destination
Whiskey Ditch is a secluded waterway a few miles from Mobile.
Solitude, Wilderness and History
Alabama Scenic River Trail
by Jim Felder
with photos from Charles Seifried
T
There is an astounding amount of water in Alabama, much
of it flowing in places neglected by the passage of time and
where progress has not yet built the ugly nor stamped out
the living. Being left behind by the modern world isn’t always a
bad thing. The Alabama Scenic River Trail (ASRT) was created
to bring these waterways into tho the present by developing
the many recreational opportunities they provide. Alabama’s
trai boasts the largest collection of rivers and streams in the
U.S. to have been organized and prepared, in varying ways,
for the paddler. The trail officially supports powerboating as
well, but the emphasis here is definitely on the faster-growing
activity of paddling.
The Alabama Scenic River Trail was originally conceived as a
north-to-south route connecting the upstate ridges and valleys
of the Coosa River with the tangled Mobile River delta and the
Gulf of Mexico to the south. Those 631 miles of historical riverways were, at the trail’s inauguration in June 2008, the longest
river trail in a single state. Since then, several thousand miles
of creeks and rivers have been adopted by the Alabama Scenic
16 Sea Kayaker | April 2012
River Trail. The trail system includes lots of swiftwater creeks,
but the larger rivers—with their bounty of backwaters—will
appeal to the long boater. Here, the gentle currents will not
impede an out-and-back from almost any point you choose to
put in. The Alabama Scenic River Trail has cataloged hundreds
of access points and developed nearly seventy new campsites.
Spacious sandbars take care of the rest.
The Coosa River and Northern and Central Alabama
There is no plaque marking where the Coosa River crosses
the Alabama-Georgia state line at the official trailhead of the
Alabama Scenic River Trail, but you can start on the Georgia
side’s recently renovated Brushy Branch Park by driving a
few miles along Highway 22 from Centre, Alabama, into
Georgia. On the Alabama side, your first chance to put
in is just a few miles east of Cedar Bluff at the Riverside
Campground and Motel on Weiss Lake. This paddler-friendly
campground is a great place to begin and end a trip on this
quiet end of the lake.
photo courtesy of ASRT
Mornings on the Coosa lakes are riotous with calling waterfowl. They can also get a bit crowded with fishing boats, so
leave the ramp earlier than 6 a.m. or later than 8 a.m. to avoid
the rush, and then take your choice of routes into the lake or
along the banks. You can stray outside the Coosa’s many markers to avoid most motorized craft altogether and chop miles off
the official distance as measured in the channel. Powerboaters
here are aware of the sudden danger of shallow water outside
the channel; you will have the edgewater to yourself.
There is a lot of life in and on the Coosa, including some of
the most endangered species in the state. You’ll see a variety of
ducks as well as Canada geese. Great blue herons, kingfishers
and egrets are almost everywhere. Eagles and osprey soar over
the more remote areas. The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker is making a slow but steady comeback as longleaf pine
forests are restored to the area. Coosa backwaters are home to
the majority of the remaining clumps of the endangered green
pitcher plant. The river hosts 180 species of mussels, two thirds
of all the mussel species found in the United States. There are
87 species of fish, 37 species of amphibian and over 50 species
of snail. Crappie, bass, catfish, bream, stripe, drum and shad
flourish in the waters.
Along the Coosa River you might emerge from a pinkish early morning fog onto a shimmering silver lake alive with ducks
and geese. In the first miles of the trip, before the backwaters
widen into the bustling area around Centre and Leesburg,
you’ll see more fishing camps than houses.
A must-do in the area is the out-and-back day trip to Yellow
Creek Falls. Northwest of the town of Leesburg and on the
north side of Weiss Lake, Yellow Creek spills a hundred feet
into the Coosa from Shinbone Ridge. This is one of the most
breathtaking features of the upper Coosa River and is easily accessible. For a leisurely approach, use Driftwood Campground
near Round Mountain as a day or overnight base of operations
on this lightly trafficked corner of the lake. Leave Driftwood
heading southwest around the mountain, and when heading northwest go straight on to Yellow Creek. Continue up
Yellow Creek as it narrows toward the falls, hidden behind
the enormous boulder garden before them as you paddle up.
