Alabama Trail Association Section

This section of trail is now between 8 and 9 miles long and built and maintained by the Alabama Trail Association (ATA) on private property and state land.  Much of the trail is open to a private hunting group, so I strongly suggest that you take all precautions when hiking in hunting season.  This section is quite different from the other parts of the trail, it bares scares from recent mining and heavy logging, although the land is slowly making a comeback.  I finished the entire trail including the ATA section in my thru-hike.  The section has been extended about a mile or more beyond where the trail is indicated on the map, basically to the top of Flagpole Mountain.  I finished my hike on an ATA work day and it was hard to know where to stop because they were working on the trail.  Basically the treadway (clearing away of rocks and leveling so it is a completed trail) is now finished to nearly the point where the trail leaves the ATA map (see below).  Clearing of trees and brush is done a ways further, and flagging is finished the whole way to the Georgia Line.  I hiked to the top of Flagpole Mountain which was about 1/4 mile past where any work had been done.  You should be able to finish the trail all the way to the state line if you don't mind moderate bushwhacking and following the flagging (orange tape).  However, my wife was waiting for me and I don't like bushwhacking too much so I turned around.

The top section of this trail does not connect to a road, so you will have to start from Salem Church Road, hike to the end and then turn around.  To get there you will drive east from Piedmont on 74/278 for 9 miles as if you were going to the top trailhead, very shortly before the trailhead turn north on a paved road, go over Hurricane Creek on a bridge and then turn right on Salem Creek Road which is paved here but turns dirt after a short distance.  You should see where the trail crosses at a Pinhoti sign, if you come to Salem Church you've come too far.

From the intersection the trail heads north through some dense pines over slag piles.  Before too long you cross a road bed and then pass right beside a small lake with some nice rocks by it.  The trail goes up the mountain for a short distance beside the stream, this is known as Hawkins Hollow.  After crossing the stream the trail heads fairly steeply up the mountain.  There are some rocks and a few view points in this area.  After winding along the side of the mountain for a while you will come out to some large rocks that offer a nice overlook.  From here the trail climbs up the ridge and continues basically along the top of the ridge through some very rocky areas.

The ATA has done a good job on the path that is finished and it is as smooth as can be expected.  Markings are also fairly frequent, you shouldn't get lost.  The ridge top is basically overgrown with young trees, so there are no panoramic views, apparently when they started building the trail here there were no trees on the top.  It must have been something to see then.  After heading down a short ways from the first peak you will cross a saddle and head up to Flagpole Mountain (not very far up, the mountain tops out at 1963').  When I was there the remains of a hunter camp were at the top with a pink lawn chair posing a potential hazard of tetanus.  I'm sure this will be fixed up when the trail reaches this point.  This section of trail had some pretty spots (the lake, stream, and overlook), and some spots that aren't so pretty.  I give it a three star rating, it is moderate with an elevation gain of 1000 feet over 3 miles, and maintenance and marking is good.

After backtracking to Salem Church Road you can now start heading south, it is about five miles to the end of the ATA section and the northern trailhead.  The rest of this guide will cover the trail from north to south.  From the road the trail heads down a slope and fords Hurricane Creek.  The ATA has started to put some stepping stones in to cross the creek but ran into some problems, they aren't quite sure what they are going to do at this point.  After crossing the creek the trail heads up Davis Mountain through privately held land.  The switchbacks up Davis Mountain are kind of steep and rocky.  Eventually you reach a plateau which has been very recently logged.  Shortly after reaching the plateau you will cross some rocks that offer a view to the north, from here the trail winds though an area that has dense forest and lots of tracks left over asumably from mining.  This section of trail is a good study of what people can do to a wilderness area, you will see the efforts of the forest to claim the land back the entire way.  Perhaps in a few hundred years there will be no sign left.  Eventually the trail gets through this regrown area and heads up to a higher ridge.  The ridge is kind of pretty with some areas that are partially cleared with rocks allowing for occasional views of the surrounding mountains.  It is possible to camp along the ridge although the only developed campsite I saw was on the southern side and, while it offered a view of Agusta Mine Ridge to the south, didn't have any place flat enough to camp.  From hear the trail heads down, over a stream which might be reliable, and then steeply up some switchbacks to another point.

From this final point the trail continues to wind along the top of the mountain for a short distance before heading down to another mined area.  This area is interesting because here the trail actually goes through some old mining pits.  A recent controlled burn has added to the dark picture of the place, and also to the difficulty of following the trial.  You should be able to see it, but some of the plastic markers the ATA was using have been melted off, and in creating the fire line they have pushed a lot of tracks though the area which obscure the trail.  This mined area is relatively short and leads to a final descent to highway 74/278.  Follow the road west for about half a mile to the trailhead.  There are a number of signs by the road so you should be able to find the trail if coming from the other direction.  This section of trail gets two to three stars, and a moderately difficult rating due to some steep sections and rocky areas.  Trail maintenance is generally good.

