January Activities 2024

  JANUARY 6, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: DeSoto State Park and Lost Falls

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Details: Moderately easy hike in DeSoto State Park. We will hike along the beautiful West Fork of Little River.  We’ll also hike various other trails in the park and visit Lost Falls.  We expect to see a total of eight waterfalls during this hike.   This is one of the most scenic state parks in Alabama. 

Note-To view photos of what we will see on this trip, please click on this link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jvLT4A3GbhPpLgQZ2

 Please be sure to click on the link and view the photographs.

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 9 and over able to walk about 5 miles without complaining welcome.

After the outing we’ll enjoy an optional restaurant dinner together. 

Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.

Info. and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205-631-4680

 

JANUARY 13, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Brushy Creek and Sougahoagdee Falls, Bankhead National Forest

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Details: The hike will be 6 miles long and is rated moderate.  We will follow a beautiful trail which runs from the Brushy Creek Bridge along Brushy Creek.  At the intersection of Brushy Creek and Sougahoagdee Creek, we turn and follow Sougahoagdee Creek less than ¼ mile upstream to Sougahoagdee Falls, one of the largest and most scenic waterfalls in the entire Bankhead National Forest. 

We usually observe about nine waterfalls on this hike.  We should also see lovely cliffs, hemlock trees, canyons and perhaps some additional waterfalls.  If we have time, we may also visit the nearby natural bridge (not the one at the town of Natural Bridge) in the Natural Bridge Recreation Area of the Bankhead National Forest.

Carefully-supervised, well-behaved children age 8 and older welcome.

Please bring a picnic lunch and water. 

Optional dinner after at a delightful Italian restaurant in Double Springs.

Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.  Or you may meet the group at 9:20 a.m. at the Mile 300 Rest Area on I-65.

Info: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680

 

JANUARY 14, SUNDAY, Meet 12:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park

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Details: Enjoy a moderate 4-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon.  This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors.  Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails.  There will be some ups and downs.  

Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles and complete the hike are welcome. 

Share an adventure!  Bring a friend.

Please meet at 12:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot.  We plan to depart from there at 1:00 p.m.

Please bring $5/person ($2.00 seniors) park admission fee plus your drink.

Info: Randall Adkins, 205-317-6969

 

JANUARY 18, THURSDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Weekday Hike in Tannehill State Historical Park

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Details: Come with us on our weekday hike.  Enjoy an easy 3 or so-mile hike on trails in an especially lovely Alabama Historical State Park. The site is very near Birmingham!

The walking pace for this hike will be moderately easy.  We’ll stop often to catch our breath and note views, trees, birdsongs and the trail and woods around us. 

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park has more than 1,500 acres in three counties set aside for hiking, camping and outdoor recreation. A miniature railroad chugs through the pines. From spring through fall, the blacksmith, miller and craftsmen demonstrate their trades. Craft shops occupy restored pioneer cabins and artisans chat with visitors from their front porches. Steeped in history, Tannehill feels timeless. The cotton gin, pioneer farm and working gristmill preserve a long-gone way of life. Hiking trails retrace historic roadways. Artifacts of Alabama’s 19th century iron industry displayed in the Iron and Steel Museum put in perspective the massive stone furnaces, Tannehill’s awe-inspiring centerpiece.

        The same ingredients afford today’s visitors a pleasurable escape from modern life.

        If you are retired or not working on this particular Thursday, you are urged to participate in the Southeastern Outings’ group weekday hike on the trails and get a feel for the location and scale of the land. 

This walk will be Southeastern Outings’ seventh hike in Tannehill Historical State Park.  Come with us for a guided tour of easily walkable trails.  Please bring a picnic lunch, water and wear good walking shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the weather.

Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the parking lot behind the McDonald’s Galleria on U.S. Highway 31 in Hoover.  We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.

Day-Use Park Admission: $5 Adults (12 years and older); $4 Seniors (Ages 62 and older)

Information and Hike Leader: Christine Heckemeyer, 205-979-5730

 

JANUARY 20, SATURDAY

Southeastern Outings Dayhike, Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest

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Details: Moderately strenuous 4-mile hike in a highly scenic location, Upper Quillan Creek Forest Area.  Most of the hike is off trail, there are lots of ups and downs, and several rock-hopping crossings are required across small creeks.   

