Parks and Recreation

The Mountain Brook Parks and Recreation Department oversees the maintenance of eleven city parks and trails, over one hundred and seven parcels of right-of-way property, as well as the sports fields at all the schools and Jewish Community Center. The department's office and maintenance facility is located beside Mountain Brook High School.

Mission statement:

To responsibly manage Mountain Brook’s natural resources and recreational facilities in order to enrich the quality of life of our residents and visitors.

Vision Statement:

As a result of the efforts of the staff of the Parks and Recreation Department, Mountain Brook residents and visitors will enjoy the finest park system and recreational facilities in the Birmingham area and in the State of Alabama.

Parks and Recreation Projects: 

Jemison Trail is now OPEN!

The construction crews are still finishing up some final details so please avoid those areas.

The City of Mountain Brook, the Friends of Jemison Park, and many donors have put over $2.7 million into making this trail better overall for everyone.  We appreciate your patience during the last several months as we made this plan a reality.

Renovations of the Jemison Trail include:

Changed the 5' concrete trail to a 9' wide asphalt trail.  This will make it much more comfortable to walk with friends and pass other groups.  

Rerouted the trail in some areas to take advantage of better views of the creek and less flooding. It also moves it further away from the traffic and sewer lids.

Additional parking has been added along the parkway with some designated handicap spaces and paved access to the trail.

A new picnic/leisure area.

Disturbed areas will be planted with native plants to create pollinator meadows.

Benches have been painted black for an updated look and have been placed in approximately the same or equivalent locations.

A new gravel trail, called Chief's Trail, on the far side of the park will give you a different view of Shades Creek while meandering through native woods that have not been visited in decades.  At the moment it is a dead end trail, but you will get a different experience each way.  One of our goals is to add another bridge at the end to connect it back to the Jemison Trail.  If you would like to make a donation that would help fund this, please visit the Friends of Jemison Park’s website at http://friendsofjemisonpark.org  

Click here for the overall plans.

The City of Mountain Brook would like to thank the following groups for their help in making the park what it is today!

Friends of Jemison Park                         Nimrod Long and Associates                     CS Beatty Construction   

Landscape Services                                 Iron City Stone                                              Glenn Paving

Schoel Engineering Company                                                                                        Wilbanks Engineering

                                                           AND ALL THE WONDERFUL DONORS!!!!               

Alabama Veteran's Memorial

This past November the Alabama Veteran’s Memorial Foundation graciously donated the Alabama Veteran’s Memorial Park to the City of Mountain Brook.  This park, located off of the Liberty Parkway exit of I-459, is home to a beautiful and humbling memorial honoring our fallen heros and a majestically large American Flag that can be seen for miles from I-459.  The 22 acre wooded property has potential for some additional passive recreational opportunities as well.  We are excited to work with the Foundation to continue their patriotic traditions and grow this into one of our premier parks. 

To learn more about the park, please visit the Alabama Veteran's Memorial website: https://www.alabamaveterans.org/

Each Memorial Day and Veteran's Day a special ceremony is held to honor all veterans and to reveal newly installed engraved bricks under the flag.  If you would like to purchase a brick, please visit the Alabama Veteran's Memorial link above.

The Memorial Day ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 1:30pm.

The Veteran's Day ceremony will be held on Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 1:30 pm.

Robot Mower at Crestline Field

Mountain Brook Parks and Recreation is trying out a new robot mower on the field at Crestline Elementary.  The students have affectionately named it Champ Jr after their mascot!  This mower is very similar to the Roomba vacuums that are now common in most households.  The mower battery operated and makes virtually no noise, which fits in perfectly with the City’s initiative to reduce noise pollution.  It will be docked at the charging station under the scoreboards during the day and will be programmed to deploy at night to cut the grass when no one should be on the field.  It operates by GPS and we have programmed its boundaries.  It will cut in straight lines and work its way across the field, getting as much done in the time period allotted.  If it doesn’t finish, it will pick up where it left off the next time it deploys and then start in a new direction with the lines.

Our hope is that this mower will keep up with the demands of the growing grass and keep a consistent finished look to the field.  This will keep us from having to inconvenience the PE classes with our large red mowers on the fields during school hours and we can focus on other details of the field.  Other benefits include less compaction because this mower is lighter. It will be able to mow when the fields are too soft for regular mowers and it will also reduce our needs for aeration and chemicals.  It will be able to mow more frequently which should help with some weed control and prevent clumping of the grass clippings too.  We are hoping this leads to a healthier more beautiful field for schools and sports while reducing our costs of maintenance.

We encourage people to look at the mower and watch it run, but please do not touch it.  Messing with it can set off alarms and/or alter the programming and prevent it from being successful.  This is a trial run and if this works like we hope it will, we will add them to other fields in the future. 

Mountain Brook Jr. High Field Improvements:

The construction of the new artificial turf field, restrooms, and 4 new tennis courts is now complete.

Please follow the same rules that apply to all the school fields/facilities.  The two main points are that they are closed to the pubic during school hours and no pets are allowed at any time except for trained service animals.

The tennis courts are generally open to the public from 7am-9pm, except when school is in session.  We are still working on the lighting system so they may not work just yet.

Please report any issues with the field or restrooms to Parks and Recreation at 205-802-3877 or minesl@mtnbrook.org.

Any groups wishing to use the field after school hours need to contact Shanda Williams at 205-802-3879 or williamssh@mtnbrook.org.

