SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER

The Alabama Tourism Department has named Sunset Drive Walking Trail in Guntersville one of Alabama’s 25 Must-Tread Trails for 2025 as a part of the celebration for the Year of Alabama Trails.

This two-year initiative is to celebrate the extensive trail systems throughout the state to promote tourism, conservation and the quality of life within Alabama.

Marshall County alone has more than 70 miles of hiking and biking trails within three state parks and in our city parks as well. To help celebrate, the Marshall County Tourism and Sports office has launched a new Hiking and Paddling Guide to help visitors navigate trails across the county. This guide showcases some of the top trails while giving tips that include but are not limited to difficulty, length, parking, fees and accessibility.

Included in the guide is the Sunset Drive Walking Trail that recently received an extension that goes under the U.S. Highway 431 bridge and ends at City Harbor. This makes the trail nearly 4 miles just one way from City Harbor to the Water Treatment Plant.

“We were so excited to hear the Sunset Drive Walking Trail was included in the top 25 trails from the state,” said Katy Norton, president of Marshall County Tourism and Sports. “The outdoors is a major draw to our area and hiking trails are a huge part of that. We hope that people not only come for the trail on Sunset Drive but also explore the many more miles of trails across our area.”

In conjunction with the Year of Alabama Trails, the Marshall County Tourism and Sports office will be releasing more trails through this year and next to help promote the area, including a Cocktail Trail coming later this spring.

The new Hiking and Paddling Guide is available at the Marshall County Tourism and Sports office at 1601 Gunter Avenue in Guntersville for visitors interested in grabbing one. The guide will soon be available online at marshallcountytourismandsports.com as well.