Chewacla State Park Is One of Alabama's Best Kept Secrets

Chewacla State Park is considered to be one the best kept secrets in the state of Alabama.

If you like nature and the outdoors, and are in to hiking or mountain bike riding, this park is a must see for you and your family.

Chasing Waterfalls at Chewacla State Park

It is a publicly owned park that offers its visitors close to 700 acres of pristine forest, and is very easy to access.

Located in Lee Country near the towns of Auburn and Opelika, it is just south of Interstate 85.

The History and Attractions at Chewacla State Park

A Waterfall At Chewacla State Park Near Auburn Alabama

In the early 1930’s the Civilian Conservation Corp began to develop Chewacla State Park, which at one time was the home of Wrights Mill.

They developed roads, numerous hiking trails, as well as some park buildings.

However, there biggest contribution to this beautiful park was the construction of a dam, which created Chewacla Lake.

Once this dam and lake were created, the State took possession of the property, and opened to the public in 1939.

Although there are still hiking trails in the park, it is best known for its biking trails, which were developed by CAMP.

CAMP is better known as the Central Alabama Mountain Peddlers, and they have built a series of great bike trails that are available to the public.

It is this fact that makes Chewacla State Park one of the best kept secrets in Alabama, as not a lot of people are aware of this.

CAMP has a very strong and good relationship with this State park, and they are a member of the IMBA, the International Mountain Biking Association.

Other than the famous biking trails that are located in the Park, there are also other attractions and they include the following.

Boating
Swimming
Fishing
Camping

Boating

Chewacla State Park is very well known for its boating in Lake Chewacla, but there is something that makes it very unique in the State of Alabama.

There are no power boats allowed in the lake.

While this seems to be a bit odd, it makes the other forms of boating extremely attractive and along with its biking trails, sets it apart from other parks.

The Lake is a gorgeous but small 26-acre lake that is fed naturally by Moore’s Mill Creek.

There are no boat ramps located anywhere on the Lake, however, its easy access makes it very easy to carry a small non-motorized boat to the lake.

This makes it a paddle boat, canoe, and kayak paradise, and if you do not have any of these, do not worry, the park rents them.

The only caveat is that there needs to be at least one person in your party over the age of eighteen in order to rent one of these boats.

Swimming

Because of the natural spring fed water and the restriction of motorized boats, the small lake located in Chewacla State Park is ideal for swimming.

It is opened year-round for the public to swim in, and there are roped off areas where there are diving boards located.

The only word of caution is that you swim in this lake at your own risk, as there are no lifeguards in the park.

Fishing

Chewacla State Park is considered to be one of the best fishing locations in the entire State of Alabama.

You can fish from the shore of the lake, or from a canoe, that is up to you.

There is a very wide assortment of different species of fish located in the lake, and they include the best known of all the species, lake bass.

However, there are also crappie, catfish, as well as bream located in the lake.

There is also one other option open to fisherman, and that is the nearby creeks.

There are also two creeks that run through the park for you to fish.

Camping

When the Civilian Conservation Corps first built Chewacla State Park in the late 1930’s, they built six stone cottages that are available to rent in the park.

They have been completely remodeled and updated with the latest amenities and have full kitchens and new bathrooms.

There are also 36 full hookup camping sites for RVs, as well as just plain old-fashioned camp sites.

There are also showers available to the public.

The Biking Trails at Chewacla State Park

A Biking Trail At Chewacla State Park Near Auburn Alabama

However, other than the lake, the main attractions to Chewacla State Park are the biking trails.

This park offers one of the best series of biking trails not only in the State of Alabama, but the entire southeastern part of the country.

Here are some examples of the biking trails offered.

The Camp Trail
Lakeside Connector Trail
Ranger Dell’s Trail
Falls View Trail
Creek View Trail
CCC Trail
For Pete’s Sake Trail

The Camp Trail

In building these first-class biking trails in Chewacla State Park, CAMP’s mission was very simple.

To educate, develop, and then maintain trails that are both suitable for riding, as well as for multi-use that can also be used for hiking.

The first of these trails is the Camp Trail, which is basically a one-mile flat trail.

It loops around the campground and has very wide and easy turns for beginners and has very few elevated spots by design.

It is also used by experienced bikers as a “warm-up” trail.

Lakeside Connector Trail

This trail is basically what the name implies, a connecting trail.

It gives riders the access to several of the other trails located in the park, but it also gives you a terrific view of the 26-acre Lake.

It is about 0.5 miles in duration.

Rangers Dell’s Trail

The next of the biking trails in Chewacla State Park is Ranger Dells’ Trail, which is listed as 0.6 miles long.

It is named Rangers Trail, as it passes behind the ranger station and begins to introduce the rider to some undulating terrain.

It is designed specifically to give riders additional skills of handling, and has flat curves, banked turns, as well as a few switchbacks.

If you can handle this trial, you are ready for some of the longer and harder trails.

Dock at Chewacla State Park in Auburn Alabama

Falls View Trail

Next of the list is Falls View Trail, which is aptly named as it follows the lake and turns near the dam and the waterfall.

It is more difficult, as it goes up a bluff and has several technical roots and rocks that you must navigate around.

There are several quick turns, narrow sections, as well as dips and a log jump.

Creek View Trail

The next trail located in Chewacla State Park is the Creek View Trail, which is just over 1.3 miles long.

It starts with a ramp that goes to a path that follows a banked area around what is called “Volkswagen Rock”.

It offers the rider beautiful views of the nearby creek, as well as beautiful vine covered rock walls.

It takes a skilled rider to ride this trail, as it snakes up a bluff and has very sharp curves.

Once you are to the top, going down is very challenging, as you must dodge not only rocks, but large boulders.

Near the bottom, you will cross a narrow bridge the leads to the next trail, the CCC trail.

The CCC Trail

The CCC Trail is the second longest in the park at 3.0 miles, and it gives you two separate options.

The first is the advanced option, and the second is a “shortcut” option.

It offers the rider a very fast downhill ride the twists and turns as it takes you by the campgrounds.

It has breathtaking scenery along the way, if you are skilled enough to be able to get a view of it.

It will challenge you with a very winding climb, as well as quick turns and short and very steep dips that all lead you back to the Lakeside Connector Trail.

For Pete’s Sake Trail

The final trail in the Chewacla State Park is also the longest and is listed as 8 miles long.

The For Pete’s Sake Trail sets you off on a running start on a bridge, where you will begin to climb a bluff.

This long trail also features several rock gardens, short climbs, dips, and fast turns, just to name a few of the challenges.

Bottom line it this trail has all the thrills as well as the challenges that any experienced trail biker could ask for.

There are very narrow bridges and loose rocks to challenge you, but the scenery is well worth this challenge.

Chewacla State Park is considered to be one of the best kept secrets in Alabama, and all of these natural attractions explain why.

References

http://www.camp-sorba.org/trails/chewacla-state-park/

Chewacla State Park Is One of Alabama's Best Kept Secrets

The History and Attractions at Chewacla State Park

The Biking Trails at Chewacla State Park

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