The Bankhead National Forest Tour Has Two Major Attractions

The William B. Bankhead National Forest Tour is one the best of all the Alabama backroads day trips for two reasons.

These reasons are hiking and waterfalls.

This magnificent day trip is a 54-mile drive that starts in Molten Alabama and ends in Jasper.

However, the best part is what you find along the way.

Hiking at The Bankhead National Forest

The History Of The Bankhead National Forest Tour

The Bankhead National Forest Tour

This beautiful tour will take you right through the heart of this breathtaking forest and it has quite an interesting history.

All of the forests in the State of Alabama began with the Alabama Purchase Unit, and this one is no different.

The Alabama Purchase Unit was established by the National Forest Commission in the year 1914.

The area that encompasses The Bankhead National Forest Tour, as it is more commonly known, was proclaimed as the Alabama National Forest on January 15, 1918.

Making this proclamation was the President of the United States at the time, Woodrow Wilson.

It was renamed in 1936 as the Black Warrior National Forest by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

However, that would change again, as the United States Congress renamed it the William B. Buckhead National Forest, on June 17, 1942.

It was named in the honor of the longtime U.S. representative from the State, Mr. William B. Buckhead.

It covers approximately 181,230 acres of natural forest land and is the home of the only National Wild and Scenic River in the State, the Sipsey Fork.

However, for the numerous fans of this tour and National Park, it is known by two other very popular names.

They are the “land of a thousand waterfalls” and the “land of the hiking trails”, as it has plenty of both.

This National Forest is also well known for horseback riding, fishing, boating, as well as canoeing, just to name a few more common activities.

It is the home of numerous swift streams along with the waterfalls and is also one of the premier sites in the entire South for prehistoric drawings.

There have also been numerous Native America relics found in this forest area, as well as rock carving and petroglyphs.

Bankhead National Forest Tour takes you through all of these natural attractions and is one of the four National Forests in the State.

However, the crown jewel of the National wonderland is the Sipsey Wilderness that lies within it.

The Sipsey Wilderness

Considered to be the main natural attraction of the Bankhead National Forest Tour, the Sipsey Wilderness was designated in 1975.

It was later expanded in 1988, and covers almost 25,000 acres of raw beauty.

It lies in the center part of this forest, and surrounds the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, where it contains several waterfalls.

Because of the numerous hiking trails located within as well as the waterfalls, it has become one of the most visited wilderness areas in the State.

However, it only became this Wilderness area because of the efforts of one very persistent woman, Mary Ivy Burks, of Birmingham Alabama.

The 1964 Wilderness Act had several flaws in it.

The major flaw in this Act was that it made it almost impossible to designate any lands that were east of the Mississippi River, as a wilderness area.

There were several people in the country that believed that only land located in the Western part of the country should be declared “wilderness areas”.

Ms. Burks kept pushing for what would become known as the Eastern Wilderness Movement, and Senator John Sparkman agreed with her.

He introduced a Bill in the Senate that was approved, and the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act of 1975 was born.

Because of this one bill and the efforts of Ms. Burks, what is known today as the Sipsey Wilderness was formed with 12,000 acres.

It was later expanded to the 25,000 acres that it now covers.

The Water Falls and Trails

The Caney Creek Falls in The Sipsey Wilderness

The Bankhead National Forest Tour has numerous gorgeous waterfalls, but there are five that stand out.

In fact, because of the numerous hiking trails located there, you and your family can do all 5 in one day.

Here is the List of the 5 waterfalls.

Kinlock Falls
Parker Falls
Caney Creek Falls
Holmes Chapel Falls
Sougahoagdee Falls

The first of the waterfalls, the Kinlock Falls, is one of the most popular in the entire forest and features a 15 drop.

It also has a span of more than 30 feet and is known as a very popular swimming spot.

To reach this waterfall, you simply take the Kinlock Falls Trail, which is only a .3-mile loop trail.

Parker Falls is a 1.7-mile hike both out as well as back and is located at the end of the trail.

This waterfall is rated as moderate by visitors.

Caney Falls, however, is just the opposite, as it is one the most popular waterfalls on the Bankhead National Forest Tour.

It is also a 1.7-mile trail going to and coming back, and it takes you directly to this beautiful waterfall.

Hikers Resting in the Bankhead National Forest

Holmes Chapel Falls is a one-mile hike round trip, and is located at the south end of Brushy Lake,

It is at its’ fullest beauty in the fall and winter months of the year.

The Sougahoagdee Falls is a much longer hike as it is almost 4 miles both to and back, but it is well worth the trip.

This beautiful waterfall is 30 foot tall, and is breathtaking for you and your family to see.

The Bankhead National Forest Tour is also famous for its numerous trails and there are several that are very friendly.

The newly expanded trail system added 82 miles of recreational trails to the 71 miles that already existed.

You will find a huge selection of hiking trails, forest trails, as well as dog friendly trails, for you and your family to choose from.

The vast majority of these hiking trails are between 1.7 miles long to 5.0 miles long, to fit all skill levels.

Here is a sampling of the trails that are less than 5.0 miles.

The Gum Pond trail is 1.8 miles long, the Borden Creek, the Bee Ridge, and the Rippey Trails are 2.7 miles long.

The Randolph Trail is 3.4 miles long, the Thompson Creek Trail is 3.7 miles, The Lookout Trail is 4.3 miles, The Brazil Creek Trail is 4.6 miles, and the Bunyan Hill Trail is 4.8 miles long.

These natural attractions make this one of the best of the Alabama Scenic Tours for you and your family to visit.

References

https://www.stateparks.com/william_b_bankhead.html