PTA Site Map
Pinhoti Trail Alliance
Connecting Alabama and Georgia to the Appalachian Trail

Trail Guide - Section 7 (AL 6)

Trail Data
Trail Club ~ Anniston Outdoor Association / Alabama Hiking Trail Society
Hike Direction ~ Northbound
Hike Distance ~ 17.6 Miles
Southern Terminus ~ 44.8 ~ Cheaha Trailhead
Northern Terminus ~ 62.4 ~ US 431 Trailhead
ECT Mile Point ~ 1291.8 ~ 1309.4
Trail Description ~ Moderate ~ Foothills, Watersheds, Short Climbs

Abbreviations
CS ~ Convenience Store / Nice Mom and Pop stores.
    45.0, 47.1, 57.2, 62.4
TT ~ Trail Town / Large enough for McDonald's.
    57.2
SC ~ Small Campsite / At least one tent site.
    46.5, 49.6, 58.1, 59.6
LC ~ Large Campsite / At least three tent sites.
    45.0, 46.9, 48.6, 50.0, 53.0, 54.2, 56.5, 57.2, 59.7, 60.2
TS ~ Trail Shelter / Three sided, open front.
    46.9
SW ~ Seasonal Water / Needs rain in the past week.
    45.3, 45.7, 46.7, 46.8, 46.9, 48.8, 49.0, 50.0, 53.5, 54.2, 57.4, 59.1, 59.5, 59.6, 61.6
RW ~ Reliable Water / Always available.
    45.0, 51.0, 53.0, 53.5, 54.2, 56.5, 57.2, 58.0, 58.1, 59.7, 60.0, 60.2, 61.4

Trail Marking
The new standard blazes for marking the Pinhoti are light blue vertical rectangles. The standard distance
between blazes is around 0.1 miles. Most of these are painted on trees at about eye level and are about
the size of a dollar bill. Until this new changeover is complete, you will also see some white blazes, silver
metal diamonds and white plastic diamonds with a turkey track on them and some white painted turkey
tracks. All of these will guide you in the right direction.

Time vs Distance
To help you judge the time needed to travel from point A to point B, consider that the average hiking
pace is 2 mph:

60 minutes = 2 miles
30 minutes = 1 mile
15 minutes = 1/2 mile

Driving Directions
Be aware that most of these trailheads and road crossings are in pretty isolated areas and also be aware
that you’ll find very few signs pointing the way. Your odometer is going to become your best friend.
Although various cars and trucks tend to measure distances a little differently, these mileages should be
fairly close.

44.8 ~ CHEAHA TRAILHEAD / AL 281
    Exit I ~ 20 at AL 21, in Oxford, AL.
    If you are coming from Atlanta, go to the end of the exit ramp. Turn left and go under the I ~ 20
    bridge to the first red light. Turn left.
    If you are coming from Birmingham, go to the end of the exit ramp. Go straight across at the red
    light.
    Go appx. 4 miles to a 4 way stop sign. Turn right.
    Go appx. 4 miles to just before the overhead bridge. Turn left.
    Go 0.1 miles to the stop sign at AL 281. Turn right.
    Go 8.8 miles to the Cheaha Trailhead parking area, on the left.
    The Pinhoti Approach Trail begins at The Arch, at the back of the parking area.
    Go through The Arch 50 yards to the Info Board. Turn right.
    Go up the hill 0.1 miles to the Pinhoti.
    The north trail goes to the right.
    The south trail goes to the left.

45.0 ~ AL 281 CROSSING
    Go past the Cheaha Trailhead parking area 0.2 miles to the AL 281 Crossing (no parking).
    The north trail is on the right.
    The south trail is on the left.

45.0 ~ CHEAHA STATE PARK / COUNTRY STORE
    Go past the Cheaha Trailhead parking area 0.4 miles to the Park entrance, on the right. Turn right.
    The first building on the left is the store / park office.
    Overnight parking is allowed at the parking area behind the store.

50.0 ~ CCC ROAD CROSSING (WEST END)
    Exit I ~ 20 at AL 21, in Oxford, AL.
    Go south 4.6 miles to CR 135. Turn left.
    Go 5.3 miles to a really, really long white fence on the right. Turn right just before the fence
    begins.
    Go 0.7 miles to where the pavement ends at a CCC bridge, then continue on the dirt road another
    3.0 miles to the dead end turn around.
    The CCC Road continues straight ahead on the other side of the tank traps (big piles of dirt).
    Hike over the tank traps and go 0.3 miles to the trail crossing.
    The north trail is on the left.
    The south trail is on the right.

