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Bradford Creek Trailhead at Palmer Park
4.8 ★★★★★ 96 Google reviews · Running trail in Madison, Alabama · Open 24 hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Loop distance
- 5.2 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Open 24 hours
Confirmed from Bradford Creek Trailhead at Palmer Park's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Scenic paved trail popular for walking and biking with lots of shade and creeks.
What runners say about Bradford Creek Trailhead at Palmer Park
“The trail itself is paved, very clean, great for running, biking, a picnic, a nice relaxed day on park benches, or walking for everyone (couples, families, walking your dog etc).”
“It is well travelled, scenic trail with plentiful woodland and wildlife.”
“The trail itself is paved, very clean, great for running, biking, a picnic, a nice relaxed day on park benches, or walking for everyone (couples, families, walking your dog etc).”
“Great place to go for a run its very nicely thought out so plenty of shade and it connects to another trail so you can take longer runs if you want to.”
“But it is otherwise peaceful.”
Gorgeous area to walk, run, and bike! Flat 99% of the time, barely any incline/decline. Great for families and animals. Pretty shady about half the time, we came on a warm morning and it was manageable. About 2.5 miles there, 2.5 back. We had a great walk! Will be coming back to run it.
Bradford Creek Trailhead in Madison, Alabama is paved, self paced hiking, walking, biking trail. You can start at either end of the trail. Behind Heritage Elementary School off of County Line Road or at Palmer Park off of Palmer Road. It is well travelled, scenic trail with plentiful woodland and wildlife.
Nice paced run. The path is about 2.6 miles so makes for a nice 5 mile run. It's pretty easy with very little elevation changes. The path is wide enough for multiple people. At on point it even has bike and foot traffic separated. Sweet little creek runs the entire path almost.
This trail is just over 5 miles long, both ways. I found the easiest way to get there was to turn on Palmer Rd, off County Line Rd. The traffic light for Palmer is right by the Chevron on County Line, from there its a short drive down, there's gravel parking to the right and the entrance to the trail to the left,…
Trail conditions & character
“Nice trail easy biking or walking even with the kids or pets love the views lots of trees for plenty of shade for hot days #❤#🌳#🚲”
“The trail itself is paved, very clean, great for running, biking, a picnic, a nice relaxed day on park benches, or walking for everyone (couples, families, walking your dog etc).”
“The trail itself is paved, very clean, great for running, biking, a picnic, a nice relaxed day on park benches, or walking for everyone (couples, families, walking your dog etc).”
“Great place to go for a run its very nicely thought out so plenty of shade and it connects to another trail so you can take longer runs if you want to.”
“Quick 5.2 mile paved trail if you do a round trip.”
“Bradford Creek Trailhead in Madison, Alabama is paved, self paced hiking, walking, biking trail.”
“Nice easy, wheelchair accessible trail.”
“Flat 99% of the time, barely any incline/decline.”
Plan your run at Bradford Creek Trailhead at Palmer Park
The practical stuff
- AccessOpen 24 hours — no gate to beat, so a 5am or a 10pm run both work
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- Loop distance5.2 mi back to where you parked. Long enough for a real long run.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- DogsWelcome, per reviewers. Leash rules vary by park — the trailhead sign is the authority.
- Stroller / wheelchairReported as smooth and step-free enough for a running stroller or a chair.
- Websitemadisonal.gov
- Phone(256) 772-9300
- Social Facebook
Hours
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
Running trails near Madison
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
Palmer Park
4.4 ★★★★☆ 716 reviews
Fields for many ball sports, along with a playground, concessions, picnic pavilions & batting cages.
Mill Creek Greenway
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Dublin Park
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60-acre park with sports facilities, trails, a disc golf course & indoor & outdoor swimming pools.