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

Northbound snailtrail  /  Section 12
Northern Terminus / Finish Hike
161.1 ~ High Point Trailhead
144.9 ~ North FS 500 Trailhead
Southern Terminus / Start Hike

Reference Points ~ Oakey Mountain, Piedmont, AL
Hike Distance ~ 16.2 Miles
Hiking Time vs Distance ~ 30 Minutes = 1 Mile
Trail Blazes ~ Light Blue Vertical Rectangles
Trail Description ~ Difficult ~ Dry Rocky Ridges, Long 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
161.1 ~ HIGH POINT TRAILHEAD / US 278
    From the intersection of AL 9 and US 278 in Piedmont. AL, go east on US 278 for 1.2 miles to
    the 4 way stop sign. Turn left on US 278.
    Go 7.5 miles to the High Point Trailhead parking area, on the right, just past the
    165 mile marker.

Southern Terminus / Park Start Hike Vehicle
144.9 ~ NORTH FS 500 TRAILHEAD
    From the High Point Trailhead parking area, go left on US 278 for 7.5 miles back to the 4 way
    stop in Piedmont. Turn right.
    Go 1.2 miles to AL 9 South. Turn left.
    Go 10.0 miles to the flashing yellow light at CR 55. Turn left.
    Go 8.8 miles to a dirt road, FS 500. Turn left. There is a black mailbox on the right at this
    turn with the address-20346.
    Go 2.0 miles to the North FS 500 Trailhead parking area, just a small pull off on the left.