57.2 ~ CR 24 CROSSING / MORGAN LAKE
    From the Cheaha Trailhead parking area, go back on AL 281 8.8 miles to the first bridge. Turn left
    on the paved road just past the bridge.
    Go 0.1 miles to the stop sign at CR 24. Turn right.
    Go 1.1 miles to the CR 24 Crossing.
    The north trail is on the right.
    The south trail is on the left, 100' before the north trail.

    Morgan Lake is on a short dirt road off CR 24 0.1 miles before you reach the trail crossing.

62.4 ~ US 431 TRAILHEAD
    From the Cheaha Trailhead parking area, go back on AL 281 11.5 miles to a paved road on the right.
    Turn right.
    Go 0.4 miles to the stop sign at US 431. Turn left.
    Go 0.6 miles to the trail crossing.
    The north trail is on the right.
    Just past the north trail, there is a dirt road on the left that goes 0.1 miles up to the US 431
    Trailhead parking area.
    The south trail is at the back / right side of the parking area.

Trail Guide
44.8 ~ CHEAHA TRAILHEAD ~ 1940' ~ (Photo)
    The Pinhoti Approach Trail begins at The Arch, at the back of the parking area. Go through The
    Arch 50 yards to the Info Board and turn right. Go up the hill 0.1 miles to the Pinhoti. The north
    trail goes to the right.
    This year there is a new addition to the trailhead parking area. The Approach Trail to the Pinhoti
    Trail, Cave Creek Trail and the Cheaha Wilderness begins at The Arch , which is a big rock and
    wrought iron structure that has 36 hand fired clay tiles with actual impressions of some of the
    native flora, 4 information plaques, some wrought iron Pine cones and Pine branches, 2 rock
    benches and a VERY unusual sidewalk. It is all really cool. Some local artists and several groups
    of local school children put a lot of time and energy into this first class work of art. It is a
    tremendous addition to our trail, so stop by and take a look. Thanks guys !!

45.0 ~ AL 281 CROSSING / CHEAHA STATE PARK
    BUNKER TOWER (standing) ~ 2000' ~ CS, LC, RW ~ (Photo)
    The trail goes straight across AL 281 and then follows the eastern slope for a while and has a lot
    good views.
    CS, LC, RW ~ Go left 0.2 miles on AL 281 to the 2719 acre Cheaha State Park entrance, on the
    right. This is a big park with a convenience store, restaurant, motel, cabins, lodge, pool, several
    campgrounds, HOT SHOWERS !!, swimming lake, beach, side trails, rocky overlooks and the Bunker
    Tower (2407'). The Park office and Country Store (256-488-5111) is the first building on the left.
    Stop by here to register for Park services and to get general info about where things are in the
    Park. Be sure to say hi to Connie (don't get Connie started on yard sales !), Eva Lynn and Justin
    while you're in there. They have been real Trail Angels to a lot of hikers over the years.
    NEXT RW ~ 6.0 miles
    BUNKER TOWER: Go just past the Country Store to the toll booth, then go 0.5 miles past the
    toll booth to the first paved road on the left. Turn left. Go 0.1 miles up to the 1930's Civilian
    Conservation Corps Tower. Photos ~ 1  2  3  4  5

45.3 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ 2000' ~ SW

45.7 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ 2000' ~ SW

45.8 ~ HOLLY KNOB ~ 1960'

46.5 ~ CAMPSITE ~ 1800' ~ SC
    The trail makes a sharp left turn here at this neat campsite.

46.7 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ 1700' ~ SW

46.8 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ 1700' ~ SW
    This is the spring for the shelter. If this crossing is dry then follow the spring downhill, just a
    little way (no, really !), and look for a large pool.

46.9 ~ BLUE MOUNTAIN SHELTER ~ 1825' ~ LC, TS, SW ~ (Photo)
    The Pinhoti goes straight through this intersection.
    At the shelter sign board, you can turn right and go 0.1 miles to this shelter, which was built in
    1985. This is a nice shelter with a loft and peg construction and was built in 1985. Yes, shelters
    are one of the tools used by the Forest Service to funnel hikers into one area, but hikers know
    that shelters are where hikers hang out and they are great places to make new friends and swap
    tall tales. You can always stop by for dinner and then stealth camp somewhere else if you don't
    like listening to people snore all night! The idea is to hopefully limit the ecological impact to a
    few small places rather than the 66 fire rings we have spread out over the whole trail now.
    LC ~ There is a large campsite on the left at the sign board.
    TS ~ Go right 0.1 miles to the shelter and more campsites.
    SW ~ The water source is a spring crossing 0.1 miles south on the Pinhoti.
    NEXT RW ~ 4.1 miles.