A climb up the quarter-mile path on the creek’s left side will
reveal the falls’ full splendor, and summertime paddlers can
reward themselves with a swim in the falls’ blue hole with
the crashing cascade as a wonderful white-noise centerpiece.
The eight-mile round-trip from Driftwood Campground and a
leisurely lunch at the falls can be accomplished in a short day.
If you have less time to paddle, put in at the public ramp near
the falls about five miles northwest of Leesburg on Highway
273. This will cut your trip down to less than 20 minutes each
way. You’ll drive past the public ramp if you gawk too long at
the stately stone trestles that rise from the water and frame
the boulder garden behind them. Fall is a delight when the
brightly colored hillsides reflect in the millpond-smooth waters on the approach.
Ramps, campgrounds, restaurants, grocery stores and marinas dot the shores from Cedar Bluff to Leesburg where the
portage around the lake’s diversionary dam takes you to the
city of Gadsden some 50 miles down the Coosa’s narrow, folded
channel.
The river snakes between the interlocking fingers of hills
through quiet canyons where kingfishers careen from tree to
tree, scolding ahead of your advance and where osprey fish the
narrow channel. In the springtime the mountain laurel pours
its bright colors from the banks. Sounds travel magically between the high banks such that the sounds from the woods and
waters mingle brightly between paddle strokes.
Yellow Creek Falls
Gadsden lies around a trio of bridges over the Coosa. It’s a
city born of the river which has recently repurposed itself to
reengage its river. Gadsden has raised the bar for the state’s urban paddling with fine new paddle-friendly downtown docks
serving kayakers with shopping and dining.
Below the city, the Coosa widens a bit into the Neely Henry
Lake backwaters where creeks offer diversions left and right
all the way to Neely Henry Dam nearly 30 miles beyond. The
quarter-mile portage around the dam is easy with a kayak cart,
but it is not always clearly marked. Land at Ten Islands Park
Ramp (easy to spot from the water) and follow the U-shaped
bend of the access road to the Shoreline Manager’s Office.
Parallel and then cross County Road 144 on the access road
and head downhill on Lock 3 Road for the water, and put in
along the gentle slope. Ten Islands Park is an excellent place to
put a boat in the water and explore the nearby islands in one
of the most beautiful areas of the lake. The town of Ohatchee is
nearby and is a good place for resupply.
Traveling south you may not hear a sound other than the
wind and the ever-present calls of the birds until you arrive in
Montgomery, the capital, nearly half a state and 200 river miles
away. The river winds beneath four more bridges (including a
railroad crossing) on the way to Logan Martin Dam. The Logan
Dam portage begins by the dam at river right. Buoys mark the
approach. Slip to the left of the fence by the take-out sign and
avoid the restricted area to your right. Haul up the cleared path
to Logan Martin Dam Road and turn right. Follow the road to
a power line cut on the other side of the road. Head due south
under the power lines to find the service road and take it right
to follow around to Kelly Creek Road, taking the power-line
April 2012 | Sea Kayaker 17
destination
path to the left. Follow the ASRT portage signs to the put-in
at Kelly Creek and paddle the creek to the river where bearing
right will continue the trail.
Plenty of exploration awaits you if you use the take-out for
the portage as your starting point. You can explore Clear Creek
on the right or any of the islands in the lake in the ten miles
down to Pell City. The summer sky, as they say wryly in these
parts, “doesn’t lack but a little bit being blue.” Distant popcorn
clouds seem propped against the horizon. Any of them may
carry the beginnings of a storm that can descend suddenly under a summer sky.