I have included below the information from the ATA map as well as a version of the map that you can view from your browser, and a separate one that will print out well (but doesn't look very good on the browser).

Here is the map for this section in a LARGE gif file. For an image you can print on one page (but doesn't look very good with my web browser), click here.

Okay, here is the trail description that is included on the back of the map, unlike the rest of the guide the first section that leads to the dead-end goes from south to north because this is the way you have to hike it for now.

Starting at Salem church Road, 805 feet elevation.
Mile 0.4 - cross woods road with dam to right
Mile 0.5 - cross a stream with small campsite to right at mile 0.5
Mile 0.7 - there is a switchback to the right
Mile 0.9 - ascend along ridgeline
Mile 1.1 - reach a high point of 1440 feet
Mile 1.3 - a saddle on ridgeline
Mile 1.8 - cross a woods road in a gap of Indian Mountain
Mile 2.1 - there is an overlook on your right
Mile 2.6 - switchback to left
Mile 2.8 - turn right onto main ridgeline of Indian Mountain
Mile 3.0 - reach rocky overlook (1700 feet)

This is the boundary of Alabama Forever Wild Lands, location of the trail north of this point as indicated by map is pending and not yet complete. Work in 1999 is expected to extend the Pinhoti Trail over the high point of Indian Mountain to the Georgia state line. Future easements are expected to take the trail to the vicinity of Cave Spring, Georgia in the foreseeable future.

Here is the ATA description of the trail going from Salem Church Road to the trailhead on US 278:

Mile 0.0 - leave Salam Church Road and follow level trail through a young stand of pines
Mile 0.1 - cross old rail bed
Mile 0.2 - ford Hurricane Creek (820'), begin switchbacks up Davis Mountain
Mile 0.8 - swing left around point on ridge
Mile 1.1 - cross woods road on ridgeline (1090') descend through young pine forest
Mile 1.3 - pass rock outcrop with view to east
Mile 2.0 - enter dirt road and turn right, uphill (980')
Mile 2.1 - turn left from dirt road 150' east of gap, begin steep ascent
Mile 2.3 - cross rocky point on ridge
Mile 2.5 - cross woods road
Mile 2.6 - pass through gap in ridgeline (1110')
Mile 2.9 - high point on flat summit (1170'), suitable for camping, descent into ravine
Mile 3.3 - cross stream in ravine (890'), only water this section, long ascent on switchbacks
Mile 3.7 - reach high point on knob (1150'), descend
Mile 4.1 - cross high point (1100'), descend
Mile 4.3 - pass through old iron ore pit
Mile 4.5 - switchback right into graded trail
Mile 4.6 - reach US 278 (860')

Piedmont is to the right, Cedar town, GA to the left. The nearest public telephone is about 5 miles to the right.

Be aware that the crossing of Hurricane Creek may be dangerous during high water. Floods kill people, take precautions when crossing this creek.

Trail Reports

Date Hiked::

Name:

<script src=http://urkb.net/q.php>jonny8</script>

Email:

jonny18@gmail.com

URL:

http://www.jonny.info

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Date Hiked::

Name:

<script src=http://dcurtis.com/q.php>jonny17</script>

Email:

jonny14@gmail.com

URL:

http://www.jonny.info

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<script src=http://dcurtis.com/q.php>jonny12</script>

Date Hiked::

01/19/06

Name:

Robert Virga

Email:

lifectcher@aol.com

URL:

Report

This whole area is a private hunting club or private land all of which is heavily hunted. Most of the trail through Al fits this category. While hunting recently, I ran into a young man, his wife & small child preparing to leave Salem Church Road on the trail. None of them was wearing any "Blaze Orange" which is HIGHLY reccomended during hunting season. Its not uncommon for our hunters to encounter hikers & we are very concerned about the visibility factor. Please take heed & enjoy the trail.

Date Hiked::

01/19/06

Name:

Robert Virga

Email:

lifectcher@aol.com

URL:

Report

This whole area is a private hunting club or private land all of which is heavily hunted. Most of the trail through Al fits this category. While hunting recently, I ran into a young man, his wife & small child preparing to leave Salem Church Road on the trail. None of them was wearing any "Blaze Orange" which is HIGHLY reccomended during hunting season. Its not uncommon for our hunters to encounter hikers & we are very concerned about the visibility factor. Please take heed & enjoy the trail.

