For anyone in Blossomwood, the most useful address on Monte Sano this fall is 2442 Bankhead Parkway. That is the Land Trust of North Alabama's Bankhead Trailhead. For the first time in October, it opens onto a paved greenway. The rest of the mountain's season follows a different schedule. Monte Sano State Park's trails close at dusk, and several of the park's ticketed fall programs begin around then.
The first fall with a paved way up
The Tollgate Greenway officially opened this spring. Partners from the City of Huntsville, Monte Sano State Park and the Land Trust held the opening ceremony on April 27, 2026, and the Land Trust announced it on April 30. The paved path runs 1.2 miles from the Bankhead Trailhead to the closed-road section of Bankhead Parkway. It has benches along the way, and the Land Trust describes it as suitable for walking, cycling and visitors with limited mobility.
Last fall the same trailhead was a construction zone. The Land Trust's notice said work was set to begin in September 2025, and the Bankhead lot was temporarily closed while it went on. So this October and November mark the greenway's first leaf season.
Here is how the Land Trust suggests using it:
- Park at Bankhead Trailhead, 2442 Bankhead Parkway.
- Walk or ride the 1.2 miles to the closed stretch of Bankhead Parkway.
- Turn around for a 2.4-mile out-and-back, or leave a second car along Bankhead Parkway if you'd like to go one way.
The timing works well this year. AL.com's 2026 fall foliage forecast puts Alabama's peak color between mid-October and early November, with North Alabama turning first. The same forecast expects color to be duller than usual across most of the state. That is a statewide forecast, not a peak date for Monte Sano. Still, the greenway's best weeks so far are almost certainly the next three. A muted year also makes a slow, paved walk with benches a better bet than a long drive somewhere else for color.
Past the pavement, the west face gets steep fast
The greenway is the easy way in. The Land Trust's other trailheads on this side of the mountain ask more of you, and they have kept their character.
Oak Park sits at 2250 Oakwood Avenue NE. The trailhead is behind the city park, off Oakwood. The Oak Park Trail is narrow and moderately difficult. It runs 0.96 miles along Dallas Spring Branch and has steep sections. The Land Trust's 2026 guided-hike description lays out a loop of about two miles past Buzzard's Roost and Dallas Branch Spring, ending back at the trailhead lot.
If you'd rather go with a guide, the Land Trust's Hump Day Hike at Monte Sano: Oak Park is Wednesday, October 21, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. It is set for late afternoon on a weekday, right in the forecast color window.
Two more Land Trust spots fill out the preserve:
- Three Caves, 901 Kennamer Drive SE, has a 0.26-mile loop around a former limestone quarry. The cave interiors are closed to visitors because of falling rock, so the walk circles the quarry rim and floor without entering the caves.
- The southern preserve lot, 1970 Monte Sano Boulevard, is a second access point if you're coming from the boulevard side.
None of these trailheads charges admission.
The summit runs on a later schedule
Getting to the state park takes longer, and that matters for planning. Alabama State Parks' posted directions go by way of Governors Drive to Monte Sano Boulevard, then Nolen Avenue to the gate. The same directions tell RVs and campers not to use Bankhead Parkway. Once you're there, the gate fee is $5 for ages 12 to 61 and $2 for ages 4 to 11 or 62 and up. Children 3 and under get in free, as do veterans and active-duty military with ID. A standard passenger vehicle pays no more than $20.
Park trails are open from early morning to dusk. Several of the park's fall programs start at that hour:
- Guided Night Hike: Owl Prowl, Friday, October 16, at 6:30 p.m. and Friday, November 6, at 6 p.m.
- Fantastic Folklore of Appalachia, Friday, October 23, at 7 p.m. The state reservation page lists an $8 program fee.
Daytime programs pick up again in mid-November. Junior Ranger: Nature Journaling 101 is Friday, November 13, at 2 p.m. Stone Cuts Guided Hikes run Saturday, November 21, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. All of these go through the park's reservation system, so check registration before driving up.
Burritt shortens its hours on November 1
Burritt on the Mountain sits on Round Top, the plateau that gives its November festival its name. It has its own deadline this fall. Through October, Burritt is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5. From November through March, weekday and Saturday hours drop to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday stays noon to 5. It is closed Mondays.
That puts Burritt's two biggest fall dates a week apart, on either side of the switch:
- Boo at Burritt, Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 4 p.m. The listing describes trick-or-treating through the historic park. It falls on the last day of summer hours.
- Round Top Folk Festival, Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the first Saturday of winter hours. The festival features traditional art and skill demonstrations along with music celebrating the culture of North Alabama and Appalachia.
Festival day has two add-ons. The Round Top Brunch runs from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in Baron Bluff. Tickets are $30 for adults and $12 for children, children under 3 are free, and brunch includes museum admission. After the festival closes, the Otis Walker Band plays a happy-hour concert from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Isenberg gazebo, included with general admission. Walker is a Memphis-born organist and songwriter, and the band's 2025 album FORWARD reached No. 19 on the Roots Music Report Blues Rock Chart.
The concert runs two hours past Burritt's new 4 p.m. winter closing time.
Here is what the mountain costs from Blossomwood, based on each organization's posted rates:
| Destination | Adult cost | Hours that matter this fall |
|---|---|---|
| Land Trust trailheads: Bankhead, Oak Park, Three Caves | No admission | Daylight |
| Monte Sano State Park gate | $5; vehicle capped at $20 | Trails early morning to dusk |
| Fantastic Folklore of Appalachia | $8 program fee | October 23, 7 p.m. |
| Burritt on the Mountain general admission | $14 plus tax | Tue to Sat 9 to 5 through Oct. 31, then 10 to 4; Sun noon to 5 |
| Round Top Brunch at Burritt | $30, museum admission included | November 7, 10 to 11:30 a.m. |
Burritt's other posted rates are $10 for children and students and $12 for seniors 60 and up and military. Children 2 and under and members get in free.
The mountain's calendar through November 21
Putting the two schedules together gives a calendar whose first weeks fall inside the forecast color window.
This week, October 16. Walk the Tollgate Greenway out-and-back in the afternoon, then drive around to the park for the 6:30 p.m. Owl Prowl.
October 18 to 23. One stop is off the mountain. The Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll is Sunday, October 18, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. at 203 Maple Hill Drive. It is free, with donations appreciated, and features costumed historical characters, exhibits, an antique auto display and children's scavenger hunts. On Wednesday, October 21, the Oak Park guided hike runs from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, October 23, is folklore night at the park.
October 31. Boo at Burritt from 1 to 4 p.m., Burritt's last afternoon on summer hours.
November 6 and 7. The second Owl Prowl starts Friday at 6 p.m., half an hour earlier than October's. Saturday is Round Top: brunch in Baron Bluff, demonstrations until 4, then the Otis Walker Band at the Isenberg gazebo until 6.
November 13 to 21. Daytime programs return at the park, with nature journaling on the 13th and the Stone Cuts hikes on the 21st, after the forecast's early-November end to peak color.
If you'd like to talk through how places like the Tollgate Greenway and Round Top shape what makes a Blossomwood address worth having, Donna Burns knows this mountain's seasons well. Request a Confidential Consultation, and we can talk about what living below Monte Sano means for your next move.