47.1 ~ BALD ROCK TRAIL ~ CS ~ 1960'
    The Pinhoti goes straight through at the sign board and begins the 3 mile descent off Blue
    Mountain to the CCC Road.
    The Bald Rock Trail marks the northern boundary of Cheaha State Park. You can go left, uphill, 0.5
    miles to the Boardwalk (2326') on the Bald Rock Overlook. There is a very good northern view of
    the beginning of our Sister Ridge (see trail mile 70.0 in Section 5 for details) at Coldwater
    Mountain. The large night time light show is brought to you by the nice folks in Oxford. The
    sunset is brought to you by nature.
    CS ~ From Bald Rock, go left (duh!) on the Boardwalk to the parking area. Then walk through the
    parking area and down the hill to the intersection at the Bunker Loop Road. Turn right. Go 0.5
    miles to the Cheaha Country Store.

48.6 ~ M & M GAP ~ 1580' ~ LC ~ (Photo)
    This is a nice place for a small break on a cold winter day as you take in the dramatic landscape
    surrounding you.

48.8 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ 1420' ~ SW

49.0 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ 1400' ~ SW

49.6 ~ CAMPSITE ~ 1420' ~ SC

50.0 ~ CCC ROAD / CHEAHA ROAD ~ 1275' ~ LC, SW
    The trail goes straight across the road.
    Both ends of the road have been closed to preserve the Civilian Conservation Corps rock work
    through here. You can go left 0.3 miles to the vehicle access point listed in the Directions
    section. It has been years since I went to the right, but it seems like it is about 3 miles to AL
    281. Along the way there are 2 large rock retaining walls, a rock bridge over Hillabee Creek and
    numerous drains under the road. All of the CCC rocks were cut on site by hand. Years ago this
    road was the main entrance road up to Cheaha State Park when it first opened in 1939.

51.0 ~ * ZULU CANYON ~ 1100' ~ RW

52.3 ~ * DEAD TRUCK ~ 900'
    A 1950 something Chevy Panel Truck. I had a 1963 and the body lines were a lot sharper than
    these older models.

52.9 ~ POWER LINE CROSSING ~ 000'

53.0 ~ HILLABEE CREEK CROSSING ~ 780' ~ LC, RW ~ (Photo)
    The trail comes straight into the campsite, then turns left and crosses the creek.
    This is a nice campsite with 3 Greenstone chairs (magnify PDF to 150%) by the fire ring (spring
    2003). The Creek Indians lived in this area (map expands to larger size) many years ago and
    archaeologist have found Native American produced Greenstone artifacts in this part of the
    state and several other places as well.
    NEXT RW ~ 1.2 miles.
    FORDING HAZARD ~ This creek is about 15' wide and 1' deep. There are a lot of big rocks here
    and also waist high water after a big rain so scout upstream for a better crossing. Use extreme
    caution.

53.3 ~ * SNOWFLAKE CANYON ~ 900'

53.5 ~ 54.2 ~ 6 SPRING CROSSINGS / 2 CREEK - CROSSINGS ~ 860' ~ SW

54.2 ~ CAMPSITE ~ 800' ~ LC, RW
    NEXT RW ~ 2.3 miles.

55.2 ~ ROAD BED ~ 800'
    Go left 0.8 miles.

56.0 ~ ANOTHER ROAD BED ~ 800'
    Go right 0.2 miles.

56.2 ~ MINE SHAFT (GOLD!) ~ 820'
    There were a few big strikes in Alabama years ago and this was one of the mines. There are more
    mines on the east slope down by Clairmont Gap (Erin, Idaho) at trail mile 26.9. You can still apply
    for mining and panning permits through the USFS office in Talladega.

56.2 ~ ANOTHER ROAD BED ~ 840'
    Go right 0.1 miles.

56.3 ~ END OF THE ROAD ~ 900'
    The trail goes right, off the road.

56.3 ~ * LAUREL GORGE ~ 900'

56.5 ~ * FRIENDSHIP CAMPSITE ~ 820' ~ LC, RW
    NEXT RW ~ 0.7 miles.