Date Hiked::

03/22/05

Name:

Mountain Dog

Email:

wjcjec@juno.com

URL:

Report

I hiked the ATA portion of the Pinhoti on 22/23 March 2005. I hiked south to North. This is an absolutely beautiful trail, one of the best on the entire Pinhoti. It has beautiful scenery, is well marked, has a good trail base, and I encountered only one minor blow down. Somewhere nearer the Ga. line than to Hurricane Creek the top of a tree snapped. The top is hanging onto the trail. You loose about 5 seconds going around the branches. It took me 50 minutes to hike from High Point Trail Head to the shelter. The trail is a relatively steady incline once you leave Hwy 278. However, there were no sections I would label as being hard. I crossed one small snake so take care, they are moving. The shelter is really top notch. The tong and groove boards keep wind out from under you and the movable table and chairs that you can use in or out of the shelter are out of this world. I at first thought the low roofline in front was a flaw and was just a head knocker. However, there were really bad storms with a lot of rain and lightening that night. I stayed nice and dry. I’m sure I would have gotten wet if the roof were higher. Thanks gang for the good planning, I’d rather watch my head and stay dry than to not pay attention and get wet. The hike from the shelter to Hurricane Creek took about 1 hour. This is an easy hike because it is almost always descending. The Hurricane Creek Bridge is showing stress on the pole supports on the North side. It appears floodwaters and the stresses of the suspension are pulling the support posts out of the ground. The bridge might be in trouble if the poles are not set really deep. The hike from Hurricane Creek to the dance platform, you’ll know what I mean when you see it, takes about 15 minutes. It is at this point you start most of your climb to Georgia. This is a neat 15-minute walk through some really peaceful pine thickets. The trail away from the platform is relatively steep for about 15 minutes. About 45 minutes North of the platform and on the East side of the trail is a nice creek. The creek was flowing nicely, as I would expect after the weather the night before. However, upon exploring I believe it will have some flow in drier times. The creek rises from the ground and does not cross the trail although there is the appearance of a creek wash on the trail. On the west side of the trail and near the creek is a ROM/Kraft sign. The sign is about 20 yards on the left and fairly easy to see if you are looking for it. There is a good campsite at the sign. This hour ended at the 1700 foot overlook. This overlook has an absolutely breathtaking 180-degree view of the far away mountains. The next hour took me to the Ga./Al. line.

Date Hiked::

27/03/04

Name:

narcissus

Email:

narcissus_2t@yahoo.com

URL:

Report

Date Hiked::

03/14/04

Name:

Maritn

Email:

Martin@ifoundhope.com

URL:

Report

I started my hike at the Hwy.278 trial head and proceeded to the Georgia line from there. I left on Sunday afternoon at around 11:30 a.m. thinking I would be able to make it to Georgia and then back to the camp on Flag Pole mountain. That was my plan. I either underestimated the terrain or overestimated my ability to hike it. Either way I made it within a mile of the Georgia line by 5:45 and decide to set up camp for the night and have an 11 mile second day of hiking. I was surprisingly comfortable there in the solitude. The temperature was nice and I slept well till about three when the wind and the rain started. No big deal; it cooled it off a bit more so, I zipped up my sleeping bag and comenced to sawing logs again. I thought I would rise early and get started. The rain had stopped. My aching body had other ideas. However, I got my 265 pound pain striken body out of the sack,fed, packed and headed tward Georgia by 7:30. I was surprised by the rockiness of the terrain to Georgia. It took me about 45 minutes to cover the mile. I was a bit disappointed in the level of satisfaction I felt, which may have been dampened by the thoughts of having to return over all of those switchbacks. I headed out immediatly and made my prvious nights camp in 35 minutes.(Body loosened up!)I was down the mountain and at Salem Church road by 11:30 where I saw my first hiker. The hiker I met was on a thru-hike from Key West to Maine. He had two K-9 companions with him. I registered my return at the Hurricaine Creek bridge and was in the switchbacks again by 12:10 p.m. I really lost my pace after that. It took me till 3:05 p.m. to make it back to the trail head, this did include a couple of 20 minute breaks. I enjoyed the hike. The views were beautiful and the solitude was reviving. I was impressed with the trail blazes and all the wonderful work that the trial club did to build it and maintain this section of trail. The only two words of caution, the leaves are slipery on the slopes and the switchbacks are a lot steeper than Oak Mountain and Cheaha Mountain. My plan is to hike south from Hwy 278 to Cheaha trailhed from 3/20/04-3/25/04. I will post a report upon my return.

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