Blevins Gap's two halves are very different in size. The section south of Cecil Ashburn Drive covers 727 acres and has about 8 miles of trail, an automatic gate and what the Land Trust calls "Huntsville's best spot to enjoy spectacular valley views." The section north of the road covers 267 acres and has about 4.5 miles of trail. Its main entrance is a parking lot behind a church.
The smaller half has the longer history. It also has the trail work going on right now. Blevins Gap North sits on Huntsville Mountain, a few minutes from The Ledges, and this fall the Land Trust of North Alabama has been sending volunteer crews there to extend the Bailey Cove Trail into a new loop. Leaf-off season is also when the Land Trust's descriptions of the north side start pointing to views.
A 1988 donation that's still being built on
The Fanning Trail and the Fanning Trailhead are named for Thomas Fanning, who gave land to the Land Trust. The organization lists that gift among the first properties it received in 1988. Later that year, on December 22, 1988, Ed Stevenson donated a separate 16.9-acre parcel on Huntsville Mountain, which the Land Trust counts as its first acquisition after its founding. The Land Trust also credits the Jones family as donors of the Jones Valley Loop property.
New trail is still going into that same ground almost four decades later. The Land Trust scheduled trail-build sessions for September 5 and October 17, and the next one is Saturday, November 21. All three event listings describe the same job: extending the Bailey Cove Trail "to create a new loop at Blevins Gap North."
Short trails off one long climb
The Bailey Cove Trail is worth knowing because the new loop starts from it. The Land Trust's preserve page lists it at 0.26 mile, with a 250-foot gain beside a series of wide waterfalls. It links the Walsingham and Jones Valley Loop trails. The page also notes that it crosses several dry watersheds that "may be impractical in wet seasons."
The other north-side trails are all short except one:
| Trail | Length | What the Land Trust says about it |
|---|---|---|
| Fanning | 2.04 miles | Difficult; climbs several hundred feet in the first mile, with a loop at the top |
| Jones Valley Loop | 0.72 mile | Starts at the trailhead; crosses Bailey Cove Branch twice |
| Stevenson | 0.52 mile | Moderate; climbs 170 feet, with switchbacks that are easy to miss |
| Walsingham | 0.27 mile | Flat and open; a valley of large rocks and a spur toward Donegal Drive |
| Bailey Cove | 0.26 mile | Steep; waterfalls; 250-foot gain |
| Chittamwood | 0.23 mile | Moderately difficult; gains 109 feet between Fanning and Walsingham |
| Little Foot Loop | 0.1 mile | The shortest loop at the Fanning Trailhead |
The Fanning Trail is the only route here longer than a mile, and Chittamwood and Walsingham both connect back to it. With a network this short, one new loop is a real addition to what you can walk there.
The parking lot keeps the church's hours
The Fanning Trailhead is at 2275 Cecil Ashburn Dr SE. The trail starts in the northeast corner of the parking lot behind Southeast Church of the Nazarene, and the Land Trust lists times when that lot isn't available for trail parking:
- No trail parking on Wednesday evenings after 6 p.m.
- No trail parking on Sundays before noon.
- The lot may also close now and then for church events.
The Land Trust's general rules apply too. Trails are open dawn to dusk. Dogs must be on a leash. When a trailhead lot is full, the preserve is closed to more visitors, and parking on the street or anywhere else not marked for it isn't allowed. The Walsingham access at the end of Walsingham Road SE is a residential entrance with no parking at all.
That leaves fewer open hours than the posted dawn-to-dusk window. In mid-November, a Sunday visit to the Fanning lot has to start after noon and finish before an early sunset.
The Fanning Trail's view is a winter view
The Fanning Trail climbs with benches spaced along the way. The fourth bench sits just off the main trail at a marked overlook. The Land Trust's description of the summit is specific about the season: "Winter views at the top of this trail will allow you to see all of South Huntsville."
The other north-side trails follow the same pattern. The Stevenson Trail's single bench looks out over the valley in winter. The Walsingham Trail has winter views west across Jones Valley. Fanning, Stevenson and Walsingham are the three north-side trails whose descriptions name a winter view.
Rain affects timing too. The preserve page describes the north side's waterfalls as wet-weather falls, and the Land Trust asks visitors to stay off wet trails for 24 hours after it rains.
November 21 is the next session on the new loop
The November 21 build runs from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers meet at the Walsingham Trailhead, 7855 Walsingham Rd SE. The Land Trust's directions are to turn left onto Donegal Drive SE at the first traffic signal on Cecil Ashburn Drive, go 0.4 mile and turn left onto Walsingham Road SE.
The listing says no experience is needed. Volunteers may hike up to 3 miles with more than 250 feet of elevation change during the session. The Land Trust asks for sturdy, closed-toe shoes and recommends work gloves, eye protection, bug spray, sunscreen and water. Each person has to register separately and sign a waiver, and parents or guardians can sign up minors. If weather or trail conditions cancel the build, registered volunteers get an email.
That 250-foot figure is the same as the climb on the Bailey Cove Trail, the waterfall trail the new loop extends.
December 9 is a guided walk through most of the north side
The Land Trust's Hump Day Hike at Blevins Gap North is on Wednesday, December 9, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. It's rated moderate to difficult, takes about two hours and covers 3 to 3.5 miles. It starts at the Fanning Trailhead and uses five of the north side's trails in this order:
- Up the Fanning Trail to the Stevenson Trail.
- Along the Stevenson Trail and back onto the Fanning Trail.
- Up the Fanning Trail to the Walsingham Trail.
- Across the Walsingham Trail to the downhill Bailey Cove Trail.
- Along the Jones Valley Loop Trail beside the stream, back to the trailhead.
The route is uphill first and downhill last, so the steep Bailey Cove section is a descent. It finishes on the Jones Valley Loop, which crosses Bailey Cove Branch on a bridge and then crosses the stream again upstream. The hike is scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday, well before the church lot closes to trail parking at 6. Registration is through the Land Trust's sign-up page, and cancellations go out by email.
The Land Trust describes the Jones Valley Loop as a place where "it's easy to forget that you're just around the corner from the shopping centers and bustle of Jones Valley." One of the new businesses around that corner is on the same road as the trailhead. Waldo's Chicken & Beer opened a Jones Valley location this fall at 2100 Cecil Ashburn Dr SE, serving scratch-made fried and rotisserie chicken with Southern sides like collard greens and cheesy mac, according to Huntsville.org's roundup of new restaurants. It's at 2100 Cecil Ashburn and the trailhead is at 2275, so the two are a short drive apart on the same road.
The details of the north side are all published on the Land Trust of North Alabama's Blevins Gap page, including the trail map, the trailhead rules and the event pages for the November 21 trail build and the December 9 hike.
Public trails, winter views and a parking lot with its own hours are all part of owning on this stretch of Huntsville Mountain. Donna Burns follows this ridge closely, from the gated streets of The Ledges to the preserve land along Cecil Ashburn. If you're weighing what that setting means for a home you own or are thinking about buying, Request a Confidential Consultation.