The river remains a narrow channel between hills and
steepening banks south of Logan Martin Dam and well past
Childersburg. There are few tributaries. That changes after you
pass under the railroad bridge south of Childersburg and pass
Yellow Leaf Creek, Bulley Creek, Beeswax Creek, Cedar Creek,
Peckerwood Creek, Spring Creek, Slaughter Creek, Coagie
Branch, Waxahatchee Creek, Camp Branch and Paint Creek in
quick succession. Some of the most beautiful paddling in the
state is here. Weduska Shoals, once a rocky outcrop overlooking the Coosa, was inundated with the advent of the dams that
brought electric power to the region. If you are worried about
the river current impeding your return to the adjacent public launch on the west bank, you can drive south on Highway
47 to any one of several marinas where you can launch onto
Waxahatchee Creek, and from there paddle north to test the
Coosa’s current before you accidentally commit to a one-way
trip downstream across the shoals.
Just below the shoals are the now inundated falls at The
Narrows, described in a 1930s WPA travel guide as a 100-foot
gorge whose rocky face was studded with stunted growths of
The Five Rivers area is loaded with wonderful water to go in many directions.
18 Sea Kayaker | April 2012
azalea, dogwood and laurel “which in the spring spread a colorful robe of blossoms over its cold grey stone.” The description
still paints a true picture of springtime at The Narrows. This
spot is now the deepest on the Coosa with 122 feet of water
between your boat and the bottom of the old falls.
Below Paint Creek lies Lay Dam, with several launches above
it providing access to its normally slow and steady waters. The
hidden jewel in the area lies just south of the dam where the
Coosa winds through a corner of the recently acquired 9,800acre Coosa Wildlife Management Area. Here, a network of
trails of all types is under development, not the least of which
is the expansion of the Alabama Scenic River Trail into Hatchet
and Weogufka Creeks which join the Coosa here. Higgins Ferry
Park on County Road 28 is a great base of operations to explore
all three waterways for a day or overnight trip. The steep banks
each side of Mitchell Dam, only a mile or so south of the Coosa
Wildlife Management Area property, present the most formidable portage on the entire trail. Bring wheels and be physically fit if you take this portage, or call on one of the Alabama
Scenic River Trail’s Trail Angels (See Travel Planner on page 23)
to help you out.
South of Mitchell Dam is short but busy Jordan Lake. Here
there are few amenities, few ramps—other than a couple just
below Mitchell Dam—and no camping. The lake is thick with
boats and homes. Below Jordan Dam begins an extraordinary
whitewater experience that capable kayakers in longboats need
not avoid if equipped with a spray skirt, reasonable flotation
and a paddle leash. You’ll need a shuttle back to the put-in below Jordan Dam, though, if you are not through-paddling. This
is one six-mile stretch where you can’t fight the current.
The Alabama River and Mobile-Tensaw Delta:
South to the Gulf of Mexico
A few miles from here the Coosa and Tallapoosa rivers join to
form the Alabama River. In the 1730s the French built an out-
This alligator was quietly swimming in
Limestone Bay not far from Decatur and
Mooresville. The alligators are big and numerous.
They’re fun to see and, so far, not dangerous.
post, Fort Toulouse, at the confluence. Later, Andrew Jackson
prosecuted the Creek Indian War from another fort built hastily
on the same spot. The reconstructed forts and small museum
are close to a ramp from which you can explore the area by
kayak. From the concrete ramp to the campground and areas
of public interest is quite a hike, but by contacting the Alabama
Scenic River Trail website to make a special arrangement you
can save a lot of walking. From Fort Toulouse 22 miles downriver to Montgomery Marina, there is little access in or out of
the river, at least in terms of public accommodations. The city
of Montgomery is perched on a bluff beyond a finger of land
known as Buzzard Island. As the city comes into view from the
river, the Highway 152 bridge pounds with traffic just above
the Montgomery Marina, river left at Mile 288. The marina
is a popular watering hole, gulf seafood eatery and venue for
first-class blues. It’s also an official ASRT campground for small
tents. Half a mile around the bend is the RiverWalk, which connects rivergoers with the city’s cultural and historic downtown.
Montgomery’s Visitors Bureau is housed on the ground floor of
the old railroad station that flanks RiverWalk and is worth the
short walk to discover all that is around you here, including
Civil War and Civil Rights walking tours.