We’ll walk along two creeks and on an old road.  At a beautiful waterfall we’ll visit the site of an old mill.  On this hike we’ll see several small waterfalls on side creeks and tributaries to Quillan Creek.  We will visit at least three very pretty waterfalls on Quillan Creek itself along the way.  We expect to see a minimum of a total of twelve lovely waterfalls on this trip.

Please bring picnic lunch and water for the day.  We expect to finish about 4:00 p.m.  Optional dinner after.  Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 9 and over able to walk 4 miles off trail without complaining welcome.

Reservations Required: If you wish to participate in this outing, you are required to call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email your reservation to southeasternoutings@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, 2022.  When you contact Dan, please be sure you leave either your phone number or email address.  This outing is limited to 20 people, and we will break up into two separate groups of up to ten people each with its own separate leader in order to comply with U.S. Forest Service regulations.  We hope the limitation will not prove to be a problem. 

If you make a reservation with Dan to come on this trip and then for any reason decide later to not come on this outing, please telephone Dan, 205/631-4680 right away.  If we have 20 people signed up on the day of the hike and, for example, we have two people on the waiting list and then two people who signed up don’t show up for the hike, those two no-show people have in effect deprived the two on the waiting list from participating.  Please don’t be a no-show.  If you aren’t coming after making a reservation, please notify Dan.

At a later date leader will advise meeting time and place only to those who have signed up for this trip. 

Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com, or 205/631-4680

 

JANUARY 28, SUNDAY, 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike on the Montevallo Parks Trail

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Details: Enjoy an easy 4-mile hike on a trail in Montevallo.  The main trail is two miles one way and goes through parks, by two picturesque, flowing streams, and around a beautiful university-owned lake in a wooded park.  Total hiking distance is about four miles. 

          This walk will be Southeastern Outings’ eleventh or so hike on the Montevallo Parks trail.  Come with us for a guided tour of an easily walkable trail.  Please bring plenty of water and wear good walking shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the weather.

Please meet 1:45 p.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria.  We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m. or you may meet the group at 2:45 p.m. at the parking lot beside the larger bridge over Shoal Creek which is the wide creek that flows through Orr Park between the ball fields and the open recreational area in the park in Montevallo.  The bridge is right beside the parking lot along the creek at the back of the ball fields.  Please email Dan Frederick at the email address below if you would like driving directions from Hoover to Orr Park sent to you before the hike.

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and over able to complete the hike welcome.

Admission to Trail and Park: Free

Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or 205/631-4680

 

December Activities 2023

  DECEMBER 9, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Moderately Strenuous Dayhike on the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail System at Lake Martin, near Alexander City, Alabama

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Details: Located on the banks of Lake Martin, Alabama’s largest and allegedly most beautiful lake, the area offers linked loop trails.  Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trails are among the most scenic and diverse hiking trails in Alabama.  The trails skirt the shoreline of beautiful Lake Martin, a 40,000-acre, 700-mile-shoreline lake.  Other areas of the trails are high rocky ridges and bluffs, some with vistas of 6 to 8 miles overlooking Kowaliga Bay, Chimney Rock, and others along rocky shoal creeks, and rippling brooks.  The trails are routed through a variety of flora and fauna.  There are high rocky ridges with mountain long leaf pine, mountain laurel, low and high bush blueberry, and lush hardwood forests that include redbud, sourwood, dogwood, native azalea, umbrella and big leaf magnolia.  Large thickets of Catawba Rhododendron are numerous.  Deer, turkey and numerous bird species, including bald eagles, can be seen along the trail. 

The trails are built to blend into nature, free of bicycles, motorized vehicles, horses or other pack animals.  All trails are built on Alabama Power Company land that is set aside as naturally undeveloped. 

The trails are well-marked and maintained, the terrain is varied, and the scenery on a clear day is spectacular.

We will hike about 4 miles.  We will see longleaf pine and mixed hardwood forests, open airy sections, and other trail sections under fuller forest canopy.  We also will see pristine lake views, boats, birds, boulders and deer tracks. 

