Latest / In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson / Fall at Alabama State Parks - TPR's In Focus - Oct. 27, 2026

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Fall at Alabama State Parks - TPR's In Focus - Oct. 27, 2026 · In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson

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  Support comes from Troy University's Trojan Cafe,
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  offering handcrafted Starbucks beverages and a wide assortment of meal
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  and snack options, located on Troy University's Montgomery campus
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  across from the Rosa Parks Library and Museum.
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  From Troy Public Radio,
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  this is the Back to Nature series from In
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  Focus, and I'm Carolyn Hutcheson. The cooler weather
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  is the perfect time to visit Alabama state parks, and Chief Natural Renée
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  Raney takes us on a radio tour.
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  She's calling the tour 5 for Fall: An Autumn Journey
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  Through Alabama State Parks. Renée joins us from
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  one of her favorite places, Cheaha State Park.
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  Renée Raiey, welcome back to Troy Public Radio.
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  I am thrilled to be back with you, Carolyn. I want to talk with you
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  about fall at the Alabama State Parks.
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  Can we take a tour on the radio? We certainly can,
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  Carolyn. This is my 2 favorite subjects, autumn and
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  Alabama State Parks. So we're going to call this 5 for Fall,
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  and I'm going to take you and our listeners to 5 of my
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  favorite parks. Well, if I'm looking at the map,
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  where are you going to start? We are going to start near Troy,
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  at Blue Springs State Park. It's only 45
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  miles from Troy University. For those who haven't
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  been there, it has a beautiful name, Blue Springs.
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  It truly does. When I step into Blue Springs State
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  Park, I begin to hear John Muir quoted in my mind,
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  in every walk with nature, one receives far more than he or she
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  seeks. And Blue Springs is such a small park,
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  but it's a jewel, and this will be our first stop on
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  this 5 for Fall. And I just believe that Blue Springs
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  is kind of where the earth seems to have opened this little window into
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  its own secret world, Carolyn. It's just amazing there.
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  So when you go to Blue Springs State Park,
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  what do you do there? So at Blue Springs State Park,
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  we have hiking trails and picnic areas, but also
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  the natural Blue Spring. Nature's created our very
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  own little living aquarium, and we're invited to come right in.
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  Imagine standing beside a spring so astonishingly
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  clear that you can see the sandy bottom, the sunlight dancing through the
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  water, and tiny little creatures going about their underwater business. The water
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  rises from the Floridian Aquifer, and it's an extraordinary reminder that there's an
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  entire hidden landscape beneath our feet.
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  So after we discover Blue Springs State Park, where next?
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  To Chewacla State Park in Auburn,
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  Alabama. And it's one of those wonderful surprises that
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  are just tucked into the Alabama landscape. You can be surrounded by the bustle of
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  the city of Auburn one moment and the university, and then in just a
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  few minutes find yourself wandering through a forest that seems to
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  have forgotten all about the outside world. And this park has a
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  beautiful lake. It's perfect for spreading out a little picnic blanket and
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  watching the autumn colors reflected in that water. Families can rent a
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  pedal boat, and you can just enjoy the lake from an entirely
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  different perspective. But I think honestly, one of the
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  most delightful treasures is the waterfall. There's something just
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  wonderfully restorative about following a woodland trail,
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  and you begin to hear that sound of tumbling water, and then discovering
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  that forest has been keeping a waterfall tucked away just for you.
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  So we grab our camera, take a picture of that beautiful
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  waterfall, and then go where next? We shall head
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  a little further north on the east side of Alabama to
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  Wind Creek State Park. Perfect park for
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  a picnic, Renee. It is.
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  It is absolutely beautiful. Now, you know, we've traveled from Blue Springs
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  that was about 300 feet above sea level, and now
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  we're doubling that. We're at about 600 feet above sea level,
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  so you're going to start seeing a little bit of landscape change
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  and open up, and the magnificent Lake Martin.
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  Oh, that lake is just so beautiful. Bird watching picnicking,
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  boating, and there's something especially beautiful about a
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  lake in autumn. Have you been to a lake in autumn, Carolyn?
