Road Running in Birmingham, AL

The Ross Bridge community in Hoover is a little off the beaten path, but this place is worth seeking out to explore the idyllic streets and footpaths of this award-winning New Urbanist neighborhood with Arts and Crafts homes and inviting front porches. Ross Bridge community was designed around parks and green space, and provides easy pedestrian access to each of the architecturally distinct neighborhoods and many small parks throughout the 1,700-acre property. This provides runners with many options for everything from a 2-mile jog to an 8-mile tour of the entire community.

Another popular urban choice is the Lakeshore Trail. It follows a nice creek, and has plenty of shade and zero traffic, with the exception of one road crossing. This full out-and-back trail totals 5.2 miles with almost no elevation, and is a perfect simple, flat and scenic route. A 2.6-mile asphalt trail portion has a yellow line for bi-directional travel and is open to both foot traffic, bikes and strollers. Most of the serious cyclists will avoid the trail and stick to the adjacent road, so it’s pretty safe to pop in the ear buds and lose yourself in your tunes.