PTA Site Map / www.pinhotitrailalliance.org
The Pinhoti Trail
A Southeast Region Appalachian Trail Connector
The Turkey Track ~ 2010
Detailed activity calendars for the individual trail clubs can be viewed at
their websites. Please follow the trail club website links on column 2 of
the PTA Site Map page.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 24 ~ The Zen of Running
A new link for this page has been put on the Site Map, upper block, near the bottom right
corner. These universal ideas will also cross over to different activities, such as hiking.
Most folks who spend a lot of time in the woods have already had these experiences on
their own, right?
September 19 ~ Section 13 Trail Closure
Welcome to the 3rd Annual
Section 13 Cosmic Road Walk Reunion Tour
UPDATE 12-7-10
Trail clearing continues. The trailbed is pretty much roughed in and it's good enough to
hike through without accidentally ending up in east Texas : ) Reblazing has begun also,
using the standard light blue coloring. We will continue with the light blue blazes
throughout the section until all the dark blue is replaced.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And just when you thought it was safe to sleep without your favorite Teddy Bear, the
road walk bypassing the southern end of Section 13 is back! Yep, that’s right girls and
boys, logging operations have once again totally and completely obliterated a portion of
the 335 mile Pinhoti National Recreation Trail.
When you’re standing there at age 56 with a chainsaw, pulaski and fire rake, 100 feet is a
large portion. What we’re talking about here is 8,000 feet of steep mountainside
contours. If you’ll recall, we just recently finished rebuilding this same section from
scratch after the last timber harvest.
As of September 19, 2010, the section of trail traveling north from mile 164.1 – Road Bed
to mile 165.6 - Dante’s Switchbacks is closed to all hiker traffic until further notice
from the Alabama Trails Association. This harvest is still in progress so we are expecting
the affected area of closure to be extended. Check back for updates.
The remaining 11.2 miles of Section 13 are not closed.
How long will this closure be in effect? Don’t know. It’s very likely that within the next
month we will just flag a simple point a to point b route through here to keep the trail
open but not do any trail rebuilding until we find out how much area is going to be
harvested this time.
Here are two possible northbound road walks around the closure:
#1. Private property. Foot travel only. 2.75 miles
From the 161.1 – High Point Trailhead parking area, follow the Pinhoti Trail up to the mile
164.1 – Road Bed.
Follow the dirt road to the right for appx. 2 miles to the dead end at Salem Church Road.
Turn left and go appx. ¾ mile to the Pinhoti Trail crossing.
The north trail up toward the state line is on the right.
The south trail is on the left.
A word of caution about this bypass; the 164.1 – Road Bed is the road logging trucks use to
take the trees off Davis Mountain. The dirt has been pulverized into 3 inches of the
finest powder you can imagine, so if it has rained recently, seriously consider using bypass
#2 instead.
#2. Public roads. 2.7 miles
From the 161.1 - High Point Trailhead parking area, turn left on US 278 and go 0.1 miles to
CR 45. Turn right.
Go 0.5 miles to CR 8, just past the Hurricane Creek Bridge. Turn right.
Go 2.1 miles to the Pinhoti Trail crossing.
The north trail up toward the state line is on the left.
The south trail is on the right.
Hugh “Solo” Hickman
President
Alabama Trails Association
September 17 ~ The Peace Sign
A new link has been put on the Site Map, second column under Special Interest Sites, for
The Peace Sign. This is an article by Hardy Jackson that was published in the Anniston
Star last year about the origins of the Peace Sign (lest we should forget! : )
September 5 ~ Talladega Daily Home ~ ATCA Interview
Here is a link to a reprint of the newspaper article by David Atchison which followed
members of the Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama during a southbound overnight hike in
Alabama on Section 10, from the Coleman Lake Trailhead to the Pine Glen Campground.
The Site Map link is in column 2 under "Pinhoti in the News".
August 16 ~ The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
New page added to the website (hey, it's been a long hot summer with no HIKING : ) This
will be filled in soon with the inductees, and some highlights. The link to this page is on the
Site Map, column 2, under Special interest sites.
May 11 ~ Chief Ladiga Trail Campground
Section 12 ~ trail mile 152.8.
