Alabama's Longest Free-Flowing River Is A Recreational Playground Bursting With Rare Lilies In The Spring

The longest free-flowing river in Alabama stretches almost 200 miles from its source at Echo Lake, 27 miles northeast of Birmingham, to its confluence with the Alabama River to the south of Selma. The Cahaba River provides Birmingham, an artsy city with one of the country's best food scenes, with half of its drinking water. It also provides some outstanding recreational opportunities for residents and visitors to this beautiful swath of the Yellowhammer State. The Cahaba River offers solid recreational access along its entire reach, and visitors can swim, boat, and fish in its generally clean waters.

Known for being one of the last strongholds of the eponymous Cahaba lilies, a beautiful, white-flowered lily native to the American Southeast, the river is also one of the most biologically diverse in the United States. The Cahaba lily requires clean, flowing water to survive, and in the springtime, visitors to the river can take in the breathtaking sight of these lilies in full bloom, poking out of the river's shoals. The plant's mere presence is a testament to the river's general health along most of its course as it flows north to south.

For anglers, the Cahaba River is an incredible local resource. Home to 131 fish species — 18 of which are found only in the Cahaba River — the river is an excellent place for a daylong float-and-fish excursion or a quick after-work visit for local residents. Here, folks can chase largemouth bass, Alabama spotted bass, bluegill, longear sunfish, crappie, chain pickerel, and catfish. Along most of its course, the river remains relatively healthy. Even though the fishing can be pretty good, the Alabama Department of Public Health advises against eating catches from the Cahaba due to the high levels of mercury found in the fish.

To access the river, anglers should consult the Cahaba River Blueway map, an interactive map produced by the Cahaba River Society. This map and the Blueway website interact with Google Maps, so as long as anglers have access to cellular data, they can find solid river access, both for fishing and boat launching. Pro tip: for boaters, February through May is the best time to float the upper river. After May, hot summer temperatures and low water can make the river too shallow to float. Summer is a better time to visit Lake Guntersville north of Birmingham. This is Alabama's largest lake, and it's located in a state park with some of the best fishing in the Southeast.

The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge, located about 45 miles southwest of Birmingham, is a must-visit for birders and wildlife enthusiasts to see the river in its splendor. It's also the best place along the river's course to see the shoals come alive with blooming Cahaba lilies in the spring, particularly from mid-May to mid-June. As for birdwatching, you can get a glimpse of pileated woodpeckers, green herons, red-shouldered hawks, cardinals, warblers, and flycatchers. Wildlife lovers might spot white-tail deer and other southern mammals like raccoons, opossums, foxes, coyotes, and skunks. The refuge is also home to a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians, ranging from venomous copperheads to eastern diamondback rattlesnakes and cottonmouths.

The 3,600-acre refuge consists of southern loblolly and longleaf pine forests, with some hardwoods, like oak and sweetgum. Established in 2002, the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for several rare and federally listed species, like the Cahaba shiner and the goldline darter. It includes 7 miles of the river's course through central Alabama. While it's sizable in a state where public lands are generally scarce, it's dwarfed by the 14,000-acre Little Canyon River National Preserve, Alabama's only national preserve that holds waterfalls, overlooks, and one of the Southeast's deepest canyons. The Cahaba Refuge offers a different kind of retreat, however, and the chance to see its lilies in full bloom is a great reason to visit this spring.