PTA Section 10

PTA Site Map / etrail or snailtrail
The Pinhoti Trail
A Southeast Region Appalachian Trail Connector

Northbound snailtrail / Section 10
Northern Terminus / Finish Hike
136.1 ~ Burns Trailhead
119.8 ~ Pine Glen Trailhead
Southern Terminus / Start Hike

Reference Points ~ Coleman Lake Campground, Heflin, AL
Hike Distance ~ 16.3 Miles
Hiking Time vs Distance ~ 30 Minutes = 1 Mile
Trail Blazes ~ Light Blue Vertical Rectangles
Trail Description ~ Moderate ~ Foothills, Watersheds, Short Climbs

Driving Directions
For a weekend section hike, you may want to bring two vehicles to the trail so that you can shuttle
yourselves from one end of your chosen section to the other. First, you will need to park your
“finish hike vehicle” at your section’s northern terminus and then drive your “start hike vehicle” down
to your section’s southern terminus.

Northern Terminus / Park Finish Hike Vehicle First
136.1 ~ BURNS TRAILHEAD

Exit I-20 at US 431, east of Oxford, AL.

Go north 0.3 miles to US 78. Turn right.

Go 3.9 miles to AL 9. Turn left.

Go 10.9 miles to CR 55, at the yellow flashing light. Turn right.

Go 4.2 miles to the Burns Trailhead parking area, on the left.

Southern Terminus / Park Start Hike Vehicle
119.8 ~ PINE GLEN CAMPGROUND

From the Burns Trailhead parking area, turn left on CR 55.

Go 4.6 miles to a dirt road, FS 500. Turn right. There is a black mailbox on the right at this

turn with the address-20346.

Go 5.3 miles to the right turn where FS 500 becomes a paved road. Turn right.

Go 2.0 miles to the stop sign. Turn left on FS 500.

Go 0.3 miles to the stop sign. Turn right on FS 500.

Go 4.4 miles to the Pine Glen Campground, on the right.

Hiking Directions
Southern Terminus / Start Hike
119.8 ~ PINE GLEN CAMPGROUND / FS 500 ~ 950' ~ LC, RW (Photo by TC)

From the

campground

entrance,

turn left on FS 500 and cross the Shoal Creek

Bridge and

then

enter the

woods on the right.

The trail will follow Shoal Creek for about a

mile. This area is rich in

history,

which includes

the

annual spring migration of

the Rainbow Family -

LC, RW

~ This is a great campground on Shoal Creek with a lot of primitive

campsites and a

new 3

seater SST Outhouse (Sweet Smelling Toilets).

Typical

government oxymoron, huh ? !

This Federal

Campground cost 3$ a

night (2003) and

is open year round.

NEXT RW

~ 2.6 miles.

Hiking Alabama Guest Book entry by Tim Lewis: In 1973, I worked as a

junior in

high school for

the Youth Conservation Corps and part of our job was

building the

Pinhoti Trail in Sweetwater

Lake, Coleman Lake, Pine Glen area.

Its gratifying to

know that people use it.

119.9 ~ DOUBLE BRIDGES ~ SW
122.1 ~ BRIDGE ~ SW ~ (Photo)

This nice bridge was furnished by the Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama.

Thanks!

FLOWER

ING TREE

Tulip Poplar

~ Yellow ~ May

122.4 ~ SWEETWATER LAKE DAM ~ 1000' ~ LC, RW

AKA Lake 13. This is the first of the three

you

will come to

the Pinhoti. The trail crosses

over the

spillway

section of the

dam

straight in front of you

and

then

goes around the left

side

of the lake up to the

parking area.

Don't worry too much if you hear wild

screaming in the middle of the night,

it's

just

Bigfoot

stepping on a briar or

something : )

~ There is a campsite on the

main section of the

dam

those pines to

the right.

NEXT RW

~ 0.3 miles.

122.7 ~ CAMPSITE ~ LC, RW

This campsite is on a peninsula that goes out in the lake and there is also a

nice

campsite on

top

of the hill on the peninsula.

NEXT RW

~ 0.3 miles.

122.8 ~ SWEETWATER LAKE PARKING AREA ~ RW ~ (Photo Grey Eagle)

The trail goes back in the woods behind the Info Board and follows the left

side of

the lake for

another 1.0 miles.

123.0 ~ CREEK CROSSING ~ SC, RW

NEXT RW ~ 1.4 miles.

124.4 ~ LAUREL SHELTER ~ 1100' ~ LC, TS, RW ~ (Photo)

Once you ford the creek, the trail goes straight up to the shelter and then

turns

left.

This is another great site on a creek and

he shelter was constructed by the

/ YCC (Youth

Conservation Corps)

in 19

NEXT RW

~ 0.5 miles.

UPDATE 2004

~ Two new sets of steps and a sheet metal covered cooking

shelf

were added by

the

Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama.

