A plan to protect open space and two mineral springs on the crest of Shades Mountain took a step forward when the Birmingham City Council on April 14 approved an agreement to work with the city of Hoover and the Friends of Shades Mountain to create a natural preserve for the public at Hale Springs in Bluff Park.

The triangular 18-acre site near the former Tip Top Grill spills down the steep forested bluff from Shades Crest Road over rocky outcrops and offers stunning views of Shades Valley, particularly at sunset. Except for the slender green hues of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Course fairways in the far distance, the scene is uninterrupted by development.

“It’s important because it’s the last great open space on the mountain,” said Larry Rodick, president of Friends of Shades Mountain, the nonprofit organization spearheading the effort to preserve the site. “There’s historical value and there’s scenic value. I would say it’s those two things together.”

The Birmingham City Council’s agreement is the latest measure in the two-year endeavor led by the Friends to bring the natural preserve to fruition.

Key to the plan is acquiring the 18 acres, which are in Birmingham on privately owned land and border Hoover. The Friends applied to the Forever Wild Land Trust to buy the land, which in turn asked the group to get commitments from the cities involved, Rodick said.

In December, the Hoover City Council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the preservation and development of Hale Springs and to support its nomination by the Friends to Forever Wild.

There is one more commitment to obtain, Rodick said. Jefferson County owns about 400 acres below Hale Springs stretching all the way to Shades Creek, which winds through the valley. While the preserve area isn’t directly on that property, the Friends need the county’s permission to put a trail or trails through the land to the creek, leading to a trailhead and a small parking area.

Rodick said the group hopes to get the county’s agreement by this summer and ask Forever Wild to buy the 18 acres. Even if that happens, “there’s still a long way to go,” he said, as Forever Wild will have to negotiate the purchase with the property owner. Plus, a switchback trail from the top of the bluff, trailhead and a small parking area will need to be built.

“I envision it over the next two years, getting some of the trail built, if not all of it,” Rodick added.

Place in History

Bluff Park, now part of Hoover, developed in the 19^th century, and the mineral springs provided drinking water for the first settlers, Rodick said. As the century progressed, the mountaintop community with its cooler temperatures and breezes became popular among those seeking relief from the summer heat.

“Everybody used to come up here to get away from the heat,” Rodick said.

The reputed health benefits of the mineral water also drew visitors back in the day, he added. Freestone water, primarily from rainfall, feeds one spring, and chalybeate water, which contains iron salts, flows from the other.

The springs lost their importance over the years as wells were dug on the mountain top and the area developed into the community of Bluff Park, according to the Hoover Historical Society’s website.