Please wear hiking boots!  Please meet 8:45 a.m. at Publix in the Village at Lee Branch in Greystone.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.

        Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age ten and over welcome.

Optional restaurant dinner after the hike.

Information and Hike Leader: Dan Frederick, phone 205/631-4680

or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com

 

 

DECEMBER 10, SUNDAY, Meet 12:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park

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Details: Enjoy a moderate 4-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon.  This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors.  Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails.  There will be some ups and downs.  

Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles and complete the hike are welcome. 

Share an adventure!  Bring a friend.

Please meet at 12:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot.  We plan to depart from there at 1:00 p.m.

Please bring $5/person ($2.00 seniors) park admission fee plus your drink.

Info: Randall Adkins, 205-317-6969

 

DECEMBER 16, SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Moderate Dayhike

Where: Pinhoti Trail from Bulls Gap to White Gap near Sylacauga

Details: We'll proceed about an hour’s drive from our meeting place in Shelby County to the Bull's Gap trailhead at the southern part of Section 4 on the Pinhoti Trail where the trail crosses AL Highway 148.  A great view at the trailhead portends other scenic wonders to follow.

We'll be starting our hike at the same point where we started our weekday hike on October 13, 2022.  The hike will be two miles each way up and over the High Point Rock Overlook which is a bunch of rocks with a nice view to the west. 

Then we’ll hike down to White Gap heading south and west on Section Three of the Pinhoti Trail.  The total hike is along the ridge top.  Since there will be no leaves on the trees at this time of year, we should have beautiful views over the mountains throughout most of the hike.  Estimated total hike distance is four miles.  Hike rated moderate.

Optional dinner after the hike is concluded.

Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Publix Super Market in Lee Branch.  We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.  We should arrive at the trailhead about 11:15 a.m.  Lunch will be about 1:00 p.m. at the High Point Rock Overlook.  We’ll then hike further on to White Gap and then at about 2:00 p.m. we’ll begin our hike back to the start point at Bulls Gap.  Those hikers not staying for dinner can expect to arrive back at the Publix at Lee Branch about 5:00 p.m.

Reservations Required:  Please email Francis Rushton, ferushton@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Information and Trip Leader: Francis E. Rushton,

Telephones 843-441-3368 Cell, 205-290-5557 Home

 

DECEMBER 30, SATURDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Easy Walk

Where: Vulcan Trail inside the City Limits of Birmingham

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Details: Enjoy an easy walk in the woodlands overlooking Birmingham on the day after Christmas.  The trail is level, as it is on an old mining railroad right of way just below the crest of Red Mountain.  This walk is an ideal activity for those Christmas guests who have been in your house for several days and with whom you are looking for something to do to get them out of the house.  A previous walk on this trail drew one of the highest number of participants, 67, on any outing SEO has ever sponsored.  Don’t miss it!

Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Vulcan Park and Museum Parking Lot where you would normally park to visit the statue and Vulcan Park.  We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.  We will walk from the big parking lot a short distance down some new stairs to the trail head and then on the trail to Green Springs Highway and back.  The formerly unpaved section of the Vulcan Trail has recently been widened and resurfaced. 

There is no charge to participate in this hike and there is no charge for admission to either Vulcan Park or the trail.

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles welcome.  After the walk is completed, there will be an optional dinner at Jim 'N Nick's 11th Avenue Grill at Five Points South.  

Share an adventure.  Bring a friend or friends.

Info: Dan Frederick, southeasterneoutings@gmail.com or 205/631-4680

November Activities 2023

 NOVEMBER 4, SATURDAY, please meet 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Moderate Dayhike Along Buck Creek in Helena, AL

 

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Details: Come explore the wilder side of Helena.  Hike with SEO on a lovely creekside trail in Helena in Shelby County.  Total hiking distance is less than four miles.  Hike rated moderately easy.  We will be walking briefly off trail and walking up some hills when the trail routes us away from the creek.  Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up welcome. 

Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the parking lot for the Helena City Park on AL Highway 261 by the bridge over Buck Creek in Helena.  We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.