If you're going north on Section 12, once you come down off Oakey Mountain and reach
the 152.8 ~ Chief Ladiga Rail Trail, the Pinhoti turns right on the CLT. To go to the
campground, turn left on the CLT instead and go about 100 yards. The entrance is on the
right. The owner, Charley Fagan, former Piedmont Mayor has been working on this for
quite a while and it should be open soon (weeks, months ?). LOTS of campsites on Terrapin
Creek and a new building under construction (office, store, bathhouse ?). Check back for
updates.
UPDATE ~ 6-6-10
Found a link for the campground (www.chiefladigatrailcampground.com) It states that
primitive camping is allowed now, though no mention of rates.
UPDATE 11-15-10
The campground is up and running. When finished, there is expected to be 160
campsites. There are RV sites now with no power or water hookups and the dumping
station is not completed yet. Primitive campsites are available and the heated bath house
has been completed. There is a men's side and women's side with 4 toilets and 4 showers
on each side. The sites are $15 per night.
Additional contact info: Bill Fann - Project Manager
3180 Co. Rd 94
Piedmont, AL 36272
256-591-9207
bill.fann@bellsouth.net
April 16 ~ Simms Mountain Rail Trail
This is from a couple of emails I've received from Mike Leonard /The Conservation Fund:
Recently, the Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association completed the grading for the trail that
will replace the road walk between mile 214.3 and mile 215.5 at the north end of
Section 19 . I will try to get a description of the new "woods trail " to you. The length will
be pretty much the same, maybe one tenth of a mile shorter.
Note: this is really good for the Pinhoti because it will knit the 12 mile rail trail and the
57.6 miles of trail in the old ( west of I-75 ) Armuchee District of the Chattahoochee
National Forest into one whole. It will do so by enabling the large U.S. Forest Service
trailhead parking lot on Georgia Highway 100 (215.5 ~ High Point Trailhead) at the foot of
the south end of Taylor Ridge to be used as a trailhead parking lot for both the trail
leading north along Taylor Ridge and to access the rail trail which leads south.
The grading was done with an excavator to prepare a trail bed suitable for horses and
mountain bikes. Thus, it is pretty much finished.
April 10 ~ Dugger Reopens
Here's an email from our friends at the FS:
Hello Everyone,
The Duggar Mountain section (Cleburne Co. Hwy 55 to FS road 500) of the Pinhoti NRT
has been closed this week because of a wildfire we had in the Wilderness on Easter
Sunday. We will be working over the weekend doing rehab. The trail will reopen on
Monday, April 12.
Thank you,
Lesley
Lesley M. Hodge
Natural Resource Specialist
USDA- Talladega National Forest- Shoal Creek RD
45 Highway 281
Heflin, AL 36264
256/463-2273
256/463-5385 fax
Email: lhodge@fs.fed.us
April 5 ~ Dugger Mountain Trail Closure / Fire
Tammy Truett/R8/USDAFS@FSNOTES
Subject: Breaking News....Dugger Mountain Wilderness Fire Closes Portion of
Pinhoti Trail
The attached news release is being mailed today to the Shoal Creek District
media and outdoor/environmental organizations. On April 4, a wildfire
located in the Dugger Mountain Wilderness Area in the Talladega National
Forest, Shoal Creek District was reported to law enforcement.
The approximately 176-acre wildfire has temporarily closed the northeast
portion of the Pinhoti Trail beginning at the (136.1 ~) Pinky Burns Trailhead (and ending at
the 144.9 ~ North FS 500 Trailhead).
The Alabama Coordination Center has ordered resources to support the fire
suppression efforts. More than 40 personnel from the U.S. Forest Service,
Alabama Forestry Commission, Pelham Fire Department, and crews from
Tennessee and North Carolina were dispatched to the incident. The cause of
the wildfire is currently under investigation. Contact the Shoal Creek
District at (256) 462-2272 for additional information.
April 4 ~ Pinhoti Trail Fastest Known Time
I just received an email today about a team from Huntsville, AL who will attempt to set
the fastest end to end traverse, 335 miles. Check out their page for complete info.
They are looking for volunteers (no not to run it you ninny, only crazy folks do that.... : )
http://pinhotitrailadventurerun.blogspot.com/
March 31 ~ Flagg Mountain
Here is a recent email I received From Mike Leonard / The Conservation Fund. For those
of you who don't know Mike, he has been involved in the acquisition of over 7000 acres of
Pinhoti Trail corridor. Out of respect, please conduct yourselves accordingly.