Hiking Directions
Southern Terminus / Start Hike
144.9 ~ NORTH FS 500 TRAILHEAD ~ 860' ~ RW ~ (Photo)
    The north trail is on the right about 50' up the road from the trailhead parking area.
    Every now and then you will come across an area that has been burned. Most times, these fires
    are started by the Forest Service and are called Prescribed Burns. The main reason for this is
    to keep the leaf layer on the ground, which is called Duff, thin enough so that if there is an
    accidental fire in that area, it won't burn hot enough to kill all the trees. At the same time,
    these controlled burns also keep the Kudzu like growth of Sweetgum and Red Maple under
    control. When there is a fire caused by nature or man in an area where the Duff is thick enough
    to kill the trees, which is what happened here, this is called a Hot Fire. Sometimes an
    interesting thing happens after a Hot Fire, an annual plant called Fire Weed sprouts up, which
    looks a lot like corn in height and leaf shape, and the area will start to resemble a large
    cornfield. I had the opportunity to see this happen here on the north side of FS 500 in 2002.
    RW ~ This is the water source for the North Dugger Mountain Shelter.
    NEXT RW ~ 2.4 miles.
145.0 ~ NORTH DUGGER MOUNTAIN SHELTER ~ 1020' ~ LC, TS ~ (Photo)
    When you reach the old FS road, the trail goes straight across.
    LC, TS ~ Turn right on the road and go about 50 yards to the shelter site. There are a few flat
    spots near the shelter for camping.
    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. The view from the front
    is Oakey Mountain. Construction of the shelter was completed in Feb., 2006.
145.4 ~ OAKEY MOUNTAIN VIEW ~ (Photo)
    There are great views of Oakey on the right for the next half mile due to a "Hot Fire" that
    swept through here a few years ago.
145.9 ~ ROCKY RIDGE ~ (Photo) ~ (Photo, Snow)
146.0 ~ ROAD BED ~ (Photo)
    When you get to the road bed, turn right and go 0.15 miles. Then go back in the woods on the
    left. Keep an eye out for the blazes.
    HIKER ~ Adze
147.3 ~ TERRAPIN CREEK WATERSHED / OAKEY MTN. ~ 840' ~ LC, RW ~ (Photo)
    When you first see the lake, the trail is going away from the dam. After a short distance there
    is a switchback to the left that takes you back to the dam. The trail goes across the top of the
    dam and then straight into the woods. The USDA calls this Floodwater Retarding Dam # 31. It
    was built in 1972 and the lake has a surface area of 49 acres. This dam and the ones at
    Choccolocco and Sweetwater are known as 200 year dams. Notice that there are 2 concrete
    overflows. The engineers estimated that after 100 years the lowest overflow would be covered
    in silt and after 200 years the upper overflow would be covered. Then it's time to go to plan
    B.? When you first get in sight of the lake, there is an awesome view of Oakey Mountain rising
    to 1940'. The trail crosses over her at 1720' on the far left side, 2.2 miles away from the dam.
    LC, RW ~ There is a campsite at the bottom of the dam by the creek.
    NEXT RW ~ 5.7 miles.
    WILDFLOWER ~ Blue Dogbane ~ Blue ~ April
    MOSS ~ British Soldiers ~ Red ~ April
    WILDFLOWER / SHRUB ~ Carolina Silver Bell ~ White ~ May
    FLOWERING SHRUB ~ Smooth Hydrangea ~ White ~ ??
148.0 ~ DOUBLE SPRING CROSSING ~ SW ~ (Photo)
148.2 ~ NORTH SPRING CROSSING ~ SW ~ (Photo)
148.3 ~ LOST TRAIL COVE ~ (Photo)
    There is an unexpected, marked switchback on your left in the back end of a cove. It's not
    marked before the turn, but after you make the turn there is a blaze. From here up to the
    Oakey Mountain Crossing, there are great winter views of the western end of Big Tank Ridge
    and the Piedmont Valley.
    UPDATE 2005: A good sign has been planted in the back of the cove with an arrow pointing left
    for northbounders and right for southbounders.
149.5 ~ OAKEY MOUNTAIN CROSSING ~ 1720' ~  (Photo)
    Here are some great views on the left of Little Tank Ridge in the foreground, Big Tank Ridge in
    the background and Wilson Ridge on the right. These 3 ridges run west to east as opposed to
    Oakey Mountain and Augusta Mine Ridge, which run south to north. The trail crosses the east
    end of Wilson Ridge on its way up to Maxwell Gap.
    SUMMIT ~ Oakey Mountain is #16 on Alabama's list of highest named summits at 1940'. The
    Pinhoti crosses over the Oakey ridge a mile or two north of its high point.
149.6 ~ NORTH OAKEY SWITCHBACKS ~ (Photo)
150.0 ~ NORTH OAKEY CAMPSITE ~ LC, SW
    There is a good seasonal spring crossing here and the fire ring is on the left. This area is a
    little boggy during wet seasons and would probably not be suitable for warm weather camping.
    SW ~ This is the south water source for the Oakey Mountain Shelter.
151.3 ~ OAKEY MOUNTAIN SHELTER / ROAD BED ~ LC, TS ~ (Photo)
    When you get to this old road bed, the trail goes straight across.
    LC ~ Go left on the road bed 25 yards to a large, level campsite. There are also plenty of level
    spots at the shelter.
    TS ~ Turn right on the road bed and go 20 yards. Look for the shelter on the right.
    SW ~ The water sources are the spring crossings at mile 150.0, or 151.7.
    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.
    UPDATE ~ A picnic table was built here by friends of Oakey Mountain on May 5, 2008.
151.7 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ SW ~ (Photo by T. C.)
    The watershed area for this spring is pretty large and I've never seen it dry, but it's not
    really big enough for me to want to call it a reliable water source. The Terrapin Creek Bridge
    is 1.1 miles away but getting down to the creek is way above and beyond the call of duty!