On the Alabama River near Selma, a number of U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers day-use areas and campgrounds provide
excellent retreats from the water. Tidy, thoughtfully planned
for the naturalist and always close to wildlife viewing, the
Corps seems to have had first choice on recreational properties. Newly refurbished Gunter Hill, Holy Ground (so named
because the Creek Indians believed that the white man’s bullets
could not penetrate them there) and Prairie Creek lie between
Montgomery and Selma 90 miles away. Below Selma the Corps
offers Six Mile Creek Park, Elm Bluff, Chilatchee Creek, Millers
Ferry Campground, Isaac Creek and Gees Bend Park campgrounds as well as privately owned campsites for the exclusive
use of Alabama Scenic River Trail travelers.
Of all the Corps-operated campgrounds on the Alabama River,
three are worthy of special mention: Prairie Creek, Millers Ferry
and Isaac Creek. Each features spacious sites, some with direct
access to the river from campsites and with nearby backwaters
full of the sights, sounds and aromas of this exotic and extremely
rural dimension of the trail. The walk to the bathhouse might be
longish from some campsites, but the ambiance and closeness
to nature make for a seductive stop that begs a longer stay. On
a clear night the unpolluted starshine can rival the light of the
full moon. By day, an excursion through the backwaters in hellish August will reveal acres of American lotus with plate-sized
flowers that will soon be replaced by their strange, empty pods
with the coming of cooler days and nights. There are cypress
groves with twisted trees and shapely knees and streaming banners of Spanish moss at every turn.
April 2012 | Sea Kayaker 19
destination
TOP: Rice Creek, close to Stockton Alabama, leads you across the
Tensaw River and then over to Jug Lake. While more than 50 miles
north of the Mobile Bay area, it is affected by Gulf tides.
BOTTOM: Approach the Jug Lake Platform with the tide coming in.
The platform is raised to keep the alligators off of it. This area is
filled with birds and wildlife.
All three dams on the Alabama River are operated
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Though each
has its own portage for paddlers, normal protocol is to
allow paddlers to lock through.
Paddling can be slowest here on the way to the
delta, because the unique backwaters of nearly every
tributary invite exploration. From Selma south to the
Gulf you’ll find bald eagles, Mississippi kites, swallowtailed kites, kingfishers, anhinga, blue heron, little
green heron, Bachman’s Sparrow, purple gallinule
and terns—to name just a few. Alligators frequent the
river from Selma to the Gulf as well, but they are more
secretive than conventional wisdom suggests. You will
probably need to be in a quiet backwater to even encounter one, and if you do, you will need your long
camera lens to keep from frightening it into the water.
An alligator will probably never bother you, but it is
not wise to provoke them if you find yourself close
by one.
Below Claiborne Lock and Dam and Isaac Creek
Campground lies the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, the
second-largest river delta in the country. Between
Claiborne Dam and the delta lie innumerable spacious
sandbars, each a haven for overnight camping.
The delta is a 15-mile wide, 50-mile long tangle of
verdant capillaries. It serves as the nursery for much
of the nation’s seafood and is home to virtually everything that slithers, walks, swims or flies, including bear
and manatee. The area came to national attention in
the spring of 2010 as the recipient of millions of gallons of oil on tarball-strewn beaches released during
the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Since then, many regular visitors have stayed away out of fear of the spill’s remnants in spite
of the fact that the state’s rivers constantly pushed the contaminants clear of the natural seafood hatcheries of the Gulf. No oil
reached the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.
In the years prior to the American Revolution, English naturalist William Bartram came to the area on a royal survey of
the king’s southern holdings. The resulting book, The Travels of
William Bartram, became a best seller in Europe and gave many
citizens their lasting impression of this country as a beautifully
savage and romantic place. As part of his legacy, the Bartram
Canoe Trail was established in 2003 by the Alabama Department
of Conservation and Natural Resources. The trail comprises a
series of floating camping platforms and land-based campsites
tucked into the arms or remote bayous. Land-based campsites
on the Bartram are available on a first come, first served basis.