FLOWER

ING SHRUB

Mountain Laurel

White

~ May

124.9 ~ CREEK CROSSING ~ LC, RW

LC ~ Once you cross the creek, there is an old fire ring beside a long log about 20' downstream.

EXT RW

~ 2.1 miles.

125.0 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ SW
125.1 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ SW
125.3 ~ BRIDGE ~ SW

of the

bridges on the

AL section of the

trail were paid for and built

by trail

clubs,

SCOUTS,

generous hikers or the FS. I say a word of

thanks every time I

cross one. The

Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama has

plans to build 5 more.

Thanks guys !

125.8 ~ FS 553 CROSSING ~ 1220' ~ (Photo)

The trail goes straight across the road.

125.9 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ SW
126.1 ~ SHOAL CREEK CHURCH ~ 1180' ~ (Photo)

The Shoal Creek Church is one of the six remaining hewn log churches in

Alabama and was built

between 1885 and 1890. The oldest gravestone in the

cemetery is dated 1811 ~ 1895.

WILDFLOWER ~

Daffodil

Yellow

~ February

126.2 ~ SHOAL CREEK CHURCH ROAD ~ (Photo)

The trail goes straight across the road.

126.6 ~ COLEMAN LAKE VIEW ~ 1220' ~ (Photo)

AKA Lake 8. It has a surface area of 21 acres.

126.7 ~ ATA / AHS BRIDGE ~ SW ~ (Photo)

The old bridge was damaged by an uprooted tree and was replaced as a

National

Trails Day

project

in June, 2004 by the Alabama Trails Association

and an

American Hiking Society

Maintenance

Vacation crew. Thanks Guys!

127.0 ~ COLEMAN LAKE FOOTBRIDGE ~ 1160' ~ LC, RW, HS ~ (Photo)

At this point you will come within view of the Coleman Lake Easy Access Trail

footbridge down

the right. The Pinhoti bypasses the bridge continues

straight

on through.

LC, RW, HS

~ You can cross over the

bridge

here and go 0.5 miles to the

newly

renovated

(2002?)

Coleman Lake Campground. This is a Federal

Campground that

cost $12

(2004)

a night

and is

open April 15

through November ?

(changes). There are 2

new bath houses with HOT

SHOWERS !! that you can

use ($2), lots of campsites

with full RV hook ups, primitive camping

and also a

beach with a bath

house.

Hmmm... Did I mention HOT SHOWERS !!?

NEXT RW

~ 0.4 miles.

127.1 ~ BRIDGE ~ SW
127.4 ~ ALUMINUM BRIDGE ~ RW ~ (Photo) ~ (Photo)

NEXT RW

~ 2.9 miles.

127.5 ~ WOODPECKER FARM (next 1.6 miles) ~ (Photo)

Thanks to Earl Stewart, Shoal Creek District Ranger, Talladega National

Forest,

Born Teacher

for this information. The best I can figure is that the

Red Cockaded

Woodpecker Habitat

Restoration is really just a small project

inside of a big project.

As for the Woodpeckers, they

are doing really well.

The FS started off with 3

active nests and now (April 20, 2003) there

are

definitely 12, possibly 13 active

nests. The Long Leaf Pines have to be

at least 60 to 80

years

old for the

Woodpeckers to build their nests in

them, something to do with Red Heart

Disease.

These trees are not quite

that old, about 50 years, so the Rangers sped up the

process

a little by

picking out trees that had a minimum 15

diameter, carved

out a

hole at a

certain

height and

inserted wooden bird houses in them. Some of

them

are

inhabited within hours and

the

rest within

a day.

Now, the bigger

project is to restore the forest to its original state; before

Pale Face

came

over

and

clear cut the entire North American continent 2 or

3 times. The

Woodpecker Farm

basically what 92,000,000 acres of the

Southeast looked like

before the invasion;

completely

dominated by very

mature Long Leaf Pines up to

400 years old and Oak

Hickory as the canopy,

grasses on the ground, and very

little in between. The

Pinhoti passes through

this project area

from trail mile

127.5

129.1

. So, if you are

around 350

years from now, stop by and see how

the

project

turned out!

WILDFLOWER ~

Butterfly Weed

~ Orange ~ May

ILDFLOWER

Iron Weed

~ Purple ~ August

127.7 ~ COLEMAN LAKE TRAILHEAD ~ 1200' ~ (Photo)

The Pinhoti

bypasses the trailhead parking area

side trail

and goes straight through

At the sign board you can go left

30 yards up

the side trail

the trailhead.

127.7 ~ FS 500 CROSSING ~ 1200' ~ LC, RW, HS

The trail goes straight across the road

Once you're across, the trail b

egin

the gradual climb up the

Rattlesnake

Mountain ridge.

