Explore the River
1.Wilson Dam Visitor Center
The Visitor Center at Wilson Dam is the perfect place to begin exploring the area. The center provides an overview of the history of Muscle Shoals and how it has been central to the development of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
2. Rockpile Trail
This 2.7-mile trail takes visitors along the river from Wilson Dam to the Old First Quarters Small Wild Area. The trail traverse everything from bluffs to woodlands.
3. Old First Quarters Trail
This trail is named for the World War I era building complex the housed the officers of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers who constructed Wilson Dam.
4. Muscle Shoals Trail
The paved Muscle Shoals Trail is perfect for bicycling or a walk through the woods. The trail offers great views of Pickwick Lake and provides excellent exercise with frequent climbs and descents
5.Southport Historical Trail
A comprehensive interpretive guide
this page online
Land Birds
Many of the trails near Wilson Dam wind through a variety of forested habitats. These trails are at their best during spring and early summer when the Yellow-billed Cuckoo can be heard croaking from overhead and Swainson’s Warbler can be found with a little patience and some luck.
Water Birds
Wilson Dam and the upper end of Pickwick Reservoir are both known to harbor good numbers of gulls and waterfowl during the winter and nesting wading birds during the summer. A number of very rare Alabama birds have been found here on a fairly regular basis.
Wild Flowers and Ferns
Walk the Old First Quarters Trail to see a profusion of wildflowers each spring. Search the forest floor for such species as Trillium, Jacob’s Ladder, and Chickweed. The lush undergrowth along the trail abounds with ferns. Maiden Hair, Christmas, and Resurrection ferns can all be found.
History
On Top of its impressive natural beauty, this area is rich in history The taming of Muscle Shoals, the important research that
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Exploration • Waterways & Vessels.
Location. 34° 47.586′ N, 87° 37.577′ W. Marker is in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in Colbert County. It is on Reservation Road. Marker is located TVA's Wilson Dam Visitor Center Bird Site #6. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Muscle Shoals AL 35661, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama and in the Shoals. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gulls Glorious Gulls (here, next to this marker); Birds of North Alabama (here, next to this marker); Wilson Dam: Cornerstone of the TVA System (a few steps from this marker); TVA: Our Enduring Mission / Powering Prosperity (a few steps from this marker); Building a New Future (a few steps from this marker); Natural and Cultural Preservation / Protecting Resources (a few steps from this marker); TVA Goes to War (a few steps from this marker); Wilson Dam: Setting the Stage (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Muscle Shoals.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 610 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 27, 2017, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