"I am working hard on resolving trail terminus issues in the vicinity of Flagg
Mountain/Weogufka State Forest. There is great promise in my efforts, but as with
many transactions, I cannot disclose details until they are "nailed down".
"In that regard, it would be helpful to remove any pictures or references to the stone
tower on Flagg from the website. It would also be helpful to put a notice on the
description of Section 1 that the first 6.5 miles of the trail route are being re-evaluated
and that the area around the tower is not open to the public. Thus, hikers might want to
treat the crossroads at Weogufka as the southern end of the trail pending further
developments".
March 9 ~ Sections 26, 27, 28
The road walk through Dalton and Chatsworth, GA has been changed. It still crosses I-75
on GA 52, but then it drops south a few miles to continue east through the Conasauga
valley to Ramhurst instead of crossing the valley on GA 52 to Chatsworth and then south
on US 411 to Ramhurst. This southern route is much less populated and better reflects
the general area where property may be purchased to put the Pinhoti Trail in the woods
some day. This re-route has added 10.3 miles to the total length of the Pinhoti (334.9).
The trail guides for sections 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 have been updated to show the
new route and added mileage.
February 6 ~ Trail Signs
During the months of January and February, 2010, appx. 50 trail info signs
have been placed on the trail. These signs were furnished by the USFS -
Shoal Creek Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest and the Alabama Trails
Association. The link is on the upper block of the Site Map.
January 7 ~ Alabama's Forever Wild
You may have noticed this link on the home page. I've also put another link on the upper
block of the Site Map. ALFA breast feeds a lot of politicians in Montgomery so Forever
Wild is probably doomed right ? ?
January 6 ~ Blue Moons
A short article about Blue Moons has been added to the Moon Names page. The link is on
the upper block of the Site Map.
PTA Site Map / Top of Page ^-^
The Pinhoti Trail
A Southeast Region Appalachian Trail Connector
The Turkey Track ~ 2010
Detailed activity calendars for the individual trail clubs can be viewed at
their websites. Please follow the trail club website links on column 2 of
the PTA Site Map page.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 24 ~ The Zen of Running
A new link for this page has been put on the Site Map, upper block, near the bottom right
corner. These universal ideas will also cross over to different activities, such as hiking.
Most folks who spend a lot of time in the woods have already had these experiences on
their own, right?
September 19 ~ Section 13 Trail Closure
Welcome to the 3rd Annual
Section 13 Cosmic Road Walk Reunion Tour
UPDATE 12-7-10
Trail clearing continues. The trailbed is pretty much roughed in and it's good enough to
hike through without accidentally ending up in east Texas : ) Reblazing has begun also,
using the standard light blue coloring. We will continue with the light blue blazes
throughout the section until all the dark blue is replaced.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And just when you thought it was safe to sleep without your favorite Teddy Bear, the
road walk bypassing the southern end of Section 13 is back! Yep, that’s right girls and
boys, logging operations have once again totally and completely obliterated a portion of
the 335 mile Pinhoti National Recreation Trail.
When you’re standing there at age 56 with a chainsaw, pulaski and fire rake, 100 feet is a
large portion. What we’re talking about here is 8,000 feet of steep mountainside
contours. If you’ll recall, we just recently finished rebuilding this same section from
scratch after the last timber harvest.
As of September 19, 2010, the section of trail traveling north from mile 164.1 – Road Bed
to mile 165.6 - Dante’s Switchbacks is closed to all hiker traffic until further notice
from the Alabama Trails Association. This harvest is still in progress so we are expecting
the affected area of closure to be extended. Check back for updates.
The remaining 11.2 miles of Section 13 are not closed.
How long will this closure be in effect? Don’t know. It’s very likely that within the next
month we will just flag a simple point a to point b route through here to keep the trail
open but not do any trail rebuilding until we find out how much area is going to be
harvested this time.
Here are two possible northbound road walks around the closure:
#1. Private property. Foot travel only. 2.75 miles
From the 161.1 – High Point Trailhead parking area, follow the Pinhoti Trail up to the mile
164.1 – Road Bed.
