Monte Sano State Park is a public recreation area and mountaintop retreat encompassing on the eastern portion of the top and slopes of

Monte Sano Mountain Monte Sano Mountain is a mountain located in Huntsville, Alabama. The name ''Monte Sano'' is Spanish for "Mountain of health". The mountain was given its name by Dr. Thomas Fern, who along with his two brothers, founded a small colony on the mo ...

on the east side of

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

has 1930s-era,

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

–built rustic cottages, hiking trails and picnic areas with scenic overlooks, and modern campsites. It is managed by the

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) is the state agency responsible for the conservation and management of Alabama's natural resources including state parks, state lands, wildlife and aquatic resources. ADCNR al ...

History

The name "Monte Sano" derives from the Spanish for "mountain of health" and is the eponymous name of the mountain that is the main feature of the park. The name reflects the 19th-century tradition of sending diphtheria, cholera and yellow fever sufferers to retreats on the mountain. A week's stay at the Hotel Monte Sano, a three-story Queen Anne–style luxury health resort with 233 rooms that opened in 1877, cost $11 and included amusements like bowling, horseback riding, croquet and lawn tennis. A railway line built to carry patients up the mountain ran from 1888 to 1896 before going bankrupt. Remnants of the line may be seen in the adjoining Monte Sano Nature Preserve operated by the Land Trust of North Alabama. The development of vaccines and treatments ended the era of health trips to the mountain. Workers with the Civilian Conservation Corps developed the park in the 1930s, constructing an amphitheater, lodge, and rustic cottages built in the

Arts and Crafts style The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

. The park officially opened on August 25, 1938. It was added to the

Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage (ARLH), commonly referred to as the Alabama Register, is an official listing of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts deemed worthy of preservation in the U.S. state of Alabama. These pr ...

in 1996.

Awards

In September 2020, Monte Sano State Park was one of eleven Alabama state parks awarded

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’s Traveler’s Choice Award, which recognizes businesses and attractions that earn consistently high user reviews.

Activities and amenities

* Overnight stays: The park has 14 cabins constructed in the

, with hand-crafted stone fireplaces and original wood flooring. In addition, the campground has modern campsites for RVs and primitive campsites for tents. * Picnicking: The picnic area overlooks a scenic valley and is adjacent to a modern playground for children. * Trails: The park features over of hiking and of mountain biking trails. * Astronomy:

Von Braun Astronomical Society The Von Braun Astronomical Society is a society of amateur and professional astronomers dedicated to education and public outreach on behalf of astronomy based in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. The society has an observatory and planetar ...

runs the planetarium and observatory.

In popular culture

The song "c u in da ballpit" by the band

Camping in Alaska Camping in Alaska is an American Midwest emo band from Huntsville, Alabama, founded in 2012, and credited with having had a significant influence on the emo revival genre. History Band members Austin Davis and Jacob Stewart met when they were 1 ...

references the park.

References

External links