Rainbow Mountain Nature Preserve

Well-kept and moderately busy, some signposts can be hard to see and confusing. Beautiful views with some scenic overlooks.
There is a pavilion and a port-a-potty in the lower parking area and a second parking area just up the road on the other side of the playground.

Beautiful, but keep one eye on the trail it's rocky and will get you if you aren't careful. It's a beautiful trail highly recommend it.

We really enjoyed this hiking trail the views were beautiful and the trail was very well maintained! Everything was clearly marked. The trail was a little bit more difficult terrain wise but the kids did great and it was a ton of fun

Beautiful views...unfortunately someone had the need to remove a bench overlooking Balance Rock and pushed over cliff.. Thanks to local volunteers, bench was recovered and reset to provide a resting place to take in the view.

Trail with several inner trails to choose from! I took the rainbow loop moving to the spring trail and enjoyed the moderate intensity(wouldn't recommend for anyone with knee or hip sensitivity) took me 45 minutes and enjoyed the rock formations and the spring, seeing animals drink from the spring and squirrels birds and chipmunks along the path.

A good hike that's not a long drive. No viewpoints or outlooks as you're on forested trails for almost the entire thing. It's a good, easy/moderate hike that you could take smaller kids on. The whole hike was about 3.1 miles.

Really some beautiful trails here with some amazing rock formations! Very well maintained trails as well. I hike this area every time I visit!

Exceptionally adventurous hiking right in the heart of Madison. If you visit while the ground is wet, lace up some hiking boots. The terrain is almost entirely rock surface, and the Rainbow Mountain Loop Trail dives down the mountain and then climbs back up again. Catch glimpses of rock bluffs, a waterfall, several vistas, rock formations, and plenty of beauty. Can't wait to come back when the leaves have appeared, but today's winter hike was mysterious and gorgeous in the low fog. Perfect for a lunch break hike or two.

Absolutely beautiful hike. Very rocky and alot of incline/decline. Not a bad hike though. Lace up your good hiking shoes and hit this beautiful trail. Lots of range for different levels of hikers. Short and long trails and you can even stack trails like we did for an even longer go at it. ALSO DOG FRIENDLY!

It's a pretty, albeit short trail in the heart of Madison. The main loop is roughly 2 miles, and there's a "spur" loop that adds an extra mile. There are also a couple of less-maintained side trails. They're moderately steep with a few difficult steps across rocks. By Alabama standards, I'd rate the trails somewhere between medium and hard.

It's great for kids who have at least a little hiking experience, probably 7-8 years old minimum to handle some of the rock steps?

This is a very nice system of trails. It can be pretty hilly and rocky. The trails are very well maintained and marked fairly well. There is a lot of tree cover so it stays pretty cool even on hot summer days.

Nice long trails. Little waterfall in the middle. Very cool leaning rocks in the beginning.

So much to explore on these trails! It is a good trail if you want a full shade hike. Lots of different terrains. You will be climbing and its rocky so wear durable shoes. Definitely pack water.

We went on Saturday afternoon it was lovely. We had never been to walk the trails but will be back again soon and will take a picnic and spend the day enjoying God's creative nature the squirrels and everything around us.

Great hiking trails. Beautiful views in the Fall when the leaves have fallen off. Great tree coverage. A good variety of trails that are different length and difficulty. There's a small creek that runs through the park when it rains. Love this place!

My only complaint about this trailhead is there are no bathrooms in spite of it having a playground/picnic area. The trails are surprisingly more challenging than you might think, and there are some areas perfect for bouldering on the main loop. An enjoyable hiking spot on the west side of the city for sure.

Nice rocky hiking trails. Watch your step. Where good hiking boots. We only saw 1 snake and a few birds. A couple of benches along the trails to rest and one by the small waterfalls. Always watch your step, very rocky trails. Had a great time. 2-3 hrs. Bring a walking stick if your a novice or not, it helps. We loaned 1 of ours to someone who hurt there ankle along the trail to help them walk back out.

Great walk. Great hike. Most of the trail is good for dogs. Don’t go after a rain

Tremendous hiking trails and beautiful views. Better marking is needed on the south end of the Mountain Trail to avoid going off the Land Trust property.

I really enjoyed the Rainbow Loop trail. It’s very rocky, which made for interesting scenery. Well maintained and easy to follow.

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