Section 4

This section of trail travels 13 miles from Pine Glen to the trailhead at FR 500, which is just off of US 78. Water is reliable until the shelter, but subject to weather conditions from their until just before I20. If traveling to this trailhead get off I20 onto US 78, and follow this to the top of the mountain (going west on I20 you would get off at Heflin and go west on 78, going east you get off at the exit for Cheaha State Park and then follow the road 1 mile north to 78 and then turn right onto 78 east). At the top of the mountain there will be a turn off for the Talladega Scenic Drive, on the on ramp for the Scenic Drive you will see the entrance to FR 500. The trail head is a few hundred yards from the entrance. FR 531 and then FR 500 roughly parallel the trail for most of this section. This is another great section of trail, parts of which I've done many times. This section includes the Lower Shoal Shelter which I highly recommend.

The trail starts from the road just south of the Pine Glen Campground. If you are coming south when you come out on the road there are no signs telling you that you have to cross the bridge and follow the road south a short distance to find the trail. From Pine Glen the trail follows Shoal Creek for a short distance and then climbs up a hill. Along the hill you go through some thick stands of young pine and then head down through some open sections. At the bottom there is a nice camp site visible just north of the trail. If you follow the old road bed on a short ways it will take you down to High Rock Lake, a small man-made lake. You can't see much of High Rock Lake from the trail except a wet lands where the stream feeding the lake is backed up. The forest service road (531) is just under two miles from Pine Glen. This bit is nice but not real exciting, rating of 2 stars. Trail maintenance is moderate, markings are few, and the trail is easy.

The next 3.6 miles from FR531 to the shelter crosses a bridge (one of the few on the trail), and winds beside a stream for a couple miles. This section is kind of scrubby, maintenance is okay but there are very few markings. The trail then heads gradually up a low hill and down the other side where you find the Lower Shoal Shelter. The portion of trail by the stream is rather flat, scrubby and dull. The part on the hill is kind of nice. One to Two star rating for this portion of trail, which is easy.

So, you have finally made it down the other side of the hill, you cross a good-sized brook with reliable water, and check into your room for the night. This is a great shelter, clean, and with a picnic table as well. Best of all is the location, in a pass where two streams come together between three hills. The rhododendron are green year-around, and the stream will whisper you to sleep at night. The shelters along this trail are new, and have received little use. The last fire burned all around this shelter. Some of the rhododendron have been killed and the glen isn't as green as it once was. Fortunately the shelter was not damaged besides some smoke stains, before too long it will look as beautiful as before.

When You get up the next morning you have eight beautiful miles of trail to get to the trailhead. I really like the section from the shelter to the trailhead, especially the last 4 miles. From the shelter the trail climbs up 1 mile to FR 531. The route up goes on the side of some rather steep slopes that fall down to more valleys and streams. You also go near some logged clearings, which can have a beauty of their own. Three Stars for this portion.

Another three mile section of trail twists from FR 531 to the dirt FR 523. This section twists around and around, making it feel quite long, it is certainly longer than the 2.3 miles listed on the map. There are a few cleared areas that offer views along this section, two stars, moderate maintenance, few markings, and moderately difficult.

The next 4 miles of trail goes up and down (see the profile below) and back and fourth along the side of the mountain through one large long leaf pine forest. This section affords good views of the mountain range and on a clear day you can see all the way down to Cheaha [See the photo at the right]. In wet seasons there are lots of little springs that come in through this section. Stop and enjoy the wild flowers, the lovely view, and the open forest created by these pines. This type of forest feels a little like virgin forest with many openings in the canopy, a variety of large and small trees, and relatively clear at the low level. At the end of the ridge the rail heads down, crosses the road, and shortly thereafter comes out at the FR500 trailhead by the trial tracks. This section gets a 4 star rating, is moderate to difficult, maintenance is okay but again there are very few markings.

Trail Reports

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Email:: kgncpycl@eomcvsmc.com
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Name:: lgkccuwc
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Date Hiked::: oukwbqgp
Name:: oukwbqgp
Email:: bhmfrxel@ztgvmhad.com
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Date Hiked::: 01/07/06
Name:: Jingles
Email:: pinhoti@bellsouth.net
URL:: www.pinhoti.org

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The 3.4 mile portion of section 4 from FS500 (railroad tracks) north to FS523 has been cleared of blowdowns and annual growth. Some of the blazes are faint due to a recent USFS prescribed fire burn on this section, but will soon be re-painted. This section can be easily followed. Four members of the Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama (ATCA) were on this mtce outing.

