Where much of North Alabama feels a step removed from pure wilderness, Lake Guntersville State Park provides an interesting counterpoint. This park has 6000 acres of natural forest, including 36 miles of hiking and biking trails, all enfolding Alabama's largest lake. But it's also popular, with locals anyway, for recreational fishing, an onsite golf course and commercial activities like a zipline course ($59; closed during winter). The park's well-appointed lodge is a draw in and of itself.
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Lake Guntersville State Park
Alabama
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
13.5 MILES
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1. Cathedral Caverns State Park
13.5 MILES
The un-hyperbolic nature of the name 'Cathedral Caverns' is made evident when you first approach the cavern entrance, a whopping 126ft wide and 25ft high…
23.93 MILES
This refreshing nature preserve contains miles of easy paved trails that wind along the Flint River and nearby oxbow lakes. Playgrounds, riverbanks…
25.51 MILES
Fed by the Black Creek, Noccalula Falls plunges some 90ft into Black Creek gorge, although how much water is plunging depends on rainfall; in wet…