    Getting enough water here at this spring to last 8.6 miles to Lanie Creek is probably your best
    option.
    SW - This is the north water source for the Oakey Mountain shelter.
152.8 ~ CHIEF LADIGA RAIL TRAIL ~ CLT MILE 7.0 ~ 767' ~ LC, RW, HS
    The Pinhoti turns right on the a. Ladiga, b. Ladiga,  c.Ladiga Trail.
    HISTORY ~ This is a Rails to Trails project that is almost completed from Anniston to the
    Georgia state line, near Cedartown. It then hooks up with the almost completed Silver Comet
    Trail, Silver Comet and goes on into Atlanta. There were rumors around 2003, 2004 of a
    proposed campground being set up here for hikers and bikers but I haven't heard anything for
    a couple of years now.
    LC, RW, HS ~ (2010) When the Pinhoti reaches the Ladiga Trail, turn left and go about 100
    yards to the Chief Ladiga Trail Campground entrance, on the right.
153.0 ~ TERRAPIN CREEK BRIDGE ~ 767' ~ RW ~ (Photo by TC)
    RW ~ You will have a difficult time gaining access to the creek at the bridge.
    NEXT RW ~ 7.3 miles.
153.3 ~ CHIEF LADIGA RAIL TRAIL ~ CLT MILE 6.5
    The Pinhoti leaves the Ladiga Trail here on the left. Look for this well marked left turn about
    50 feet before the CLT 6.5 mile post.
153.4 ~ CR 94 CROSSING ~ 780'
153.5 ~ 94 CAMPSITE ~ 850' ~ LC
    There are several large, level sites in this area without fire rings.
153.7 ~ 94 SPRING CROSSING ~ 920' ~ SW
    This is a pretty good spring, below a large drainage area.
154.7 ~ WILSON RIDGE CROSSING ~ 1380' ~ (Photo)
155.0 ~ CR 70 / MAXWELL GAP CROSSING ~ 1156' ~ (Photo)
    The trail goes diagonally across the road to the left.
    There is another steep climb ahead, only it is 700' this time ! Keep an eye out for some great
    views behind you and on your right of the north side of Wilson Ridge.
155.1 ~ AUGUSTA MINE RIDGE (begin) ~ 1871'
    Once you finish the climb, the trail crosses over to the west side of the ridge. This sometimes
    confusing section of trail will be hopping on and off a 4 wheeler road for the next 0.6 miles.
    Keep a sharp eye out for blazes and curved rows of rocks.
    There are a lot of good winter views on the left through here of the Piedmont valley and at
    several places you will see Wolf Ridge (microwave tower). The trail leaves Augusta Mine Ridge
    2.0 miles ahead and goes by the tower.
156.5 ~ ROCKY TOP 8 ~ 1871'
156.6 ~ ROBERT R. FURGERSON MEMORIAL PLAQUE ~ (Photo)
    Look for the plaque on a pile of boulders to the right. This section of the Pinhoti was made
    possible through the generosity of Audrey A. Furgerson, who granted a 1500' trail easement to
    us in memory of her late husband, Robert. Thank you. The Memorial is on the right.
157.1 ~ AUGUSTA MINE RIDGE (end) ~ 1590' ~  (Photo)
    After a long open descent on the road, there is a wooden sign post on the left indicating the
    last turn off of the road.
157.4 ~ LANIE GAP ~ 1460' ~ LC, SW ~  (Photo)
    There are 4 wheeler roads coming in from the north, south, east and west. The Pinhoti comes in
    from the southeast and immediately leaves northeast. Look for the blazes on the right, by the
    fire ring. The trail has now left Augusta Mine Ridge and is on Wolf Ridge.
    SW ~ The headwaters of Lanie Creek begin about 200' east of the Gap (no trail).
157.6 ~ WOLF RIDGE MICROWAVE TOWER ~ 1639' ~  (Photo)
    There are some big rocks lining the trail on the right and the tower is barely visible on the left
    through the Pines, about 300' off trail.
158.5 ~ LANIE HOLLOW / ROCK QUARRY MOUNTAIN ~ 900' ~ SW ~  (Photo)
    The trail has now left Wolf Ridge (1639') and is on Rock Quarry Mountain (1620'). There are
    great views of Lanie Hollow and Augusta Mine Ridge along your right side.
    SW ~ There are 4 spring crossings along the next 1.8 miles.
160.3 ~ LANIE CREEK CROSSING ~ 900' ~ LC, RW ~  (Photo)
    There is a small trail to the left, just before the creek crossing, that goes downstream about
    25' to a better crossing. Look for the concrete dam on the creek a little bit past the crossing.
    About 150 miles south of here there is a dam that is almost identical to this one at the
    southern terminus of the Pinhoti Trail, Flagg Mountain, the last 1000' + mountain in the
    Appalachian Chain. That one was built to form a small pond like this one that was used as the
    water source for the CCC Tower and Cabins. The old pump house and pump at Flagg Mountain,
    just below the dam, are still intact. Water was pumped 0.25 miles up to the top of the
    mountain. This dam on Lanie Creek may have once been used to supply water for the mine
    workers here.
    INDIAN TRAIL TREE (not authentic) ~  Look for this tree about 0.2 miles north of the creek
    crossing, on the left edge of the trail. Here is a link to the Indian Trail Tree Geo Cache home
    page.
    FORDING HAZARD ~ This creek is about 10' wide, 1' deep and has a little room to spread out
    after a heavy rain, but can get over knee high. Use extreme caution.
    NEXT RW ~ 0.9 miles.
161.1 ~ HIGH POINT TRAILHEAD / US 278 ~ 800' ~ TT, RW ~ (Photo)
    The trail comes out at the trailhead parking area on US 278.
    TT, HS ~ Go left on US 278 7.5 for miles to Piedmont. Map
    TT, HS ~ Go right 14.3 miles to Cedartown, GA.
    RW ~ Go right 0.1 miles to a difficult access creek running along the right side of the road.
    NEXT RW ~ 1.7 miles.
    WILDFLOWER ~ Bluet ~ Blue ~ March
Northern Terminus / Finish Hike

PTA Site Map  /  Top of Page ^-^
Millennium
Legacy Trail
Section 12 Hike Planner

CS ~ Convenience Store
0
TT ~ Trail Town
161.1
SC ~ Small Camp
0
LC ~ Large Camp
145.0, 147.3, 150.0, 151.3, 153.5, 157.4, 160.3
TS ~ Trail Shelter
145.0, 151.3
SW ~ Seasonal Water
148.0, 148.2, 150.0, 151.7, 153.7, 157.4, 158.5
RW ~ Reliable Water
144.9, 147.3, 153.0, 160.3, 161.1
HS ~ Hot Shower
0