Jemison Trail Erosion project:  The bank of Shades Creek was eroding away behind the picnic area.  This was on the inside of the bend which is unusual.  Wilbanks Engineering cut down the 7 trees that were in danger of falling from erosion and used them inside the bank to help hold it.  You can see the exposed rootballs near the water's surface.  They will diffuse some of the energy of the water's current and also provide a natural habitat for many creatures. The trunks were bolted together in a cross hatch pattern and buried in the soil.  Without oxygen the trees will not rot as quickly as they would if left on top of the ground.  The grassy bank was harvested from the green area across the trail.  The thick "sod" pieces are heavy and full of living roots to add another layer of protection from any flooding.  The rock is another element placed there to help with erosion.  Even though they were purchased, the color blends beautifully with the rock found naturally in the creek.  Wilbanks Engineering did a great job of getting in and out without making it look like a sloppy construction job and we are pleased with the results.

Irondale Furnace Trail Improvements:

The Irondale Furnace Trail also received benefit from the generous donations received by the Friends of Jemison Park.  About a dozen pipes were added under the trail to help with erosion issues we've been having and the whole trail was topdressed with fresh stone.  The improvements have been completed to provide a more pleasant stroll down one of Mountain Brook's most scenic trails.

Tot Lot Improvements:

We are in the beginning stages of planning much needed improvements at the Crestline Tot Lot.  We hope to make this park more accessible and enjoyable for visitors of all ages and abilities.  Be on the lookout for more updates as they become available.

4 Pickleball courts and a public restroom are open by Crestline Elementary field!

The courts are first come first served, but we ask that you limit your time to 1-1.5 hours if others are waiting. A paddle holder has been placed outside each court to hold your place in line.  People wishing to play basketball will need to follow the same rules for the outside courts.  We are checking on an online reservation system.

Lights can be turned on with a button by one of the pickleball gates.  They will stay on for about 30 minutes and the button will need to be pushed again.  However, at 9pm the lights will turn off and stay off.

The family restroom should be open to the public until 9pm.

Courts and restrooms are open from 7am-9pm daily except for during school (M-F:7am-3pm).

Pickleball court lines have been painted on the 2 tennis courts at Overton Park.  These courts are not lighted and are open to the public from 7am-sunset.

Changes to the Dog Ordinance

For the safety and wellbeing of the children and general public that use our playgrounds and fields, no dogs are allowed at those facilities.

After much discussion over multiple council meetings that included input from the police, school officials, the Park and Rec Board, the sports groups, and dog owners, the city council approved changes to the “dog ordinance” to include banning dogs from all sports fields and parks with playgrounds.  Fines may be imposed for violations.

Dogs are still welcome on our trails and can be off leash at any of the three dog parks in Mountain Brook.  They are located at Cahaba River Walk (3503 Overton Road), by Mountain Brook Elementary field (3041 Cahaba Road), and by the Lane Parke Apartments.  We are working to improve these areas and create more community spaces for dogs.

You may read the updated ordinance in the attachment at the bottom of this page labeled Updated Dog Ordinance 2022.

Doo Your Part!  Dog waste continues to be an issue along our trails.  Disposable bags are provided at all of our trails for easy access.  Please pick up behind your pet so it does not ruin a good experience for someone else.

These are links to articles about our dog parks:

http://bhampets.com/2019/08/30/the-metro-areas-newest-dog-park-opens-in-mountain-brook/

https://www.villagelivingonline.com/schools/mbhs/city-to-get-dog-park-thanks-to-leadership-mb-participants/

https://bhamnow.com/2022/01/04/mountain-brook-is-adding-a-new-dog-park/

https://abc3340.com/news/local/new-dog-park-opening-in-mountain-brook

What's New With Our Parks:

The Athletic Complex is now complete!  We have a whole new complex complete with new fields, concession stand, restrooms, and playground.  Field 1 is now also complete with a new turf field with two smaller fields in the corners of the outfield.  It also has it's own concession stand and restrooms.  If you get a chance, go take a look!

Improvements at Cherokee Bend Elementary field have been completed.  The new layout of the field has opened the field up to more recreational opportunities and is now lit by new LED lights.  A new restroom has also been added.  2 new batting cages have been added this summer and are now open.

Going Green!  Mountain Brook is the first city in Alabama and the Southeast to have certified Green Zones.  We worked with the American Green Zone Alliance (AGZA) and Quiet Communities to declare Overton Park and the Villages Green Zones.  This means the city will use battery powered equipment instead of hand held two stroke gas engines in these areas for normal maintenance.  Battery powered equipment is quieter and healthier for the users, environment, and community as a whole. 

Here are some related articles:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/06/30/electric-lawn-care/

https://south.prolandscaperusa.com/environment/ditching-gas-powered-tools/

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2021/06/mountain-brook-trading-gas-tools-for-battery-power.html

Cahaba River Walk was dedicated as an official Cahaba Blueway access point on April 17, 2019.  Our park met their criteria for a safe site to enter the water.  The Cahaba Blueway is a new program designed to educate the public on safe practices to use in and around the Cahaba River.  They have mapped over 200 miles and have 15 points currently designated as safe sites.  They have identified several more that they will assist in making them safe.  You can visit their website at www.cahabablueway.org for more information on each site, current water quality, and other useful information.

FOX 6 story:  http://www.wbrc.com/video/2019/04/17/cahaba-blueway-access-points-dedicated/

AEDs have been placed at our parks, trails, and sports fields.  Please look for them when visiting the parks and trails so you are familiar with their locations.  If you see any issues with them, please report it to Parks and Recreation at 205-802-3877.

The City is continuing it's plan to install WiFi in its parks.  Click the button below for status updates and WiFi locations and maps.