You

will

reach the peak at the

129.5

~ FS 540

Crossing.

ll a

long

through here you will see new

growth

Long Leaf Pines. They

look

more like Pine

bushes for the first few years while they

grow their tap

root.

LC, RW, HS

~ You can go right on

FS 500 for

0.6 miles to the Coleman Lake

Campground. It is

closed

in the winter from November ? (changes) to April 15.

129.1 ~ TREE LINE / HORSE TRAIL CROSSING

The trail goes straight across the horse trail and back into the

unnatural

woods

This is the end of the Woodpecker Farm. The Forest Service maintains an

Equestrian

campground

and 35 miles of horse trails in this area.

AREA ~ Rattlesnake Mountain

129.5 ~ FS 540 CROSSING / RATTLESNAKE MOUNTAIN FIRE TOWER (missing) ~ 1325'

The trail goes straight across the road.

RATTLESNAKE MOUNTAIN FIRE TOWER

: The tower site is appx. 3.1 miles

off

trail from

here. Turn left on FS 540 and go 0.8 miles to the dead end

/ T

intersection at FS 532.

Turn

right. Go appx. 0.3 miles to the first

dirt road on the

left, FS 536. Turn left. Go appx.

2.0

miles to the dead

end / turnaround at the

tower site.

130.3 ~ CREEK CROSSING ~ RW

Keep an eye out through here for Partridge Berry. It resembles a small clump

of 3

leaf Clover

with tiny red berries. Just past the crossing there is a set

of steps on the

left that will take

you closer to the creek and another to

bring you back up.

NEXT RW

~ 0.1 miles.

130.4 ~ 131.9 ~ CHIPMUNK CANYON ~ SC, RW

Yes, I saw a Chipmunk here last year when I was measuring this section the

first

time. This is

one of many places along the Pinhoti that you would write

home to

Mom about. Take your time.

NEXT RW

~ 0.2 miles.

AUTHORS NOTE

~ For the last three years, this guide has listed all of the

areas on

the

Pinhoti

that resemble this one as Canyons. In January 2004 I

went on a group

hike in this

section with

the

and the

. I took

this

opportunity to ask the group

leader of the LRCFS,

Renee Morrison, if Canyon People would

insulted if I

called these places around

here Canyons. She just smiled and said Gorge

would

probably be a better name. :)

That was a smile wasn't it?? So, the

authenticity of the 11

Canyons

named in this

guide are under (dubious) re-

consideration. Sigh...

130.6 ~ CHIP'S CAMPSITE ~ LC, RW

The fire ring is on the left just past the creek crossing.

WILDFLOWER ~

Buckeye

~ Red ~ April

NEXT RW

~ 0.1 miles.

130.7 ~ DALE'S CAMPSITE / CASCADE ~ SC, RW ~ (Photo)

There are 2 creek crossings here and the campsite is on the right just past

the

second

crossing.

There is a nice cascade just a few yards north of the

camp.

NEXT RW

~ 0.1 miles.

130.8 ~ SON OF BILLY GOAT CAMPSITE ~ 840' ~ SC, RW

Yes, I saw the son of a Billy Goat (Toby Woodward) here last year when I

was

measuring this

section the first time. Actually, it was a hiker from New

Hampshire whose trail name was Son

Billy Goat and his dad was called,

duh!,

Billy Goat. He was hiking solo from the original

beginning

of the

Appalachian

Trail at Mt. Oglethorpe, to Montgomery. We stopped and talked

for a couple

hours before he hiked on down to the Coleman Lake Trailhead.

One of the

Alabama Hiking Trail

Society members (Jay Hudson) was going to

meet him there

and take him

out for a steak! At the

time, I wondered if

Goats were carnivores, but

I didn't say anything. :

)

NEXT RW

~ 0.8 miles.

WILDFLOWER ~

Bloodroot

~ White ~ March

NEXT RW ~ 0.8 miles

131.6 ~ CREEK CROSSING ~ RW

There is another set of old rock steps here that take you down to the

crossing and

then back up.

NEXT RW

~ 0.3 miles.

131.9 ~ ROCK ISLAND CROSSING ~ RW ~ 833'

The trail crosses over the creek diagonally to the right.

NEXT RW

~ 0.4 miles.

FORDING HAZARD

~ This section of the creek is only about 6” deep and has

room to spread

out

after a heavy rain. Use caution.

132.3 ~ TWENTY FEET CREEK ~ RW ~ (Photo - Grey Eagle)

Yes, the creek is Twenty Feet wide. No, you don't have to ford it. There is

a nice

clear entry

the water here. If you have noticed flowers wilting

along the trail as

you pass by, they may

appreciate it if you took advantage

of this great spot

: )

Just

before you reach the upcoming

switchback

look for a

large patch of Creeping

Juniper, which resemble small dark green 3 inch

umbrellas, on the left and right

and ahead and behind and up the hill and

down the hill...

