Location: Black Warrior WMA, Bankhead National Forest
Trails: trail from Hickory Grove Road bridge to the falls
Members: Bart, Betty, Doris, Foster, Gary, John, Johnnie, Larry & Mimi, Mike, Scott & Zeke
Guests: Dan & Claire (& dog Dale, Jr.), Eduardo
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For once, all the rain worked in our favor.
On the way to our destination, Sougahoagdee Falls,
we passed six other waterfalls – and all
these along a trail that even with all its twists and turns could not have
traced out much over two miles. We met up at the New Home Baptist Church in Moreland and left most of the vehicles there due to limited parking space along Hickory Grove Road (CR 3159). The trail begins just before the bridge over Brushy Creek. A couple of pieces of blue flagging mark the outset but do not continue for very far. |
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Most of the route follows old roads and other than having to climb over the
occasional downed tree, the walk is pretty easy. Just keep the creek on your
right and you cannot get lost (well, probably not). After about the first half mile, you want to abandon the path nearer the creek in favor of a roadbed further up the hill. Some orange flagging gives a clue as to a good spot where the climb is not too difficult. You can continue on the lower route but the eventual ascent will be steeper. After about two miles, you come to a feeder stream which is a little more substantial than the ones passed so far; turn left there and Sougahoagdee Falls is about another 200 yards. |
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The variety of the waterfalls was impressive with everything from tall, thin, and
elegant streams to multiple cascades splashing from the top of the bluff all the way
down into the creek. Sougahoagdee Falls itself had
the most volume of water passing over and was the widest of the waterfalls
we encountered though not the tallest.
It was possible to get behind many of them. The day was cold and mostly cloudy but once we got going in the woods, conditions were not too bad. A few wet spots but nothing serious. We saw one copperhead coiled up but had no problems with wildlife or insects. The hike lasted about four and a half hours but we certainly were not hurrying. |
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This is a very nice little hike, particularly after a period of heavy rains but should be quite rewarding almost anytime. The dog loved it by the way. |
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To view more photos (in better resolution) and a GPS track of the hike, please see Mike's Picasa Web Album Sougahoagdee Falls. |
| Submitted 23 Oct 2009 |
| Text: Larry Barkey |
| Photos: Mike Henshaw |