Follow the dirt road to the right for appx. 2 miles to the dead end at Salem Church Road.
Turn left and go appx. ¾ mile to the Pinhoti Trail crossing.
The north trail up toward the state line is on the right.
The south trail is on the left.
A word of caution about this bypass; the 164.1 – Road Bed is the road logging trucks use to
take the trees off Davis Mountain. The dirt has been pulverized into 3 inches of the
finest powder you can imagine, so if it has rained recently, seriously consider using bypass
#2 instead.
#2. Public roads. 2.7 miles
From the 161.1 - High Point Trailhead parking area, turn left on US 278 and go 0.1 miles to
CR 45. Turn right.
Go 0.5 miles to CR 8, just past the Hurricane Creek Bridge. Turn right.
Go 2.1 miles to the Pinhoti Trail crossing.
The north trail up toward the state line is on the left.
The south trail is on the right.
Hugh “Solo” Hickman
President
Alabama Trails Association
September 17 ~ The Peace Sign
A new link has been put on the Site Map, second column under Special Interest Sites, for
The Peace Sign. This is an article by Hardy Jackson that was published in the Anniston
Star last year about the origins of the Peace Sign (lest we should forget! : )
September 5 ~ Talladega Daily Home ~ ATCA Interview
Here is a link to a reprint of the newspaper article by David Atchison which followed
members of the Appalachian Trail Club of Alabama during a southbound overnight hike in
Alabama on Section 10, from the Coleman Lake Trailhead to the Pine Glen Campground.
The Site Map link is in column 2 under "Pinhoti in the News".
August 16 ~ The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
New page added to the website (hey, it's been a long hot summer with no HIKING : ) This
will be filled in soon with the inductees, and some highlights. The link to this page is on the
Site Map, column 2, under Special interest sites.
May 11 ~ Chief Ladiga Trail Campground
Section 12 ~ trail mile 152.8.
If you're going north on Section 12, once you come down off Oakey Mountain and reach
the 152.8 ~ Chief Ladiga Rail Trail, the Pinhoti turns right on the CLT. To go to the
campground, turn left on the CLT instead and go about 100 yards. The entrance is on the
right. The owner, Charley Fagan, former Piedmont Mayor has been working on this for
quite a while and it should be open soon (weeks, months ?). LOTS of campsites on Terrapin
Creek and a new building under construction (office, store, bathhouse ?). Check back for
updates.
UPDATE ~ 6-6-10
Found a link for the campground (www.chiefladigatrailcampground.com) It states that
primitive camping is allowed now, though no mention of rates.
UPDATE 11-15-10
The campground is up and running. When finished, there is expected to be 160
campsites. There are RV sites now with no power or water hookups and the dumping
station is not completed yet. Primitive campsites are available and the heated bath house
has been completed. There is a men's side and women's side with 4 toilets and 4 showers
on each side. The sites are $15 per night.
Additional contact info: Bill Fann - Project Manager
3180 Co. Rd 94
Piedmont, AL 36272
256-591-9207
bill.fann@bellsouth.net
April 16 ~ Simms Mountain Rail Trail
This is from a couple of emails I've received from Mike Leonard /The Conservation Fund:
Recently, the Georgia Pinhoti Trail Association completed the grading for the trail that
will replace the road walk between mile 214.3 and mile 215.5 at the north end of
Section 19 . I will try to get a description of the new "woods trail " to you. The length will
be pretty much the same, maybe one tenth of a mile shorter.
Note: this is really good for the Pinhoti because it will knit the 12 mile rail trail and the
57.6 miles of trail in the old ( west of I-75 ) Armuchee District of the Chattahoochee
National Forest into one whole. It will do so by enabling the large U.S. Forest Service
trailhead parking lot on Georgia Highway 100 (215.5 ~ High Point Trailhead) at the foot of
the south end of Taylor Ridge to be used as a trailhead parking lot for both the trail
leading north along Taylor Ridge and to access the rail trail which leads south.
The grading was done with an excavator to prepare a trail bed suitable for horses and
mountain bikes. Thus, it is pretty much finished.
April 10 ~ Dugger Reopens
Here's an email from our friends at the FS:
Hello Everyone,
The Duggar Mountain section (Cleburne Co. Hwy 55 to FS road 500) of the Pinhoti NRT
has been closed this week because of a wildfire we had in the Wilderness on Easter
Sunday. We will be working over the weekend doing rehab. The trail will reopen on
Monday, April 12.
