Ruffner Mountain Ore Crusher for #3 Slope Mine — Local services in Irondale

A short hike from the Nature Center with modest changes in elevation brings you to Ore Crusher #3. This gyratory crusher looms over the old railbed and I claim that it resembles a Dalek when you are first see it through the trees while winding down into the valley. Walking up behind the crusher brings you to an old cistern -operations were steam engine powered - the foundations of an winch that pulled carts, and the entrance to mine #2. The army Corps of Engineers secured the mine entrance, good, but left an ugly gravel...

My husband visits Ruffner almost daily and while I'm glad it's here in Birmingham, I usually pass on joining him. But! We took the "Ridges and Valleys" trail a couple of weeks ago and now I'm hooked! It's like slipping out of Birmingham and entering another world - completely. Birmingham is beyond lucky to have this protected natural space. To get to this trail, we park at the Irondale ball fields and everything is clearly marked. Bravo,...

I’m ashamed to say that I never knew how close this nature preserve is to Birmingham and had no clue of the beauty it holds. My kids and I will be visiting all...