Trail 209 - Sipsey River Trail
Trail 209 is the longest trail in the system at 7 miles. It goes from TR206 in the heart of the wilderness southeast to the trailhead at the Sipsey River Recreational Area. The trail connects to most of the other trails in the system and so will be sure to be a part of any hike in the wilderness. This trail connects with TR206, TR205, TR201, TR202, East Bee Branch, and TR200. The trail is described hiking from the Sipsey River Trailhead into the wilderness.
You begin by passing under the bridge that takes County Road 60 over the Sipsey River. On the other side of the bridge there are a couple huge rocks in the river acting as a gateway to the wilderness. There are camping places directly under the bridge. This is a lovely section of the river. The trail continues on beside the river, with lots of waterfalls, and a few hollows to explore. There are two branches to this trail, one going near the cliff wall and the other larger one going by the river. Take one going in and the other going out for a little variety, they both come back together before the junction with
TR200. About half a mile or a little more from the trailhead you come to the junction of TR200 and the ford of Borden Creek. You will have to wade the creek, it is very shallow here unless the water is very high, however getting up the other side is somewhat difficult be cause of mud. On the other side the trail continues for another half mile or more beside cliffs and waterfalls to Fall Creek Falls which is quite impressive. There are more camping spots along here.
From Fall Creek the trail continues between a rock wall and the river. After a short while the cliff turns away from the creek and you enter a flat thorny area, cross another creek, and continue beside the river. This two miles or so of trail from Fall Creek to the junction with TR202 are less impressive, the area is fairly scrubby and the hills lower. The ford to get to 202 is well marked on both sides, but
may be deep if the river is high. I usually cross it in bare feet as the
river bed is soft sand. From here you continue beside the river and by some large over used campsites. The trail gets prettier and prettier as you head into the Bee Branch and Thompson Creek area. TR204 branches off to the north at a marked intersection. Shortly afterwards the East Bee Branch Trail goes off to the north as well, it is unmarked but fairly obvious if you are paying attention. The trail continues beside steep cliffs and the winding river through a beautiful area until it fords the river just before or after TR205 and meets up with TR201. If you go straight at the ford you are on TR206. This trail gets a three to four star rating and is easy, there are some very nice sections but not all of them are beautiful.
Last Hiked: December 2000
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