The floating platforms, built high enough to keep campers clear
of alligators, wild hogs and the occasional bear, are available
only by reservation. The floating platforms are limited to eight
visitors by both practicality and regulation. A screened corner is
reserved for the requisite bring-along toilets (all waste must be
20 Sea Kayaker | April 2012
packed out). On the Bartram you have a number of options for
day and multiday trips throughout the region’s 250,000 acres.
The Bartram Canoe Trail will eventually connect with the Five
Rivers Delta Resource center, a sprawling campus of structures
dedicated to making the Delta accessible, especially to paddlers.
Located on the causeway between Mobile and Spanish Fort,
Five Rivers includes a gift shop, multimedia theaters, exhibition hall, offices, classrooms, pontoon boat tours and paddle
access to the delta.
Mobile Bay
The narrow streams and bayous of the delta converge into
a network of larger rivers that grow from the bay like the
branches of a great gnarled tree. After descending out of the
delta and hugging the less-commercial eastern shore of the bay,
the trail takes a long final stint of paddling to round the skinny
arm of sand, Fort Morgan Peninsula, that separates the placid
bay from the sugary-white beaches and salty waves of the Gulf
of Mexico and the official terminus of the trail. The trail here is
true sea kayaking—the winds and tide can suddenly conspire
to kick up high waves.
The Tombigbee River
The Tombigbee enters the northwest
corner of Alabama near Aliceville and
runs down the western side of the
state to meet the Alabama in the delta
through wild and undeveloped lands.
Public access and U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers day-use areas are numerous
enough for casual travel by car. Corps
campgrounds, where they exist, are
very good. The miles-wide floodplains
and sparse human population make
the river a wonderful place to conference with the natural world, where
red-headed and other woodpeckers and
white-breasted nuthatches cavort yearround, and orchard orioles and eastern
kingbirds appear in summer. Swallows
swoop for insects over open water.
Bald eagles are fairly common by day
as are the loud voices and silent flight
of horned owls, barred owls and eastern screech owls. The Tombigbee offers
abundant fossil-hunting opportunities
along its length.
The best parts of the Tombigbee take
you quickly off channel: the attraction
for the paddler is always in the backwaters. The channel is an invitation to encounters with barges and yacht owners
who may or may not slow down in deference to paddlers. An excellent place to
camp on the lower Tombigbee is at Old
Lock One Park, basecamp to the fossilrich bluffs below St. Stephens. About
11 miles north of Jackson, Alabama, on
Highway 69, just past the community
of Mays Crossroads (but before Salitpa),
is a sign on your left directing you to
Old Lock One Park. Follow the signs to
the Tombigbee River and this free U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers campground,
day use area and ramp. Mississippi kites,
swallow-tailed kites and eagles gyre
above diving terns, kingfishers, great
blue herons and anhinga. Pelicans and
snowy egrets are present for much of the
year. Pileated woodpeckers and the redcockaded woodpecker may elude all but
the most observant.
The Tennessee River
Across the neck of Alabama, the Tennessee
River flows between the tallest bluffs in
the state. The Tennessee’s potential for
solitude and exploration belie its population and its role as a workhorse of a power-generating river. Between Huntsville
and Decatur lies the 35,000 acre Wheeler
National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge was
established in the 1930s and is an important stop for migratory waterfowl and
home to numerous endemic species. Its
backwaters offer unparalleled beauty for
paddling and a surprising patch of solitude
in the backyard of some of the nation’s
fastest growing communities. Camping
opportunities abound on the public lands
along the river. (During critical nesting
phases, some places are closed to all visitors.) The refuge’s high concentration of
birds can create unforgettable paddling
experiences. Gliding among snowy egrets
taking flight is a moment you’ll remember
for a lifetime. Canada geese, blue-winged
teal, and a variety of shorebirds are evi-
dent as their migrations increase between
January and March. Teal migration peaks
in April, when migrant songbird nesting
is in full swing. Wildflowers peak then,
too. Fall migration of songbirds begins in
August as purple martins gather for their
southward move. The bird population increases through December with more of
the larger species on the scene; the year
ends with large numbers of great blue
heron, bald eagles, red tailed hawks and
other raptors including the occasional
April 2012 | Sea Kayaker 21
destination
golden eagle. An encounter with the rare and
endangered whooping crane an hour or so
before sundown in the first weeks of January
will never be forgotten. The drumming of a
hundred thousand wings, the cries of the sand­
hill cranes as they school and reel above the
sandbars—this is the sound track of prehistory.
