Special to the News
Registration is now open for the Trails of Alabama: 2026 Celebration of the Year of Trails, which is set for November 18 in Prattville.
Coffee and lunch will be provided for the event. The Alabama Trails Foundation, alongside the Alabama Tourism Department, will have several exciting reveals and awards, along with a recap of the last two years of trails activity.
Additionally, there will be two panels discussing what the future of trails in Alabama could look like.
The $50 registration fee includes a commemorative poster, coffee-table book of Alabama trails, coffee, snacks, and lunch.
The trails conference speakers include Glenda Allred, director of Alabama Tourism Department; Matthew Capps, director of the Alabama State Parks; Kelly Davis, director of research with the Outdoor Industry Association; Paul DeMarco, president of the Alabama Trails Foundation; Brandi Horton, vice president of communications of the Rails to Trails Conservancy; Tim Lindblom, Ph.D., dean of College of Science and Mathematics at Jacksonville State University; Amy Rauworth, chief research and innovation officer with Lakeshore Foundation; Andy Scott, PhD., district ranger with U.S.D.A. Forest Service Bankhead National Forest; Tom Spencer, senior research associate with Public Research Council of Alabama; and Darryl Washington, chief executive officer with Jefferson County Greenways.
The Alabama Trails Foundation also gives special thanks to the organizations who helped to make the conference possible. This year’s sponsors are the Alabama tourism Department, Alabama Trails Commission, Jacksonville State University, Innovate Alabama, Goodwyn Mills Cawood, and Rails to Trails Conservancy.
The 2026 Celebration of the Year of Trails will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. November 18 at the Montgomery Marriott Prattville Hotel & Conference Center at Capitol Hill, located at 2500 Legends Circle, Prattville.
Register online at https://alabamatrailsfoundation.org/2026celebration.
The Alabama Trails Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the development of Alabama’s outdoor recreation economy by assisting in the planning, development and maintenance of trails. Visit www.alabamatrailsfoundation.org for more information.