Directions to Meeting Place: Take I-65 to Exit #247, the Shelby County Route 17, Valleydale Road exit.  Go to end of ramp and turn right regardless of whether you come from the south or the north.  Take Co. 17, which changes from Co. Route 17 to AL 261, all the way into Helena.  You will cross one railroad and then drive over a bridge with a dam and waterfall on the left.  Immediately past the bridge, turn sharply back to the right just before you cross a second railroad and then drive into the parking lot for a city park right on the shore of the creek.  Distances on Valleydale Road, (Shelby County Route 17) and then Alabama Route 261 from I-65 exit number 247 to driveway into Helena Park parking lot are 5.5 miles from bottom end of southbound ramp and 5.9 miles from bottom end of northbound ramp.

Information and Trip Leader: Pieter Visscher, 205-310-6532

 

NOVEMBER 11, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Moderately Strenuous Dayhike on the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail System at Lake Martin, near Alexander City, Alabama

 

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Details: Located on the banks of Lake Martin, Alabama’s largest and allegedly most beautiful lake, the area offers linked loop trails.  Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trails are among the most scenic and diverse hiking trails in Alabama.  The trails skirt the shoreline of beautiful Lake Martin, a 40,000-acre, 700-mile-shoreline lake.  Other areas of the trails are high rocky ridges and bluffs, some with vistas of 6 to 8 miles overlooking Kowaliga Bay, Chimney Rock, and others along rocky shoal creeks, and rippling brooks.  The trails are routed through a variety of flora and fauna.  There are high rocky ridges with mountain long leaf pine, mountain laurel, low and high bush blueberry, and lush hardwood forests that include redbud, sourwood, dogwood, native azalea, umbrella and big leaf magnolia.  Large thickets of Catawba Rhododendron are numerous.  Deer, turkey and numerous bird species, including bald eagles, can be seen along the trail. 

The trails are built to blend into nature, free of bicycles, motorized vehicles, horses or other pack animals.  All trails are built on Alabama Power Company land that is set aside as naturally undeveloped. 

The trails are well-marked and maintained, the terrain is varied, and the scenery on a clear day is spectacular.

We will hike about 4 miles.  We will see longleaf pine and mixed hardwood forests, open airy sections, and other trail sections under fuller forest canopy.  We also will see pristine lake views, boats, birds, boulders and deer tracks. 

Please wear hiking boots!  Please meet 8:45 a.m. at Publix in the Village at Lee Branch in Greystone.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.

        Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age ten and over welcome.

Optional restaurant dinner after the hike.

Information and Hike Leader: Dan Frederick, phone 205/631-4680

or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com

 

NOVEMBER 12, SUNDAY, Meet 12:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park

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Details: Enjoy a moderate 4-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon.  This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors.  Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails.  There will be some ups and downs.  

Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles and complete the hike are welcome. 

Share an adventure!  Bring a friend. 

Please meet at 12:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot.  We plan to depart from there at 1:00 p.m.

Please bring $5/person ($2.00 seniors) park admission fee plus your drink.

Info: Randall Adkins, 205-317-6969

 

NOVEMBER 16, THURSDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike

Where: Red Mountain Park

 

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Details: Please come with us for a 3-4 mile hike on a walkable portion of this noteworthy place.  We will hike from the Red Mountain Park Parking Lot on Lyon Lane to the Grace’s Gap and back. 

The walking pace for this hike is rated moderately easy since there are some hills to climb.  We’ll stop often to catch our breath and note flowers, trees, birdsongs and the trail and woods around us. 

Please bring your picnic lunch and plenty of water.  Wear good walking shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the weather.

Please meet at 9:45 a.m. in the large Red Mountain Park parking lots on the right side of Lyon Lane immediately after you turn right onto Lyon Lane off of the north end of Frankfurt Drive off Lakeshore Parkway.  We plan to depart from there shortly thereafter.

Information and Trip Leader: Christine Heckemeyer, 205-979-5730

 

NOVEMBER 18, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Picnic Lunch and Moderate Dayhike

Where: Paul Grist State Park near Selma, Alabama

 

Details: Paul Grist State Park is one of the state’s most uncrowded, yet scenic state parks containing hills, forests, fields and a large, beautiful, tree-lined lake. 