57.0 ~ * FRIENDSHIP GORGE ~ 880'

57.2 ~ CR 24 CROSSING / MORGAN CASCADE ~ 750' ~ CS, TT, LC, RW
    When you get to the road, go left 25 yards and then the trail goes back in the woods on the right.
    Up until 2005, the creek crossing just north of CR 24 was the lowest elevation on the Pinhoti.
    With the addition of Section 4 (AL 9) below Talladega, it has now become 14.4 ~ Scott's Cascade
    at 710'.
    CS ~ Go right on CR 24 1.4 miles to Able Mall, a small store.
    TT ~ Go left 6.9 miles to Oxford. Map
    LC ~ There are some flat spots across CR 24, past the creek crossing, down on the right.
    RW ~ There is a creek crossing north of CR 24, 100 yards up the trail.
    NEXT RW ~ 0.8 / 0.9 miles.
    FORDING HAZARD ~ This creek is about 10' wide and 1' deep. There is no room for the water to
    spread out after a heavy rain plus this crossing is on top of a 6' waterfall. Scout upstream for a
    better crossing. Use extreme caution.
    MORGAN LAKE ~ Go right on CR 24 0.1 miles and turn on the first dirt road to the left, then go
    0.1 miles up to the lake.
    UPDATE 2004 ~ Able Mall has closed and is up for sale.
    UPDATE 2005 ~ Able Mall has been remodeled and reopened.

57.4 ~ MORGAN LAKE SWITCHBACK ~ 750' ~ SW
    The trail crosses a spring and turns to the right up the first switchback. Go 100' and the second
    switchback turns to the left.
    CAUTION ~ There is also a trail that turns right at the second switchback, but it only goes
    down the hill to the creek and dead ends. I read somewhere that this trail goes up to the dam. It
    does not. If you go to the dead end, jump the creek, bushwhack your way up to the top of the hill
    and turn left on the dirt road, the Lake is a couple hundred yards up.

58.0 ~ CREEK CROSSING ~ 900' ~ RW

58.1 ~ CREEK CROSSING ~ 900' ~ SC, RW
    NEXT RW ~ 1.6 miles.

58.3 ~ USFS 515 ~ 900'
    When you get to the road, turn right and go 30 yards. The trail goes back in the woods on the
    right.

59.0 ~ USFS 515 CROSSING ~ 900'
    The trail goes straight across.

59.1 ~ * MOONSHINE GORGE ~ 900' ~ SW
    Make 3 spring crossings in the next 0.2 miles. Look for a couple of old 55 gallon drums on the left
    after the first spring crossing.

59.4 ~ * CASCADE GORGE ~ 820'

59.5 ~ SPRING CROSSING ~ 780' ~ SW

59.6 ~ SMALL CASCADE ~ 800' ~ SC, SW
    The trail follows this spring for about 100 yards before veering off to the right.
    After following the spring for about 50 yards, there is a trail that turns left and goes back into
    the cascades. After you pass by this trail, look for a fire ring on the left down by the spring,
    which is next to an underground still complete with an underground air intake pipe for the fire.

59.7 ~ LARGE CASCADE ~ LC, RW ~ (Photo - Grey Eagle)
    The trail goes straight up to the cascade and makes a sharp left turn, then curves to the right
    and crosses the creek twice.
    The cascade tumbles at least 50' and there is usually plenty of water. Plan to stop for a long
    break.
    LC ~ After the second creek crossing, go about 20 yards and turn left off the trail. Bushwhack
    about 50 yards downhill to the creek. There is a fire ring here and plenty of flat spots.
    NEXT RW ~ 0.3 miles.

60.0 ~ HILLABEE CREEK BRIDGE ~ RW
    A BOY SCOUT TROOP paid for and built this great bridge. Sorry, I don't know the Troop
    number. Thanks guys !
    NEXT RW ~ 0.2 miles.

60.2 ~ HORSEBLOCK MOUNTAIN FIRE TOWER (standing) ~ LC, RW ~ (Photo)
    Between here and Horseblock Canyon, there are a couple of small winter views of the old
    Horseblock Fire Tower way off to the right, up on the main ridge. The tower area was a Civilian
    Conservation Corps project in the 1930's. I would guess that it's about a 2 mile bushwhack up the
    side of Horseblock Mountain to the tower, but I just wave at it when I go by.  : )
    LC, RW ~ There is a fire ring on the right, down the hill by the creek (no trail).

60.8 ~ * HORSEBLOCK CANYON

61.4 ~ * HORSEBLOCK FLATS CROSSING ~ 760' ~ RW
    NEXT RW ~ 1.0 miles.
    FORDING HAZARD ~ This creek is about 10' wide, 1' deep and has room to spread out after a
    heavy rain. Use caution.

61.6 ~ * CO~OP BRIDGE ~ SW
    This is another great bridge that was paid for by the BellSouth Pioneers and built with the
    Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama.

62.4 ~ US 431 TRAILHEAD ~ 860' ~ CS
    The trail comes out at the trailhead parking area.

PTA Site Map
Millennium
Legacy Trail
Section 7 ~ Trail Condition

Northern Terminus

0.0 ~ Trailhead
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ x
Brush 200? ~ Blowdowns 200? ~ Blazes 200?
0.0 ~ Trailhead

Southern Terminus