Date Hiked::: 01/07/06
Name:: Jingles
Email:: pinhoti@bellsouth.net
URL:: www.pinhoti.org

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Date Hiked::: 03/25/04
Name:: Mountain Dog
Email:: wjcjec@juno.com
URL:

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PINHOTI-SEC. 4 (3-25/28-04) I hiked this section as part of a North to South 3 section hike (sections 4,5,and 6) on the P.M. of 3-25 thru the A.M. of 3-28-04. I was told that this area has had unusually dry weather for the year. Therefore, I suspect my accounts of water are conservative and there is more water throughout much of the year. My overall account for these three sections is plenty of water, clear trails (no significant blow downs and well beaten path), sufficient blazes to keep you on track, easy to moderate terrain to hike, and the person laying out the trail took the scenic and easier routs. My accounts are based on 1-hour increments. I would hike for a full hour, take a break to make journal entries, and then hike another full hour before making additional entries. See the end of this entry for information about transport from the Lodge to the start of the trail. 3-25-04 Hour 1. I started Section 4 about 1.6 miles south of the Pine Glen Recreation Area, where Forest Service road 531 crosses the Pinhoti. (Take FS Rd. 500 North till it crosses 531 the second time and turn west). The crossing was well marked with a clear signpost on the North side of the road. There was plenty of water for the first 30 minutes, the trail was clear and well marked, there were no sudden or long periods of elevation changes, the path was soft in that it was not rocky, the area had had a fire recently and the undergrowth had been mostly destroyed (this will reduce the tick problems later). This was an easy hike. Hour 1.2 At about 12 to 15 minutes into the second hour I stopped at the Lower Shoals Shelter for the night. This is a beautiful area and I recommend any plans try targeting this area for a layover. Two good size streams with small waterfalls and rapids merge to make a larger stream. The area was clean of human trash, the sound of running water made sleeping wonderful, and there were plenty of areas to pitch a tent. The area had had a burn recently but it did not affect its beauty, it just allows you to see deeper into the woods and enjoy better scenery. This was a very easy hike, but 12 to 15 minutes ought to be easy, right? The temperature was about 48 that night. I used a Hammock with a truck sunscreen as a pad with no problem. 3-26-04 Hour 1. The burn area continued for about 30 minutes, the trail was easy to follow, an overall gain in elevation but no serious pulls, water was available in a stream on the West side of the trail, the path was soft (no rocks) and I liked the way the trail was laid out around hills. This was an easy hike. Hour 2. The trail was easy to follow, soft footing, there was a very good creek at the end of this hour, and there was a relatively steep steady gain in elevation for about 10 minutes starting at about 20 minutes into the hour. This was an easy trail and the elevation change started allowing me to see better mountainside vistas. Hour 2.8. I reached the end of section 4 about 50 minutes into the hour. The trail was easy to follow, had soft footing, crossed one almost dry stream, and had several places to look over the mountains. The section was not hard but it was more difficult than the preceding parts because of elevation changes and the pine straw base made slipping more possible, particularly on the declines. The parking area north of the RR tracks is good but somewhat isolated if someone wanted to trash a car at night.

Date Hiked::: 3/22/04
Name:: Jeff Hoogheem (Rucksack)
Email:: jeffhoog@yahoo.com
URL:

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SECTION 4: 3/22/04 & 3/23/04, Pine Glen Recreation Area to Cleburne Trailhead-FS500. I hiked sections 1 through 6 over a four day period beginning on March 20, 2004. Below is a brief account of my hike through Section 4: Direction: Southbound Distance: 13 miles Weather: 50 o-55o, Sunny, Breezy Trail: Good condition. I encountered 1-2 deadfalls requiring circumnavigation. Blazing is a mix of Blue Painted Squares, White Diamond Turkey Foot Placards and White Painted Turkey Foot Symbols. Animals: 1 Turkey, 2 Squirrels, Numerous Piliated Woodpeckers, Numerous Small Lizards People: 5 Turkey Hunters Comments: Water available at many locations through this section of trail. I encountered more people along this trail section than any other that I hiked during my 4 day trip. I camped along the ridgeline 2 miles north of the Cleburne Trailhead. There were expansive southwestern views which provided a beautiful sunset. The temperature got down to 39o at night.

Date Hiked::: 02/15/04
Name:: runrcoach
Email:: runrcoach@mycobbweb.com
URL:

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Traveled from Coleman Lake to Pine Glen. Rained the whole way but was tolerable if adequately dressed. Sction here is very moderate. When heading south just before you get to Pine Glen is a food plot, saw several Wild Turkey and deer eating there. There is new sign right as you get to the road that tells you to cross the bridge to pick up the trail. There is a pump at Pine Glen, but it was broken. Trail is uphill out of Pine Glen but is very doable.

Date Hiked::: 02/15/04
Name:: runrcoach
Email:: runrcoach@mycobbweb.com
URL:

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Date Hiked::: 9/19/03
Name:: mother theresa / litefoot
Email:: tjmothertheresa@webtv.net
URL:

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Enljoyed todays hike tremendously. We came to the "Hew log" Missionary Baptist church. The graves really got to us. How lucky we are to be in this generation. Everyone has a grave site with markings. I marvel at the people still coming on Labor day to sing and pray in tribute to them. The trail was great today, no blowdowns and quite an adventure. We did see what we think was a rattlesnake. He was on the trail and molting we think. He was still and let us go around him and did not bother us, and of course we did not bother him either. Seems like before Coleman State Park the trail was a little messy, and since it had been good. It was a little confusing trying to find the trail head after we came back from Colman. We finally walked up the road a little bit and found a trail head there and finally found our blazes. By the way the marking were very good, if the brush was not so thick. Want to mention that because we have seen worse. It did not take us more than 10 minutes to find the balzes or the trail to continue.

Date Hiked::: 9/19/03
Name:: mother theresa / litefoot
Email:: tjmothertheresa@webtv.net
URL:

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Write a report for Section 4

Average grade for this section is 6 1/2%.

Last Hiked: December, 2000

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