, whether it’s hiking, mountain biking, or canoeing. Don’t ask kids to tackle difficult terrain at first. Instead, keep it simple with a trip to an interesting feature or overlook, and work your way up to the more challenging trails.

3. Turn a Hike into a Scavenger Hunt

Before you set out on a hike with kids, get them to help you research the different types of plants and animals you could come across. Make a checklist and hit the trail. This is also a good way to introduce a Leave-No-Trace approach to nature since they don’t collect the items. Having a checklist will keep them engaged during the hike and develop a greater appreciation for nature. Award bonus points or a special prize for spotting that rare salamander along the creek, a red fox creeping through the trees, or any other unique feature or creature.

4. Make a Game of It

Kids are competitive, and outdoor games are a perfect way to eliminate some screen time. Many state parks have frisbee golf courses, or you can find an open field for a game of football or soccer. You can even create a game that incorporates nature—that flowing creek is perfect for a pine cone race.

You can even play a game of hiking hide-and-seek. Someone hides behind a rock, tree, or another object about 15 to 20 feet ahead on the trail, while the rest of the group seeks while hiking. Rotate hiders as you move down the trail. It’s a twist on the traditional playground game that keeps the hike fun and exciting.

5. Use Helpful Apps

There are plenty of apps that can enhance the outdoors for your kids. When you download the free app from Geocaching.com, you can turn a walk in the woods into a hi-tech outdoor treasure hunt. With geocaching, you use a GPS or smartphone to locate a hidden object or container, known as a cache.

While part of getting outdoors is to help reduce screen time, apps that enhance the outdoors for your kids are readily available. It’s possible that a trail or astronomy app could kickstart a lifelong love of nature.

6. Teach Kids New Skills

When you introduce kids to bouldering, mountain biking, or any other outdoor activity, remember to start with the basics. Also, make sure it’s something that they’re genuinely interested in. Talk to them to find out what activity they would like to try.

If they suddenly want to start bouldering after that birthday party at the indoor climbing gym, take them to the closest boulder field, and just watch other boulderers. Join the rock-climbing gym and talk to some experts so they can hone their skills indoors before their first climb.

Take a similar path when introducing kids to mountain biking. Keep them engaged in the process of buying a bike and equipment; don’t just do it for them. This will create a sense of ownership with the sport and make it their own. Don’t push too hard on the trails at first. Instead, make sure they’re having fun and learning. It won’t be too long before you and the kids are making downhill runs together.

7. Be Patient

Every kid is different. Some will take to the outdoors right away, while others might need to be coaxed to expand their boundaries. When people try something the first time, whether it’s putting a tent together, starting a campfire, outfitting a backpack, or paddling a kayak, there will be bumps along the way. Encourage kids to overcome difficulties, but also allow them to walk away if they’re overly frustrated, tired, and truly not having a good time.

As kids learn to overcome fears and negotiate obstacles, they become more resilient mentally and build confidence. As they explore trails and paddle rivers, their time outdoors will also help them stay fit and it will put them on the path to a healthy lifestyle. And, when you help kids develop a love for the outdoors, it’s something you can share with them for a lifetime.

Written by Hap Pruitt for Matcha in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of AL and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.