Experience the Natural Wonders of Alabama.

November 2022

Alabama is chock-full of natural wonders. Find Alabama's majestic caverns, rivers, wetlands, scenic hiking trails, and birding trails. The state’s navigable rivers and beautiful landscapes are home to a variety of flora and fauna that make it one of the most biodiverse states in the nation. We invite you to explore all the wonders the state has to offer by embarking on your journey to some of our favorite places.

Cathedral Caverns

Marshall County

Known as one of the coolest underground adventures, Cathedral Caverns is one of the largest show caves in the nation that visitors can travel 1.3 miles within.  A huge opening leads you into the cave where you can experience the beauty of the stalagmite formations. Studies conducted by the University of Alabama’s Natural History Museum and Jacksonville State University indicate that the caves were once occupied by Native Americans.

Natural Bridge

Winston County

Outside the William Bankhead National Forest, is the longest natural bridge on this side of the Rocky Mountains.  The bridge spans 148 feet across and 60 feet wide. This scenic area has nature trails within the scenic forests and wilderness. Visitors can eat in the picnic area and shop in the gift shop. 

Majestic Caverns

Talladega County

The main room of these caverns is longer than a football field and is more than 10 stories high. This natural wonder has one of the world’s largest accumulations of onyx-marble stalagmites and stalactites. This area has a rich history. Hernando de Soto met Native Americans outside the caverns in 1540. In the 1920s, the cavern served as an illegal Speakeasy.  The Caverns have hour-long guided tours, including a beautiful laser light show!  This unique adventure also has a Cave Cafe, campground and more than 20 outside attractions. 

Pinhoti Trail

Coosa County

Known as one of the longest hikes in the state, this 337-mile trail winds through Alabama and Georgia before eventually connecting with the Appalachian Mountains. Alabama’s portion of the trail spans 177 miles from Flagg Mountain in Coosa County to Indian Mountain in Cherokee County. The Pinhoti Trail is also part of the 5,400-mile Eastern Continental Trail from Florida to Newfoundland, and the 1,800-mile Great Eastern Trail that runs west of the Appalachian Trail from Alabama to New York.

Wetumpka Impact Crater

Elmore County

The location of the Wetumpka Astrobleme - star-wound - originated from a cosmic event that occurred some 80 to 83 million years ago. It was confirmed only recently, after more than two years of extensive investigation and deep earth core drilling conducted on-site. It is one of the few above-ground impact crater locations in the United States and one of only about six in the entire World. Geologists theorize that the strike area more than likely was under a shallow sea, perhaps below 300 to 400 feet of water that they believed covered most of southern Alabama at the time of the impact. 

Walls of Jericho

Jackson County

This six-mile hike is probably one of the most difficult ones in the state, however, this half-mile hike is located in a pristine setting of a beautiful wooded canyon. Visitors can visit 3.5-mile nature walks and hiking trails, a 10-mile horseback riding trail and see walls formed from natural rocks. There are also primitive campsites are available and an amphitheater.