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Nature reserve · Alabama

Ruffner Mountain

Ruffner Mountain from directly overhead

Ruffner Mountain is a nature reserve in Alabama, at a recorded elevation of 316 m. Bald Rock Mountain stands 475 m to the east, 16 miles off. The nearest named place is Ellard Park, a park 1.2 miles away. Alabama's Stagecoach Route Through Leeds passes 6.8 miles off.

Ruffner Mountain is a 1,040 acre urban nature preserve located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is one of the largest privately held 501 (c) (3) urban nature preserves in the United States.

The record

What the record says

Elevation
316 m
Visiting

What to expect

Access
Yes

Official site

Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directionsPlan a drive around it
Coordinates33.56288, -86.69603
Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
  • Ellard Park: 1.2 mi
  • Don Hawkins Park: 1.6 mi
  • Ruffner Park: 1.7 mi
  • East Lake Park: 1.8 mi
  • Lynn Park: 2.0 mi
Peaks
  • Pilot Knob: 3.1 mi
  • Little Sand Mountain: 5.2 mi
  • Talladega Hill: 6.4 mi
  • Shades Mountain: 8.5 mi
  • Keeler Mountain: 9.0 mi
Historic sites: 17
  • Memorial Airpark: 2.6 mi
  • Irondale Furnace Historical Marker: 4.3 mi
  • Alabama Veterans Memorial: 4.7 mi
  • Statue of Liberty Replica: 5.6 mi
  • Robert Jemison Jr./The Old Mill Historical Marker: 6.7 mi
Museums: 12
Gardens: 9
Artworks: 8
  • Water Based: 3.2 mi
  • Magic City Sign: 7.1 mi
  • Five Points South: 7.2 mi
  • Complex Vision Mozaic: 7.4 mi
  • Vulcan: 7.5 mi
Attractions: 7
Picnic sites: 7
  • Cannon Pavillion: 14.7 mi
  • Tilton Arbor: 14.7 mi
  • Front Porch: 14.7 mi
  • Lifeguard Gazeebo: 14.7 mi
  • Judson Day Gazeebo: 14.7 mi
Cliffs: 5
Nature reserves: 3
Beaches: 2
  • Spoonwood Lake Beach: 11.4 mi
  • School Bus Island: 23.2 mi
Rest areas: 1
  • Bike Repair: 11.5 mi
Waterfalls: 1
  • Peavine Falls: 18.1 mi
Springs: 1
  • Big Spring: 21.6 mi
On the horizon

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 20.5 miles of Ruffner Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Bald Rock MountainE 80°475 m16.1 mi
Signal MountainSSE 150°460 m13.2 mi
Sand MountainSE 138°447 m13.0 mi
Butler MountainNNE 23°430 m11.8 mi
Foster MountainNNE 24°421 m11.2 mi
Cahaba MountainNE 38°419 m16.0 mi
Saint Clair MountainNNE 33°414 m20.5 mi
Black Oak MountainNNE 23°413 m10.4 mi
Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox06:5118:2618:59
June solstice05:3819:2420:01
September equinox06:3618:1218:45
December solstice06:4816:0516:43

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F454956647278828176655447
Precip in5.04.95.75.14.94.85.44.44.03.34.24.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Birmingham AP, 3 mi away.

Wildlife nearby
  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail69 obs
  • rue anemone57 obs
  • strawberry bush56 obs
  • Eastern Newt54 obs
  • woodland pinkroot52 obs
  • Northern Slimy Salamander51 obs
  • Little Sweet Betsy51 obs
  • Yellow Garden Spider50 obs

Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element way/625136599

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