James D. Martin Wildlife Park Walking & Birding Path

The James D. Martin Wildlife Park bird sanctuary is part of The Alabama Birding Trails. Located off Hwy 411, just behind the Gadsden Mall, the park offers exciting views of a heron rookery and access to several miles of walking trails. Much of the trails are boardwalk, maintained by the city of Gadsden.

Efforts to transform flood plains and other wildlife acreage into recreational space are much appreciated by hikers, bikers, and others who enjoy the outdoors. The park was opened on October 15, 1991, and dedicated to James D. Martin, a Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Elevated board walks with scenic vantage points, paved walking/biking paths, and hiking trails through the woods are some of the amenities offered to visitors to the Park. In addition, the trail passes right by an active heron rookery, filled each spring with hundreds of nesting egrets, cormorants and herons, providing a close up and personal bird-watching experience for all visitors.

The James D. Martin Wildlife Park offers exceptional facilities for exploring an extensive backwater of Neely Henry Lake, on the Coosa River in the City of Gadsden.  In addition to a walking trail along the shoreline, a network of boardwalks allows visitors to walk out into the 300-acre lake, and even to visit a series of wooded islands situated along the mouth of Black Creek, providing superb views of the wildlife of this rich and varied ecosystem.

There is a much more secluded entry into the park on the western side of the park as well.