Rickwood Caverns State Park held a ribbon-cutting on June 8, 2026, celebrating a brand-new access road and entrance connecting the park to Poplar Road near I-65 Exit 287. The project, funded through a General Fund appropriation from the state legislature, was completed in partnership with the Blount County Commission and includes bike lanes along the new road and a new playground.
For West Blount readers, the location carries more weight than a typical infrastructure story: local research — including on-the-ground knowledge and LIDAR terrain mapping of the historic stagecoach road toward Rickwood — points to the new entrance landing at or very near the site of Reid’s Station, the L&N Railroad depot abandoned when the line relocated through Hayden in 1914–15. The Exit 287 Neighborhood Group Facebook community takes its name from the very interchange the new entrance now connects to.
Beyond the history angle, the easier entrance likely means new visitor traffic through the immediate area — relevant to any business near Exit 287 or Poplar Road considering West Blount’s directory.
Sources: Outdoor Alabama, ALReporter, Yellowhammer News.