Prior to the dayhike we will get together at the smaller pavilion right near the park office to eat our picnic lunches.  Please bring your picnic lunch and also $3 per person ($2 for children age 2-6 and seniors age 62 and older) park admission and a beverage for yourself. 

Dayhike Details: Hike rated moderate.  There are only a few ups and downs.  Total hiking distance is approximately 5.5 miles.  We plan to walk all the way around the lake and then also walk on some additional trails in the park to make the drive time down and back worthwhile. 

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age nine and over able to walk 6 miles without complaining are welcome.  Please bring your picnic lunch and drink and wear sturdy footwear. 

Optional group restaurant dinner after the hike.  Reservations not required for this outing.

Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.

Info. And Trip Leader: Dan Frederick email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or telephone 205-631-4680

 

NOVEMBER 26, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Easy Walk

Where: Vulcan Trail inside the City Limits of Birmingham

 

Details: Enjoy an easy walk in the woodlands overlooking Birmingham on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  The trail is level, as it is on an old mining railroad right of way just below the crest of Red Mountain.  This walk is an ideal activity for those Thanksgiving guests who have been in your house for several days and with whom you are looking for something to do to get them out of the house.  A previous walk on this trail drew one of the highest number of participants, 67, on any outing SEO has ever sponsored.  Don’t miss it!

Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Vulcan Park and Museum Parking Lot where you would normally park to visit the statue and Vulcan Park.  We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.  We will walk from the big parking lot a short distance down some new stairs to the trail head and then on the trail to Green Springs Highway and back.  The formerly unpaved section of the Vulcan Trail has recently been widened and resurfaced. 

There is no charge to participate in this hike and there is no charge for admission to either Vulcan Park or the trail.

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles welcome.  After the walk is completed, there will be an optional dinner at Jim 'N Nick's 11th Avenue Grill at Five Points South.  

Share an adventure.  Bring a friend or friends.

Information and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or 205/631-4680

October Activities 2023

OCTOBER 7, SATURDAY, Meet 10:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike, Richard Martin Trail (previously named Limestone Rail Trail), Elkmont, Alabama

Details: This trail is located in extreme North Alabama just to the west of I-65 and a few miles south of the Tennessee-Alabama border.  The hike is rated easy.  We will hike a total of 5.3 miles.  There is much lovely scenery along the path that was once a part of the Tennessee and Alabama Central Railroad. 

Walk on one of Alabama’s rails-to-trails conversion routes on an old railroad right of way.  This smooth trail is wide and level.  No hills on this trail.  On this particular hike you will be walking on a scenic trail which goes through fields, near houses and through the woods.  The trail winds through wetlands with wildlife and a great variety of birds.  On the trail you will pass the site of the Civil War Battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle.   

Please bring your picnic lunch and drink with you.

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 8 and over able to walk 6 miles without complaining are welcome.

Absolutely delicious optional dinner afterwards at Terranova’s Restaurant in Athens, Alabama.                         

Please meet 10:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride.  We plan to depart from there at 11:00 a.m.

Info. and Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com ,  phone 205-631-4680

 

OCTOBER 8, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park

Details: Enjoy a moderate 4 to 5-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon.  This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors.  Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails.  There will be some ups and downs.  

Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles without complaining and complete the hike are welcome. 

Share an adventure!  Bring a friend.

Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Oak Mountain Park office parking lot.  We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.

Please bring $5/person ($2.00 seniors) park admission fee plus your drink.

Info. and Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205/317-6969

 

OCTOBER 12, THURSDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike

Where:  Veterans Park, 4800 Valleydale Road, Hoover, AL 35242

Details: Come with us on a weekday hike.  Enjoy an easy 3-mile hike on trails in North Shelby County just off Valleydale Road.  Veterans Park is an 82-acre park with numerous walking trails, a four-acre lake and a one-acre pond. 

        If you are retired or not working or have off on this particular Thursday, you are urged to participate in the Southeastern Outings group hike on the trails and get a feel for the location and scale of the land. 