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  Yes, Renee, I love those Wind Creek hiking trails
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  in the fall. You can go on a long hike, a short hike,
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  and that sunlight takes sort of a golden glow,
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  and those shoreline trees begin painting their reflections in that water,
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  and the leaves and the waves gently lapping in.
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  Families can choose their own adventure at Wind Creek. You can saddle
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  up on a guided horseback ride, or you can take a little zip through
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  the canopy of the trees on a zip line, or maybe you just want to
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  take a little walk and watch birds and squirrels. And I'll tell you something
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  really cool about Wind Creek. We now have eco
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  tours there. Our park naturalist, Captain Dylan, is offering
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  ecology tours on pontoon boats for our visitors.
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  Isn't that wonderful? That is great news.
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  So I can leave my canoe at home and take the tour on the boat.
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  That's right. Well, Renee, where do we head next
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  on our 5 for Fall tour? I must say,
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  to my favorite park, because it's the park that I was raised in,
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  the park that's nearest to my home, Cheaha State Park,
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  the highest park in Alabama at 2,407
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  feet, part of the Appalachian Mountains,
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  and probably one of the loveliest autumn locations
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  to visit. The most famous photograph is
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  Pulpit Rock, the Pulpit Rock Trail. It's a short trail that leads
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  out to a giant rock that perches on the edge of the
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  Appalachian Mountains looking over this vista, almost like an altar,
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  and it was a sacred place. Cheaha itself is a Muscogee Creek
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  word that means high place. Well, Renee,
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  it's so interesting because you have the CCC,
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  that's the Civilian Conservation Corps represented
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  there, and then you have a new lodge.
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  We have it all at Cheaha. Now, the Civilian Conservation
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  Corps began that park in the 1930s, and we have the
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  historic Bald Rock Lodge still. You can rent that
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  lodge for family reunions or special occasions,
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  and then we have now this new 32-guest room
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  lodged. Every lodge room has a private balcony
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  that looks toward Flag Mountain. It is just absolutely
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  breathtaking. Those memorable views would be so
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  hard to leave, but where do we go next?
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  We will head toward Huntsville area and Monte Sano
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  State Park, which Monte Sano means Mountain of Health.
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  When you enter Monte Sano State Park, you're entering that
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  realm of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis where you're just quite
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  sure around any corner you might see a hobbit or an elf just
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  peeking out. Then you cross over this Japanese bridge into a
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  Japanese teahouse and a garden that is breathtaking.
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  You feel that mountain of health. So I encourage everybody
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  to walk the trails in Montesanos, visit the CCC
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  Museum there as well. There's a beautiful overlook, and then that Japanese
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  garden is a do-not-miss-it type opportunity The
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  Alabama State Parks offer families affordability.
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  That's right. Alabama State Parks are a definite affordable and accessible
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  adventure, and we have something for absolutely everyone.
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  These parks belong to the people of
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  Alabama, to the communities around them, and to the global community.
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  Most of our state parks don't have admission
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  fees. The parks that do have admission fees or parking fees,
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  they're very small amounts, and Every dime spent
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  in an Alabama state park stays in that state park
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  to sustain it. The memories are priceless, even though the admission
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  is just modest. Such a gift to the people of Alabama
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  and surrounding states. The word is out,
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  Renee. So give us the website because I know your listeners
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  are excited at these opportunities.
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  Everything that a visitor would need to know is at alapark.com.
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  Alapark.com,
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  alapark.com. Renee,
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  can we continue this series? I would love
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  to continue this series. Back to Nature: 5 for
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  Fall Through the Alabama State Parks. Renee, Chief Naturalist,
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  thank you so much for joining us today with the tour idea.
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  It has been my pleasure. That was Chief Naturalist Renee
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  Rainey of the Alabama State Parks joining us from Cheaha
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  State Park. For our radio tour called Five for Fall: An
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  Autumn Journey Through Alabama State Parks.
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  She will return for a winter radio tour.
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  Thanks for joining us today for the Back to Nature series from
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  In Focus, which is a podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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  And feel free to get in touch at infocus@troy.edu.
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  I'm Carolyn Hutcheson, and this is listener-supported
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  Troy Public Radio.