Moss Rock Preserve

Nice park. Clean. Huge. Lots of diversity in what you see. Streams. Huge boulders on the sides of hills. This allows you to climb one side or just walk on top from the other. Long expanse of water falls. One area has a massive slab of flat rock. Many kids are usually out and about exploring and many people with pets. Time of year you visit really doesn’t matter. Just dress accordingly. For easy access Boulder Fields park at the entrance near the Preserve housing area. If you like the outdoors at all this should not be missed.

This is a really nice place to go hiking with good views. However, it is a pain in the ass to find your way around. A lot of the trails are not well marked or break off two ways with it being unclear which way to go. Of course, we got lost. We followed the signs for boulder field as soon as we got there, the signs kept saying we were getting closer and closer. But, then the signs just stopped having boulder field on them even though we never reached it. My mom was able to find it the next time she went and she said we were no where near it even though had followed the signs. It is a beautiful place and I’d like to see the boulder field next time, just needs to be more clearly marked. Also, it is very secluded in parts so be sure to have something to protect yourself just incase.

The Moss Rock Preserve is the recipe for a fun afternoon no matter what age! I am lucky enough to live close by that I can walk my dog there daily, but it is a beautiful area to hike, picnic, exercise, and relax. There is a lot of rock climbing that goes on and the trails are pretty long and wooded so that you have plenty of shade. One a year they have a free music and arts festival that goes on that is something fun to look forward to with live jazz and blues bands all day. Wonderful place and if in the area I would recommend going!

As far as moderate hiking trails go, this is a good one.
Very nice trails. Very wooded… very variable, not too long if hiking/​walking thru the woods isn’t really your thing. Even if it is, there’s enough to see and have a great time. Helpful to have a trail map of course, but the one I found online seemed to be drawn slightly off when coming to certain junctions/​trail connections. Not all the junctions have signs with arrows, some do though. Also, if you happen to be on the white trail… the white paint on the trees, rocks etc has faded and unless you’ve seen how it’s done in the other colors… you wouldn’t notice that it’s white paint. Blends in very well.
Nice sights include a boulder field where people partake in rock climbing, a nice stream and small waterfall, and just good old mother nature! Once, in part of the boulder field, did come across a guy who appeared to be living there perhaps… or maybe a hippy just enjoying himself, not really sure. He had a small fire going with some canned food, was smoking, dirt black soles… *shrugs*. We spoke and kept it moving.
Again, I enjoy this place. Next I need to check out some of the shops/​restaurants at The Preserve!

I have been to the Moss Rock festival and just visiting the preserve for several years now and I have enjoyed it every time. It is a great place for just about any age. I have actually worked the festival held here twice to date. One year my daughter’s culinary team entered the cake expo for best cake design. (now know as the sweetery). They didn’t win 1^st place but it was a wonderful experience for all of us. I think I ate cake for days. what a wonderful way to put on 5 pounds… lol! Bill K is a friend/​co-​worker of mine, his wife Eileen, their son Alex, a great staff and a host of volunteers put this festival together every year. They really go out of their way and try to cater to everyone. There are so many things to see and do that you will probably be here for a couple of hours. Festival will be held on Saturday, November 1^st (10:00am-5:00pm) and Sunday, November 2^nd (10:00am-4:00pm). There will be local artist on site, art for purchase, live music, sweetery, wine tasting, a beer garden with craft beer, some of the best food trucks Birmingham has to offer, fun for the kids with Planet Project and Wonder Kids studios, (my kids enjoy the hands on crafts) hikes, geo-​coaching and eco-​ideas. Just an all around good way to spend the afternoon with family, friends, kids or just by yourself. Parking is ample but the easiest way to get there is to park at the Hoover Met stadium and take the shuttle bus. They run frequently.
In my opinion there is no better place to have a festival, it is nestled amongst a quiet, nostalgic neighborhood with the 250 acre preserve of natural beauty sat as the backdrop. Almost makes me want to start whistling the «Mayberry theme song»…
Just an FYI– Some areas of the preserve will be hard to navigate if you are in a wheel chair or have trouble with mobility on uneven surfaces).

This place is beautiful. Cliffs for bouldering, trails through wooded hills and valleys, even a wonderful creek and waterfall over a rock face.
I didn’t get to explore everything, but I’d love to go back soon. The neighborhood is beautiful and there’s even a restaurant nearby, although I haven’t gotten to try it yet.
As long as there exists such places as this and we make efforts to maintain them, there is hope for humanity.

Best place to go if you need a quick visit to nature. Always pretty if its orange in the fall or lush in the spring. And its free! Great hiking trails and place to take dogs. I dont climb but it is a huge place for climbing and closer than horse pens 40. Beautiful night and day with tons of towering rocks to scale up and sit on.

What a find in the heart of Hoover! We went to Moss Rock Preserve in order to do a little hiking and taking in of all the nature. If you love creatures like me, you may stumble upon gorgeous shimmery teal damselflies, lizards, fish, and crawdads (sadly, they had passed onto another life). It was very peaceful to walk along shaded paths by softly babbling streams. There are a lot of paths to pick from of varying lengths and difficulties. I wished the paths could have been marked a little clearer since we had to double back a few times, but oh well. They seemed well-​maintained overall. The boulders are super impressive. Be sure to check them out! I saw families (this is Hoover, after all), young people, exercisers, and dogs all enjoying the preserve.
There are a few different places to park. The parking lot we used by Simmons Middle School was all out of maps, so I’m glad we had printed one off the website ahead of time. So printing out a map before you go may be wise. Also, I was impressed that the port-​a-​potties had toilet paper. No hand sanitizer, so BYO.
I’m sure the Moss Rock Preserve has something for everyone. And the best part is that it’s free!

Moss Rock Preserve is an excellent place to visit on a get outdoors kind of day. You can walk countless trails to see different things. It’s all free and open to the public with plenty of gravel parking just a 1 minute walk away from all the rocks. If you enjoy rock climbing/​bouldering, there is more than enough to keep you busy and coming back here. Every pleasant day expect to see 3+ different groups of friends coming out here to climb. Bring your climbing shoes, crash pad, and chalk if you got it! You’ll get an excellent workout climbing these guys. There is easy enough stuff for beginners and difficult enough stuff for the folks that really want to get out and work some beta. There are also a couple rockin’ Birmingham eats just down the road from the Preserve in Tip Top Grill and Mr. P’s Deli if you don’t want to brown bag it. There might even be some lunch spots in the Preserve Development section right next to the Preserve now, too. If you got soft hands, expect to get them beat up a little bit after this climbing experience; you’ll love it and want to come back for more though!

This is my favorite hiking spot in Birmingham. My dog, McCartney, LOVES it here. On a Saturday you will see dogs, families, and couples making their way though some trails. It has never been too busy or congested that you feel like cant just enjoy the scenery. There are streams, waterfalls, rocks for climbing, hills, and signs for easy maneuvering.

If you are looking for great running trails, a nice hike, a place to climb, or just an interesting picnic spot, you’ve found it.
The trail is plenty hilly enough to make it interesting, but not too challenging for any child or adult. There are boulder fields that offer climbing challenges for all skill levels.
I generally go for my trail runs here. The boy scouts do a decent job of keeping the trails marked for my five mile (round trip) run. I did lose me my once, but was able to easily find the road and make my way back.

Beautiful, fun, & eclectic.