Much to see along the hiking trails near Mt. Cheaha in Alabama

Plane crash wreckage near McDill Point.

If you ever get the chance to go hiking in the mountains of northeast Alabama, don’t pass it up. Last weekend, I accompanied my young son on a Scout camping trip to the mountains around Mt. Cheaha (Alabama’s highest point), and while I could hardly walk come Monday morning, it was a memorable trip.

We left as a group around 5 p.m. on Friday and made it to the Talladega Mountains around 9 p.m. We parked, shouldered our packs and set off with our headlamps down a dark trail. We knew that bad weather was approaching, so we hiked in for about an hour, found a suitable campsite near a fast-flowing creek and put up our tents. Half an hour later, it began to rain heavily.

Thankfully, our tents withstood the weather, and we woke up nice and dry, even though it was still raining heavily at daylight. We ate breakfast in our tent and as soon as the rain slacked off, we broke camp and headed off down the trail. Our plans were to hike about 10 miles through the mountains and camp at a highpoint before nightfall.

During the day, the trail took us by an old moonshine still and a few other hikers. We also had to cross several creeks, including one crossing at an old mill site on Hubbard Creek. We also encountered a number of “tank traps,” that is, sizeable ditches and berms that likely trace their origins to military training associated with nearby Fort McClellan.

Part of our hike took us off trail and across country for about half a mile. During this leg of the trip, we encountered a large, black moccasin. The snake hardly reacted to our presence, just laid there in a big pool of bright sunshine. We gave him a wide berth.

Much of our hike took us along the Pinhoti Trail, which is a long-distance trail that stretches 335 miles from Flagg Mountain on into Georgia. We eventually made camp at one of the high points along this trail, and much like the night before, we set up our tents in just enough time to ride out a severe thunderstorm that blew in from the southwest. As tired as we were, we wolfed down a hot ready-to-eat camp meal and fell into a deep sleep as the wind and rain roared overhead.

The next morning, Sunday morning, we broke camp around 7 a.m. and set off down the Pinhoti trail. We made it to our vehicle around 9 a.m. and then drove down to another trailhead with an eye towards hiking to Hernandez Peak and McDill Point. This out-and-back trail is nearly five miles long over rocky terrain.

One of the most interesting things about this trail is that it takes you past the site of an old plane crash. Later research revealed that this small plane crashed in 1972 and resulted in one fatality. The plane was said to have been enroute from Texas to Georgia when it slammed into the side of the mountain.

In the end, if you ever get the chance to travel to the Talladega Mountains, I highly recommend that you take the time to hike some of the amazing trails you’ll find there. Pack plenty of water and food. You might be a little sore come Monday morning, but it’s well worth it.