Many of the major creeks entering the
Tennessee River in north Alabama provide their
own realms of flat water, big sky and solitude.
Paddlers are free to camp almost anywhere.
Popular day trips with a camping option available include: Bridgeport’s Long Island Creek,
Crow Creek Wildlife Refuge near Stevenson,
Bucks Pocket State Park and Guntersville
State Park near Guntersville, Fox Creek and After a rollicking run down Alabama’s fall line, the Cahaba River settles deep into the coastal plain
Mallard Creek in the Mallard-Fox Creek in a seemingly endless series of hairpins and inviting sandbars for camping.
Wildlife Management Area between Decatur
and Rogersville, Elk River, First Creek and Second Creak near Everything from big rivers to tight bayous to salt water is waitRogersville, Coffee Slough cypress swamp near Florence and ing. You can get lost for an afternoon or for a month and a half
paddling the entire trail. Second Creek near Waterloo.
An Invitation
A lot of paddling destinations promise something for everyone,
but the Alabama Scenic River Trail delivers it. You have thousands of miles of river and hundreds of backwaters to choose
from, many through unpopulated and undeveloped areas.
22 Sea Kayaker | April 2012
Jim Felder became the first Executive Director of the Alabama Scenic
River Trail Association in 2009 after many years in the marketing
communicaitons industry. Jim brings together his career achievements
as an illustrator, graphic designer and writer with his love of the
outdoors and his knowledge of Alabama.
photo courtesy of ASRT
Trip Planner
TOP LEFT: A wide range of scenery exists on the ASRT. TOP RIGHT: White Bluff on the Alabama River. BOTTOM RIGHT: Whiskey Ditch is flanked by
spider lilies and orchids and long tall grass. It is only a few miles from the Five Rivers Area and close to Mobile Bay. BOTTOM LEFT: A group of kayakers
escapes the windy channel of the Tennessee River for the secluded holes of Limestone Bay, just hundreds of yards from the quiet streets of Mooresville.
Safety:
Check on recent heavy rains before
you put in. Watch the current. Water
could be released at any time from the
dams; dangerous areas below them are
well marked with buoys and signs.
Use a GPS and a good map and
compass. The backwaters can get you
very confused unless you know where
you are going. Down along the coast
the tall grasses hide the landmarks
sometimes and can get you going in
circles.
Camping:
In Alabama, camping on sandbars or at
public or private campsites dedicated
to river travelers is commonplace.
Paddlers also have the right to be between the normal high-water marks
without seeking permission from a
landowner. TVA public lands and semideveloped campsites are detailed in the
Trail’s Tennessee River Guidebook, for
sale in the website’s online store.
Additional Resources:
The Outfitters button on any page of
www.alabamascenic­rivertrail.com will
get you a ride and a guide if you need
either or both.
Trail Angels are volunteers who can
help arrange your trip, locate outfitters
and gear, provide fact-finding and
directions, haul your boat and gear,
help you over portages and provide
innumerable other services that can
save you from miserable experiences.
www.alabamascenicrivertrail.com/
contact/
Trail Details:
The Bartram Canoe Trail: Paddlers on
the Bartram must register online at
www.bartramcanoetrail.com
where
you’ll also find detailed maps, waypoints and much more information.
Five Rivers Delta Resource Center:
More information can be found at
http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/outdooradventures/5rivers/.
Check out the Wheeler National
Wildlife Refuge website at http://www.
fws.gov/wheeler/ to download information including a calendar describing the month-by-month procession
of birds that visitors can expect to see
throughout the year.
You’ll find all the links mentioned
here on the Sea Kayaker website: www.
seakayakermag.com
April 2012 | Sea Kayaker 23