Noccalula Falls Park
Park
294 acres7 mi of trail
Gorge TrailBlack Creek TrailJeep Hill LoopFamily Loop+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: formulanone · CC BY-SA 2.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Gadsden
Gadsden has 24 miles of mapped trails, 0.6 for every square mile of land
The biggest trail networks: Noccalula Falls Park (7 mi). 830 acres are parks and preserves, 25 per 1,000 residents. 5% of Gadsden’s land is conserved, about 1,154 acres.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #10 of 187 in Alabama. What drives it
Conserved land
5%
1,154 acres · of 37.4 sq mi of land
Trails
24 mi
0.6 per sq mi of land
Park land
830 ac
25 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
0.4 mi
0.4 mi paths
Highest peak
682 ft
Ewing Hill
Lakes & rivers
3
7 boat launches
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Gadsden have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Gadsden is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #10 of 187 in Alabama. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; trail miles rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Gadsden’s overall grade.
Conserved land5% of the land · typical AL town 1% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.6 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (24 mi) · AL 0.1 · U.S. 0.4B+Park land25 acres of park per 1,000 residents (830 acres) · AL 8 · U.S. 13B+Parks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · AL 36% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 73%
LessMore
Alabama towns of 2,500+ (187)Ahead of 95%
Few Alabama towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Gadsden’s 5% is ahead of 87% of Alabama towns, while its trails per square mile lead 88% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Noccalula Falls Park, with 7 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
James Martin Trail Park
Park
20 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Banks Park
Park
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Noccalula Falls Park294 acres · 7 mi of trail
DirectionsJames Martin Trail Park20 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsBanks Park12 acres
Gadsden Kiwanis Park7 acres
DirectionsHickory Street Park7 acres
Moragne Park5 acres
DirectionsCherry Street Park2 acres
East Gadsden Community Park1 acres
Who protects it
1,154 conserved acres
5% of Gadsden’s land. Who manages Gadsden’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city838 ac
State natural resources158 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits118 ac
Other state land111 ac
Private owners8 ac
Local Recreation Area · 448 acLocal Park · 359 acResource Management Area · 158 acState Other or Unknown · 111 acPrivate Conservation · 59 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 46 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Bridges Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 260 | Open |
| Noccalula Falls Park Local Park | Town or city | 252 | Open |
| State-owned Submerged Lands Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 158 | Open |
| Gadsden State Community College Athletic Fields State Other or Unknown | Other state land | 111 | Restricted |
| Alabama Land Trust Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 59 | Closed |
| Gadsden Sports Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 47 | Open |
| Noccalula Fields Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 39 | Open |
| Forrest Cemetery Local Historic or Cultural Area | Town or city | 28 | Open |
| Noccalula Falls Campground Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 27 | Open |
| Kiwanis Park & Pavillion Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 21 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
32 places to go in Gadsden
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Gadsden
Sixth Street Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Gadsden
14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Gadsden
Bark ParkIn James Martin Trail Park
DirectionsBoat launches in Gadsden
7 boat launches without a name on the map.
Waterfalls in Gadsden
Noccalula FallsIn Noccalula Falls Park
DirectionsNoccalula FallsIn Noccalula Falls Park
DirectionsScenic views in Gadsden
Noccalula Falls Scenic ViewIn Noccalula Falls Park
DirectionsPlus 2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Peaks in Gadsden
Ewing Hill682 ft elevation
DirectionsCampgrounds in Gadsden
Noccalula Falls CampgroundFee · In Noccalula Falls Park
DirectionsRiver Rocks LandingFee
DirectionsThe Cove RV ResortFee
DirectionsTrails & water
11 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 2.0 miUnpaved · 0.7 mi
Black Creek Trail1.4 mi
Gorge Trail1.3 mi
Witch's Brew1.2 mi
Dog Hill1.1 mi
Rooster Ridge1.0 mi
Jeep Hill Loop0.8 mi
Whatley Trail0.8 mi
Family Loop0.5 mi
Moonshine Ridge0.5 mi
Drift Mine0.2 mi
1 more trails
Riverwalk Trail
0.2 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.4 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.4 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
21Tennis
16Baseball
3Basketball
3Football
2Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Alabama City LibraryBuilding · listed 1974
About itU.S. Post OfficeBuilding · listed 1976
About itGadsden Times-News BuildingBuilding · listed 1983
About itEleventh Street SchoolBuilding · listed 1984
About itCol. O. R. Hood HouseBuilding · listed 1986
About itLegion Park BowlStructure · listed 1988
About itForrest Cemetery Chapel and Comfort StationDistrict · listed 1992
About itCharles Gunn HouseBuilding · listed 1993
About itGadsden Downtown Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1997
About itAlabama City Wall Street Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itTurrentine Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2005
About itNoojin House and Bellevue-Mineral Springs Hotel SiteDistrict · listed 2023
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Gadsden: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 53 | 58 | 66 | 74 | 81 | 88 | 91 | 90 | 85 | 75 | 64 | 56 |
| Rain (in) | 5.1 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 5.4 |
October is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 5.7 inches fall in March, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Gadsden →
Next door
Gadsden and its neighbors
Gadsden has the most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden | 5% | 0.6 | 25 | 74% | B+ |
| Rainbow City | 2% | under 0.1 | 5 | 21% | C− |
| Attalla | 1% | 0.1 | 11 | 21% | C− |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Gadsden
Where can I hike in Gadsden?
The longest trail networks: Noccalula Falls Park, 7 miles; James Martin Trail Park, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Gadsden is conserved land?
5% of its land, against a typical 1% for an Alabama town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Gadsden’s trails?
Noccalula Falls Park and James Martin Trail Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Gadsden?
0.4 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.4 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Gadsden?
6,514 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Gadsden or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 985 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Gadsden have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #10 of 187 in Alabama. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Gadsden neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →