Monte Sano

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Monte Sano is a horseshoe-shaped mountain in Madison County, Alabama beside the city of Huntsville. The top is relatively flat and lies just under 500 meters above sea level. This elevation is about 300 meters higher than the floor of the Tennessee Valley which surrounds it. The western portion of the top is occupied by a neighborhood. The eastern portion of the top and slopes is occupied by Monte Sano State Park.

Much of the western slope of the mountain features the Monte Sano Preserve and is owned by The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama, a member supported, non-profit organization dedicated to preservation of greenspace for future generations. The Preserve is but one of three major mountain preserves which contain 33+ miles of public trails maintained by Land Trust volunteers.

Monte Sano is connected to Round Top (Burritt) Mountain by a col to the south.

The name Monte Sano means mountain of health. This name comes from the fact that curative health resorts used to be located on the mountain to take advantage of the fresh air, clean water and cooler temperatures.

Geologically, Monte Sano is a mesa separated from the main Cumberland Plateau by the Flint River Valley. It is characterized by a resistant sandstone caprock of the Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation overlying more soluble layers of Mississippian limestone. The Mississippian limestone is rich in marine fossils, especially crinoids and blastoids.