Finding Huntsville’s best scenic bluff overlooks
Visiting one or two of Huntsville’s scenic overlooks is a good addition to any trip to north central Alabama. These lofty spots offer stunning views overlooking the valleys, distant mountains and parts of the city.
Where’s the best bluff views found? Monte Sano State Park? Blevins Gap Nature Preserve? Burritt on the Mountain? Four are pretty easy to get to. The others require hiking or mountain-biking a good bit of distance. Here are Huntsville’s top public scenic overlooks.
Drive up to the roadside overlook at Blevins Gap Nature Preserve
The easiest to get to public scenic overlook is found adjacent to the main Blevins Gap Nature Preserve parking lot right off the curvy mountain expressway known as Cecil Ashburn Drive. The view is not as spectacular as the ones featured below, but it’s the only one that combines easy with free. You simply have to do a little driving to get there.
A large bluff-side green space is found at the west end of the lot, so you only need to walk a few yards from your car to enjoy the view:
At about 1,100 feet above sea level, the overlook features views of Redstone Arsenal, south Huntsville and the distant ridges. The old Grissom High School on Bailey Cove Road is in plain view below.
A new pollinator garden is found at the site. On the other end of the parking lot, you’ll find a trailhead that leads to eight miles of hiking and mountain biking trails on the Blevin’s Gap Nature Preserve’s southern portion.
Cecil Ashburn Drive allows Huntsville residents and visitors to travel quickly between Hampton Cove and Jones Valley. The preserve’s large gravel parking lot (MAP) holds dozens of cars and will sometimes approach its full capacity at dusk when people gather to enjoy the sunset.
Hike or mountain bike to four soaring bluff views on the south end of the Blevins Gap Nature Preserve
Additional overlooks at higher elevations can be accessed from the same Blevins Gap Nature Preserve parking lot described above (MAP). Unlike the overlook at the parking lot, a significant hike or mountain-bike ride is required. If you are willing and able, you will find four year-round, long-view bluff overlooks — two facing the east and two facing the west — close to one another near the trail’s southern end.
The 1,086-acre preserve is the second largest of the nine properties managed by the Land Trust of North Alabama. The 727-acre southern portion of the preserve is where these four overlooks are found. Please note that you can’t get to the northern part of the preserve from this trailhead.
Pictured above, from top left: The trailhead sign on the east end of the parking lot that marks the starting point for all the trails on the southern portion of the Blevins Gap Nature Preserve. One of the signs that help you navigate the preserve trails. A group of ladies make their way up one of the steep sections of the Certain Trail.
The Land Trust’s PDF map is a handy source for navigating the trails. The total distance from the trailhead to the the primary scenic overlooks, and back, will be just under four miles.
To get to overlooks, go to the Bill and Marion Certain Trail which takes you south to the north side of Green Mountain’s narrow upper spine. After enduring about 300 feet in elevation gain in the first half mile of trail, you’ll hike along a surprisingly flat plateau top for the middle part of your hike. While on the spine, the elevation along the trail remains roughly between 1,460 and 1,515 feet above sea level. The trail passes through an area where it’s only about 110 feet between the east bluff and the west bluff.
Remain on the Certain Trail, which follows the east bluff, and you will be rewarded with a pair of east-facing scenic views near the south end of the trail. The first one is found where the electricity transmission lines cut across the mountain:
Overlooking the Hampton Ridge subdivision on Big Cove Road, this spot is at 1,480 feet above sea level and about 1.35 miles from the parking lot. A low point in the nearest visible part of the valley is about 640 feet above sea level at Jack’s Creek. In the distance, you see Keel Mountain on the right and Drake Mountain on the left.
Go a little less than a quarter mile further down the trail for a similar view, but without the power lines. This is the east-facing overlook marked on the Land Trust map:
In order to enjoy the west-facing overlook, you’ll take the West Bluff Trail as you turn back to the north. Just as its name implies, the 0.8-mile trail offers an alternate route along the west side of the narrow plateau. It runs roughly parallel to, and leads back to, the Certain Trail.
One west overlook is found where the electricity distribution lines make their way down the west slope. The overlook, found at about 1,470-feet above sea level, is wide and provides a broad, long-distance look at the south Huntsville area:
On your left, you can see the Hwy. 231 bridge over the river at Ditto Landing and the mountains beyond to the south. On your right, Weeden Mountain and Madkin Mountain on Redstone Arsenal are in plain view. The smaller ridges of south Huntsville — Mathis Mountain, Weatherly Mountain and Morris Mountain — are clearly seen in the center of the view.
