Finding a place to cool off this summer doesn’t have to mean buying tickets or booking a vacation. Across Alabama, more than 70 free recreation areas offer everything from swimming beaches and fishing piers to hiking trails and lakeside picnic spots.
Those destinations are part of Alabama Power‘s network of 74 Preserves, a growing collection of free public recreation areas across 13 reservoirs designed to provide outdoor recreation while helping preserve and protect Alabama’s natural resources.
Whether you’re planning a family picnic, a day on the water with friends, or a quiet afternoon on the trail, the Preserves offer a variety of amenities. Depending on the location, visitors can find boat launches, fishing piers, fish weigh stations, playgrounds, hiking trails and designated swimming areas.
Many Preserve sites also include pollinator plots designed to attract bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, hummingbirds, lizards and bats. Alabama Power says those pollinators are essential to healthy ecosystems and many of the plants people depend on for food.
Among the 74 Preserves highlighted by Alabama Power are Double Cove Park on Logan Martin Lake, where visitors can picnic while overlooking the lake, the dam and one of the area’s most popular slalom skiing courses.
At Weiss Lake, Slackland Beach offers an accessible walking trail, picnic tables, a gazebo and a protected swimming area for day-use visitors.
Those looking to stretch their legs can visit Nature’s Way at Lake Martin. The preserve features more than 70 acres of hiking trails, picnic areas, scenic overlooks and water access.
Visitors can also stop at Holt Reservoir, located at Holt Dam on the Black Warrior River. The site includes a picnic area and fishing pier and marks the final phase of Alabama Power’s hydroelectric development of the river.
Because each Preserve has its own hours and rules, visitors should check the details before heading out. Preserve locations are listed by river and reservoir on the Shorelines website, while the Shorelines mobile app includes an interactive map to help users find recreation areas across Alabama Power’s lake system.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