The hike is about three miles.  The walking pace for this hike will be moderately easy.  We’ll stop often to catch our breath and note views, trees, birdsongs, the trail and woods around us.  Happy hiking!

This walk will be Southeastern Outings’ ninth hike in Veterans Park.  Come with us for a guided tour of easily walkable trails.  Please bring water and wear good walking shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the weather.

Please meet at 9:45 a.m. in the Veterans Park parking lot right beside the building with restrooms in it at the park.  We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.

Optional lunch nearby after the hike at Metro Diner Restaurant in Inverness.

Admission to Park: Free

Information and hike leader: Randall Adkins, 205/317-6969 cell

 

OCTOBER 14, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Hike

Where: Shoal Creek Park, Montevallo, Alabama

Details: A pleasant 5-mile hike through fields and woods on a well-developed loop of trails through Montevallo's newest city park.

Southeastern Outings has planned an easy, approximately 5-mile hike in the new Shoal Creek Park in Montevallo.  On October 30, 2018, ten people participated in an SEO scouting trip there led by Shane Baugh, the Montevallo Parks and Recreation Director, and we were delighted at what we found.  We subsequently had highly successful hikes there for the entire group on December 22, 2018, March 9, 2019, May 14, 2020, November 21, 2020, March 17, 2021, December 8, 2021 and November 12, 2022.

This 167-acre park has nine miles of trails already constructed and some less developed trails which we will also hike.  One trail does follow Shoal Creek for some distance. 

The park is located on both sides of Shoal Creek about 2 miles upstream from Orr Park where we have begun our past hikes on the Montevallo Parks Trail.

The restrooms and picnic pavilion in the park are now completely constructed and open for your use.

The park is located 1.1 miles south of American Village on AL Highway 119 in Montevallo.

Please bring your picnic lunch, water, and a hiking pole or two with you. 

Please meet at 8:45 a.m. in the parking lot behind the McDonald’s on U.S. Highway 31 at the Riverchase Galleria.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. 

Admission to the park is free!

Information and Hike Leader: To be announced

 

OCTOBER 18, WEDNESDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Weekday Hike

Where: Moss Rock Preserve

Details: Explore a section of this 350-acre forested park in Hoover on a moderately strenuous 2-3 hour hike with some climbing up and walking down hills on Shades Mountain.  We’ll experience the preserve’s diverse natural features which include longleaf pine forests, huge boulders, grassy areas, outstanding views and several beautiful streams and waterfalls which hopefully will be running bountifully when we are there.  We recommend that you bring hiking poles with you on this hike if you have them.

        Please bring water to drink. 

Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Moss Rock Preserve Parking Lot on Patton Chapel Road. We plan to depart from there promptly at 10:00 a.m.

Below is a link to the website for Moss Rock Preserve, where you can print a map of the trails in Moss Rock Preserve for use on this hike or on future hikes there on your own,

 

http://www.hooveral.org/219/Hiking-Map-Trail-Guide

 

Information and Trip Leader:  David Shepherd, 205/240-4681

 

OCTOBER 21, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike: Cahaba River Park in Western Shelby County north of Montevallo

Details: The Cahaba River is among the most scenic and biologically diverse waterways in the United States, and the public now has access to a portion of the river in Shelby County.  Work is underway on the Cahaba River Park, a 1,500-acre site near the Bibb County line in western Shelby County.  Please come with us for our fifth, moderately easy 3 to 5 mile-long hike in this newly created park.  

Cahaba River Park includes two sectors: a larger sector on the north side of the river and a sector on the south side of the river that allows for motorized access.

            The river splits the park into two sites with different amenities.  The north side, which is called the Helena/Hoover Sector, includes most of the park’s acreage. The sector comprises 1,212 acres of Forever Wild property and 127 acres of county property. The south side of the river, which is called the Boothton/Montevallo Sector, comprises 188 acres of Shelby County property.

            Cahaba River Park is a Shelby County venture that is being developed in conjunction with Forever Wild Land Trust, an initiative of the Alabama
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

            Improvements to Shelby County 251, or River Road on the north side of the Cahaba River, are now complete.  The Park offers about 15 miles of professionally designed and constructed trails for mountain biking, hiking and trail running; multiple parking locations at trailheads; several canoe launch sites that will allow for short trips or runs as long as 7 miles; 2 sets of pavilions and restroom facilities; and a caretaker’s house for a law enforcement officer.

