Five Mile Creek Greenway

The Five Mile Creek Greenway is a 16.5-mile trail system that follows the path of the abandoned Cane Creek Branch rail corridor that winds its way through northern and western Jefferson County. The project first took motion in 2002 and advanced significantly once the Five Mile Creek District bought 16.5 miles of rail corridor from CSX Transportation. It is a partnership between Freshwater Land Trust and the cities of Center Point, Tarrant, Fultondale, Gardendale, Brookside and Graysville and is a component of the Red Rock Ridge & Valley Trail System.

• The trail system crosses Five Mile Creek at several points along its route.
• The abandoned rail corridor was part of the Birmingham Mineral Railroad and there are markers at various points along the Fultondale segment of the trail.
• A section of the trail in Brookside was originally supposed to cross the massive Newfound Creek Trestle until it burned in 2006.
• The newest section of the trail opened in June 2019 in Gardendale.

Trail segments

• Five Mile Creek Greenway (Brookside)
• Five Mile Creek Greenway (Center Point)
• Five Mile Creek Greenway (Fultondale) (3.5 miles completed)
• Five Mile Creek Greenway (Gardendale) (2 miles completed)
• Five Mile Creek Greenway (Graysville)
• Five Mile Creek Greenway (Tarrant)

External Links

• Freshwater Land Trust website
• Red Rock Ridge & Valley Trail System website
• Birmingham Mineral Railroad Signs Project

References

• Lindberg, Robert J. and Mitchell, Joseph (Fall 2014) "Highest wooden railroad trestle in the United States in 1904." Newsletter of the Jefferson County Historical Association.
• Harris, Erik (June 14, 2019) "5 Mile Creek Greenway opens newest section in Gardendale" North Jefferson News