Trail 200 - Borden Creek Trail

Trail 200 is a short (2.7 mile) trail which follows Borden Creek and passes through some beautiful and unique areas in the wilderness and is essential for planning a long loop in the wilderness. with a northern terminus on at the forest service 224 trailhead which is inside the wilderness area (coming west on 60 make a left on the first obviously used forest service road just over half a mile from 33). I've heard that this trailhead is no longer accessible because of trees left in the road after the last ice storm. It would be a 3-4 mile walk to get to the trailhead from 60. Also at the FS224 trailhead you can take TR210 north all the way to the Gum Pond Cemetery Trailhead, a new trail TR203 north east to where it joins with FS208 on the upper side of the wilderness, or TR224 north west which leads eventually to the Thompson Creek Trailhead or up to the Gum Pond Trailhead. The southern end of TR200 is at TR209, on which you can go one mile south to the Sipsey River Trial Head or northwest into the heart of the wilderness. I usually hike the trail from south to north, so that is how I'll review it.

The trail starts on the east side of where TR209 fords Borden Creek. There is a camp site here that is okay and heavily used and a trail marker. The trail follows the creek a good ways up the bank. Waterfalls are less plentiful on this trail, although there are a couple in wetter weather. There will be another camping site that is nice but not spectacular just down from the trail about half a mile to a mile from the southern end. There is also one waterfall that you can walk back to. About a mile out you will cross a stream with steep muddy banks. On the other side is a level area covered with scrubby brush and weeds. Some people camp here, don't ask me why. You continue around a couple of bends. You can here what sounds like an impressive waterfalls on the other side of the creek. I haven't yet explored to see how impressive it is. Around another bend you will come to a large straight wall with some cool pockets. Just beyond this wall the trail goes into a cave. The cave is damp and can be a squeeze at one point, you will have to take off your pack. The cave is 50 to 100 feet long and comes out at a water dribble that is sometimes a nice falls. If you look it is possible to go over the cave without too much difficulty, but I think the cave is fun. The trailhead isn't far beyond the cave, a quarter of a mile maybe. You will also see some potential camping spots near the trailhead above the stream. This trail is easy and gets a three to four star rating.

The Sipsey Wilderness

Last Hiked: June, 1999

This site is brought to you by the Alabama Hiking Trail Society, dedicated to completing the Eastern Continental Trail and increasing hiking opportunities in Alabama.  We hope you find the information useful and will consider supporting the AHTS.  Before you leave please visit the AHTS web page to learn more about us and the work we do.

Please help make this site interactive by providing your feedback and updates on the trails and signing the guestbook.  The guestbook and discussion board can be found under "Trail Talk." 

About Lee, webmaster and author of Hiking Alabama

Last Updated: April 2003

© 1999, 2000, 2001 M. Lee Van Horn. All text and photos on this site are the exclusive copyright of M. Lee Van Horn and the Alabama Hiking Trail Society unless otherwise noted. No text or photos may be reproduced without consent of the author. No page herein may be reproduced or contained within another page or window. Links to this site are greatly appreciated and should be directed to this page.