Next, you will continue north. It’s only a few dozens yards to the next overlook.
From here, the view narrows due to the trees. The portion of south Huntsville’s Weatherly Road that’s found between Bailey Cove Road and Memorial Parkway is clearly seen. In the center, a large cluster of buildings is easy to spot. The cluster includes Lowes, Sam’s Club, the new Grissom High School, the plaza where The Home Depot is found and the adjacent new apartments. Redstone Arsenal — including the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center — is seen in the distance.
Those overlooks on the south side of the Blevin’s Gap Nature Preserve provide spectacular visual rewards thanks to north Alabama’s mountainous terrain. Keep reading for information about other overlooks that offer views that are almost as good, and one that many people would consider to be even better.
Ascend Monte Sano Mountain to enjoy Huntsville’s highest overlooks
One of Alabama’s mountaintop state parks, Monte Sano State Park, is only 3.7-miles from downtown Huntsville — if you draw a straight line. It’s almost seven miles by car. The park has an entry fee for most persons over age 3. Camping, hiking, mountain biking, disc golfing, picnicking and enjoying the kid’s playground are among the most popular activities.
There are three well-known scenic overlooks at the state park. First, the McKay Hollow Overlook (MAP) is found at about 1,580-feet above sea level next to the playground and large picnic area. It provides a stunning view of the lower legs of Monte Sano Mountain with Huntsville Mountain in the distance:
The transmission tower next to Burritt on the Mountain is easy to spot near the middle of the vista.
The park’s North Plateau Loop takes hikers right to it. If you park on Picnic Circle, you will find the overlook about a tenth of a mile past the old picnic pavilion. It’s not much further if you park at the event lodge and walk past the old amphitheater.
Next, the Monte Sano State Park Main Overlook (MAP), or North Overlook on some maps, has a small parking lot that you can drive right into. Also easy for hikers to get to via the North Plateau Loop, this overlook features a nice view to the east and northeast:
Geographical features known as Logan Point and The Sinks dominate the closer parts of the view at this overlook found at about 1,620-feet above sea level. You also get a good look at the large valley to the northeast and the mountains of the Cumberland Plateau’s southwestern edge in the distance.
The third named overlook at the state park is O’Shaughnessy Point (MAP). It takes a hike or mountain-bike ride of at least three miles to get to. At about 1,560-feet above sea level, you can’t see a great deal from the overlook these days, at least not from April to November, due to the trees:
In the winter, you can see the subdivisions in the lower part of McKay Hollow and part of Hampton Cove. There’s a rocky bluff that stretches out for about 1,600 feet providing several vantage points for those winter views.
Dramatic elevation changes are surprisingly few and far between as you make your way down to the southern point of the plateau and back. Some very steep alternate trails are available.
Is Huntsville’s best public scenic overlook found at Burritt on the Mountain?
Burritt on the Mountain is a property located atop Round Top Mountain, which is connected to the Monte Sano ridge. This former residence is a pay-to-enter attraction containing a historic house, a park and an 1800s-themed living-farm museum. It’s also an event venue so many people enjoy the view while attending outdoor weddings, catered dinners and concerts, both day and night.
Many people would agree that Burritt’s The View outdoor event venue, found at about 1,575-feet above sea level, provides the best bluff vista in the city. It’s a lofty spot to take in many distant sights. (MAP) Much of the city you see from here sits at between 570- and 700-feet above sea level.
You need to pay to enter, or be there for an event, but it’s easy to get to once you’re inside.
I consider it Huntsville’s best scenic overlook primarily due to all that is visible from there. You have a clear view at many of the structures along Governor’s Drive including the huge Huntsville Hospital complex and First Baptist Church. To the right of Governor’s, you can see much of downtown including the county library, the Embassy Suites, the Von Braun Center and the new federal courthouse.
In the distance you can see things like the Stovehouse Entertainment District, the Huntsville VA Clinic, UAH, much of south Huntsville and the tallest displays at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. To the left of the rockets, Weeden Mountain and Madkin Mountain sit in full view.
Burritt on the Mountain is open six days a week. It has limited hours of operation — closing at 4 or 5 p.m. — depending on the season. Admission is charged. They have some after-dark events that require purchasing tickets in advance. If you attend one of those — Cocktails at The View, City Lights & Stars Concert Series, Holiday Magic Dinners, gift shop open houses and Christmas plays — you can enjoy the amazing city lights.
The Round Top Folk Festival is held each fall. Usually at least one of the three days of the festival allows those in attendant to enjoy The View all afternoon with music lasting into the night.
For details about Burritt on the Mountain, see their hours and admission webpage.