Thank you,
Lesley
Lesley M. Hodge
Natural Resource Specialist
USDA- Talladega National Forest- Shoal Creek RD
45 Highway 281
Heflin, AL 36264
256/463-2273
256/463-5385 fax
Email: lhodge@fs.fed.us
April 5 ~ Dugger Mountain Trail Closure / Fire
Tammy Truett/R8/USDAFS@FSNOTES
Subject: Breaking News....Dugger Mountain Wilderness Fire Closes Portion of
Pinhoti Trail
The attached news release is being mailed today to the Shoal Creek District
media and outdoor/environmental organizations. On April 4, a wildfire
located in the Dugger Mountain Wilderness Area in the Talladega National
Forest, Shoal Creek District was reported to law enforcement.
The approximately 176-acre wildfire has temporarily closed the northeast
portion of the Pinhoti Trail beginning at the (136.1 ~) Pinky Burns Trailhead (and ending at
the 144.9 ~ North FS 500 Trailhead).
The Alabama Coordination Center has ordered resources to support the fire
suppression efforts. More than 40 personnel from the U.S. Forest Service,
Alabama Forestry Commission, Pelham Fire Department, and crews from
Tennessee and North Carolina were dispatched to the incident. The cause of
the wildfire is currently under investigation. Contact the Shoal Creek
District at (256) 462-2272 for additional information.
April 4 ~ Pinhoti Trail Fastest Known Time
I just received an email today about a team from Huntsville, AL who will attempt to set
the fastest end to end traverse, 335 miles. Check out their page for complete info.
They are looking for volunteers (no not to run it you ninny, only crazy folks do that.... : )
http://pinhotitrailadventurerun.blogspot.com/
March 31 ~ Flagg Mountain
Here is a recent email I received From Mike Leonard / The Conservation Fund. For those
of you who don't know Mike, he has been involved in the acquisition of over 7000 acres of
Pinhoti Trail corridor. Out of respect, please conduct yourselves accordingly.
"I am working hard on resolving trail terminus issues in the vicinity of Flagg
Mountain/Weogufka State Forest. There is great promise in my efforts, but as with
many transactions, I cannot disclose details until they are "nailed down".
"In that regard, it would be helpful to remove any pictures or references to the stone
tower on Flagg from the website. It would also be helpful to put a notice on the
description of Section 1 that the first 6.5 miles of the trail route are being re-evaluated
and that the area around the tower is not open to the public. Thus, hikers might want to
treat the crossroads at Weogufka as the southern end of the trail pending further
developments".
March 9 ~ Sections 26, 27, 28
The road walk through Dalton and Chatsworth, GA has been changed. It still crosses I-75
on GA 52, but then it drops south a few miles to continue east through the Conasauga
valley to Ramhurst instead of crossing the valley on GA 52 to Chatsworth and then south
on US 411 to Ramhurst. This southern route is much less populated and better reflects
the general area where property may be purchased to put the Pinhoti Trail in the woods
some day. This re-route has added 10.3 miles to the total length of the Pinhoti (334.9).
The trail guides for sections 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 have been updated to show the
new route and added mileage.
February 6 ~ Trail Signs
During the months of January and February, 2010, appx. 50 trail info signs
have been placed on the trail. These signs were furnished by the USFS -
Shoal Creek Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest and the Alabama Trails
Association. The link is on the upper block of the Site Map.
January 7 ~ Alabama's Forever Wild
You may have noticed this link on the home page. I've also put another link on the upper
block of the Site Map. ALFA breast feeds a lot of politicians in Montgomery so Forever
Wild is probably doomed right ? ?
January 6 ~ Blue Moons
A short article about Blue Moons has been added to the Moon Names page. The link is on
the upper block of the Site Map.
PTA Site Map / Top of Page ^-^
| Millennium Legacy Trail |
| Section 13 166.7 ~ Hawkins Hollow Tent Platform Site of new Trail Shelter ~ 2011 click to enlarge |
| Chief Ladiga Trail Campground Oakey Mountain in Background Pinhoti Trail Section 12 Trail Mile 152.8 click to enlarge photo |