        Our hike in the Helena/Hoover Sector on October 15 may include walking on several trails.  The park’s trails offer a nice blend of forest, river and creek views including a good view of the area’s elevation.

Please bring your picnic lunch and water with you on the hike.  Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk up to five miles without complaining are welcome to participate in this trip.

Please meet at 8:45 a.m. in the parking lot behind the McDonald’s on U.S. Highway 31 at the Riverchase Galleria.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.

            Admission to the park is free.

Information and Trip Leader: Tim Vann, telephone 205-515-8566, email tvann25@hotmail.com

 

OCTOBER 28, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Chief Ladiga Trail, Piedmont, Alabama

Details: Join friendly folks on an easy 3.5-mile dayhike and picnic on the Chief Ladiga Trail east of Piedmont, Alabama.  Walk on Alabama’s first extended rails-to-trails conversion route on an old railroad right of way.  This smooth trail is wide and level.  Absolutely no hills—guaranteed!  On this particular hike you will be walking on the most scenic section of the trail.  This paved part goes through mostly wooded terrain.

No motorized vehicles are allowed on your trail!  Note this is a relatively easy outing, one which should be lots of fun for everyone.  Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age eight and up able to walk seven miles without complaining are welcome on this walk.

Please bring a picnic lunch and drink.  From the trail you can see Dugger Mountain, one of the newest national wilderness areas in Alabama.

        There will be an optional restaurant dinner after the hike.  You will have an opportunity to wash up and change clothes in the Eubanks Welcome Center restrooms after the hike.  If you’d like to clean up and/or change clothes, please bring your soap and towel and/or change of clothes with you. 

Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. or meet 10:20 a.m. at the Eubanks Welcome Center on the Chief Ladiga Trail in Piedmont.

Trip Leader and Info: Sean Boogaard, 256/365-6321.

 

OCTOBER 28, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings 10.6-Mile Bicycle Ride

Where: Chief Ladiga Trail, Piedmont, Alabama

Details: Join friendly folks for a 10.6-mile bicycle ride on the Chief Ladiga Trail in the Piedmont, Alabama area.  Ride on Alabama’s first extended rails-to-trails conversion route on an old railroad right of way.  The trail we’ll be riding on is smooth, 8-10 feet wide and even paved.  There are no hills on this trail.  The trail is suitable for road bikes plus mountain, hybrid and urban bicycles.  Ride through towns, fields and picturesque woodlands.  No motorized vehicles are allowed on your trail!        

Bicycle helmets are required and must be worn.  Please bring a picnic lunch and drink.

        The pace of this bicycle ride will be leisurely.  From time to time we will stop bicycling just to enjoy the scenery and views from the four bridges over the creeks.  However, please note that this ride is 10.6 miles long.  We recommend that participants intending to come on this outing have bicycled at least a few times during the 30 days prior to October 22.   In order to be assured that you can ride comfortably on this trip you should probably be able to ride at an average speed of 8-12 miles per hour on level terrain.

There will be an optional restaurant dinner after the bicycle ride.  You will have an opportunity to wash up and change clothes in the Eubanks Welcome Center restrooms after the bicycle ride.  If you’d like to clean up and/or change clothes, please bring your soap and towel and/or change of clothes with you. 

Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. or meet 10:20 a.m. at the Eubanks Welcome Center on the Chief Ladiga Trail in Piedmont.

Reservations Required: If you want to come on this bicycle ride, please make a reservation with Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone

205-631-4680.  Also, if you have a bike rack which can hold more than one bicycle, please bring it with you to Piedmont in order to facilitate the required car shuttle and advise Dan that you are doing so.  We probably need to leave about two vehicles at the Eubanks Welcome Center in order to transport the drivers of all the remaining vehicles from the end point of the ride back to the start point to pick up their vehicles after the ride is concluded.