WILDFLOWER ~

Day Flower

~ Blue ~ July

NEXT RW

~ 2.3 miles.

132.5 ~ TURNHILL ROAD SWITCHBACKS /

NORTHWEST CHOCCOLOCCO WILDLIFE

MANAGEMENT AREA BOUNDARY

The trail leaves the creek here and starts the switchback at a well marked

left

turn. You are

leaving the CWMA here at the northwest boundary.

132.6 ~ TEN TOES

Here the trail weaves in and out of a series of points and coves. If you could

see

this 2 mile

section from the air, it might resemble two big feet. I think

there may

be more than 10 points,

but

I ran out of, ah, well, never mind...

134.6 ~ CHOCCOLOCCO CREEK WATERSHED ~ 760' ~ LC, RW ~ (Photo)

The trail goes across the top of the dam and then turns right on an old

service road

and goes

around the left side of the lake for a while.

The

top of the dam

is a great

place to camp and there are no fire rings up

here

because it

makes

it hard on the

mowers. The USDA calls this

. It was built

in 1968

and the lake has a

surface area of 31 acres.

INDIAN TRAIL TREE (not authe

ic)

~ Look for the

tree

on the left between

here

and

Rattlesnake Point.

NEXT RW

~ 1.5 miles.

134.7 ~ CHOCCOLOCCO CREEK SHELTER ~ 700' ~ LC, TS, RW ~ (Photo)

Go across the top of the dam and then turn left on the old service road.

Follow this

road down

about 100 yards to the shelter, on the right.

~ There is an old road bed about 50 yards

straight out

in front of the shelter with

plenty

soft flat

spots.

~ The water trail is

about 200 yards straight out

in front of the shelter and goes to a

sand bar

on this

20' wide creek

POTTY TRAIL

~ Look for an old road bed behind the shelter, on the left.

UPDATE

~This is one of the three shelters built by the FS in 2006 with

grant

money

received

after the Pinhoti's designation as a Millennium Legacy

Trail.

Construction of the

shelter was

completed in March, 2006.

135.0 ~ RATTLESNAKE POINT ~ 800'

A noble and courteous friend lives here and will let you know if she / he is out

for

a morning

slither. A Root Digger that Earl Shaffer met above Hot

Springs, NC

while on The First

Appalachian Trail Thru Hike

put it this way;

A Rattlesnake's

gentleman. He'll sing and let

you

know he's there

but a

Copperhead just lays

there

and lashes out at ye.

WILDFLOWER

Birds Foot Violet

~ Purple ~ March

TREE

Wild Pine

135.1 ~ CHOCC HOLLOW ~ 780' ~ SW

This quiet little hollow has a small spring running through it and lots of old

trees

including

Pines

and Shag Bark

Hickory

136.1 ~ BURNS TRAILHEAD / CR 55 ~ 846' ~ RW ~ (Photo)

The trail goes straight across

CR 55

and enters the Dugger Mountain

Wilderness.

Continue for another 0.1 miles to the trailhead connector,

on the left at the

trail

sign

. Turn

here

and go 0.1 miles to the Burns Trailhead parking area.

The log

cabin and outbuildings here

are the

former home of Mr. Pink E.

Burns. Mr. Burns

died just a few years ago at the age of 87.

He lived

his

whole life in this cabin and

was able to survive through the bounty of the

forest.

He was also

a great story

teller and entertained many a hiker

through the years on his front

porch. He also

didn't mind if you brought along

Moon Pies and Cokie Colas when you came to sit

a spell.

~ Go left on CR 55

for

0.1 miles to Jones Branch, running along the right

side of

the road.

NEXT RW ~ 8.2 miles.

PLANT

Ground Pine

~ Green ~ March

(just before CR 55 crossing)

WILD

BERRY

Beauty Berry

Purple

~ July

Northern Terminus / Finish Hike

PT A S ite Map / Top of Page ^-^

Millennium
Legacy Trail

Section 10 Hike Planner

CS ~ Convenience Store
0
TT ~ Trail Town
0
SC ~ Small Camp
127.0, 130.4, 130.7, 138.8
LC ~ Large Camp
119.8, 122.4, 122.7, 124.4, 127.0, 130.6, 134.6,
134.7
TS ~ Trail Shelter
124.4, 134.7
SW ~ Seasonal Water
119.9, 122.1, 125.0, 125.1, 125.3, 125.9, 126.7,
127.1, 135.1
RW ~ Reliable Water
119.8, 122.4, 122.7, 122.8, 123.0, 124.4, 124.9,
127.0, 127.4, 127.7, 130.3, 130.4, 130.6, 130.7,
130.8, 131.6, 131.9, 132.3, 134.6, 134.7, 136.1
HS ~ Hot Shower
127.0, 127.7