The trail I’ve been going to is about a 20 minute drive away in another county. Although it’s nice, I wish there was a good trail closer to where I live. Sadly, all the development for outdoor activities seems to occur in the southern part of the county. I’d have to travel further just to go to a paved walking trail.
The unpaved trails close to where I live aren’t great, either. One of them is a series of loops around some cotton fields. The only markings are trail clearings and maybe some signs pointing in the direction one might take. I went with a friend a while back, and we actually did manage to go off trail a few times.
Sadly, the places that seem to be getting the most public works developments are the gentrified areas popping up around the city. Suburban neighborhoods and yuppie apartment complexes get nice asphalt greenways that loop around next to sports fields or residential neighborhoods. Alabama doesn’t do any planning regarding this; it’s all extra features which allow landlords to charge extra for rent.
Meanwhile, the state actually has nice scenery which is worth a long walk to see. But since people have to drive through rural neighborhoods to find them, they don’t get much in the way of development. For now, I’m burdened with inconvenience despite living close to places that would make good nature trails.
Amusing Nonsense 