Information and Ride Leader: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com

 

August Activities 2023

 AUGUST 12, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Flint River near Brownsboro, Alabama 

Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ third group trip on the Flint River. This is a scenic stretch of river located in a very rural area.  This stretch is fairly easy and without classified rapids.  Along the river we’ll see wildflowers and stop to investigate islands and beaches. 

Novice canoeists are welcome and may come on this trip, but each novice canoeist must be partnered with an experienced canoeist in their canoe. 

The outfitter, TGL Adventures, has for rent 1 tandem canoe, 20 new one-person sit-upon kayaks, 5 tandem kayaks and 6 sit in solo kayaks.

We thank SEO member Wendy Plash for observing the signs for this outfitter while she was kayaking on the Flint River and then referring us to TGL Adventures. 

Here is the schedule of outfitter charges:

 

1.     solo kayaks (both sit-upon and sit-in) each $40

2.     tandem (2-person) canoes $40 each

3.     tandem sit upon kayaks $50 each

4.     shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $15

Life jackets, paddles and shuttle fee are included in the rental boat fee for those who rent boats from the outfitter.  Also, the outfitter will shuttle for a fee all private boats used on this outing.  If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will shuttle you and your rented boat from the take out back to the outfitter’s office so you will never need to transport your rented boat at all.  You may bring your own canoe or kayak on this trip, but you must pay the outfitter to shuttle your privately-owned boat. 

When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, use the restroom, and then we’ll put in the river at the outfitter’s.  We will then paddle down the creek to the take out, stopping as often as we want to.  The outfitter’s vehicles will meet us at the take out and transport us and our boats back to the outfitter’s office where our cars are.

Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 10 and over welcome.

After the canoe and kayak trip we are going to a nearby restaurant for an optional dinner.  If you would like to wear dry clothes for the drive home or to go to dinner, please bring a change of clothes to be kept in the car. 

Reservations Required: You must contact Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or call 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this kayak and canoe trip.  You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish.  If you want to come on the August 12 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, in this instance you are required to call or contact ONLY the trip leader and notify him that you are coming!  Dan will inform the outfitter how many and what type of rental boats he will need to provide to SEO people for this trip.  Also, if you decide to meet us at some place other than the meeting place specified in this announcement, please notify Dan in advance and directly of this fact.

Please do not just show up for this outing without making advance reservations!  Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.  For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.

Information and Trip Leader: If you have questions or would like additional information about this trip, please email Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680.

 

AUGUST 19, SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings River Beach Walk, Swim and Picnic at Barton’s Beach in Perry County, Alabama

Details: Barton’s Beach, the largest sand and gravel beach on the entire Cahaba River, is a property owned by the Alabama Nature Conservancy.  It is indeed a beautiful sight to behold!  Enjoy a beach gathering on this scenic, fine-grained sand beach in Marion, Alabama.  The scenery is spectacular.  The floodplain broadens and creates areas of bottomland hardwood forests, oxbow lakes and extensive sand and gravel bars.

You can float on the river from the upper end of the beach to the lower end of the beach and then carry your float and walk on the beach back up to the upper end and repeat that real fun experience as many times as you like during the day.  You may bring whatever flotation device you wish on this outing.  Dan will bring a float air pump to the beach.  See float note below for information about acquiring flotation devices. 

Please bring with you your swimsuit, towel, picnic lunch and water, soft drink or fruit juice to drink.  Wading shoes with substantial soles are recommended.  A change of clothes (dry underwear also advised) to be left in the car is also recommended if you would like to wear dry clothes for the drive home and/or to go out to dinner with us.   

A restroom is available at Perry Lakes County Park where we’ll park our cars. 

The approximate 1/3-mile walk from the Perry Lakes Park parking lot to Barton’s Beach is easy since the terrain is level and the walk is all on trails.  Interpretive nature trails (fire lanes and primitive paths) make walking through the woods fairly easy and fun.  The two properties adjoin each other so we can walk readily back and forth between them. 

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to swim are welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children.  All participants must be able to swim to come on this outing!

          Depending on the time we leave the beach, we might go for an optional dinner after the outing is concluded.

Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria.  We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.

Info: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680

 

River Float Note

Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf of Mexico work best.  Trip leader Dan Frederick now has for sale 72-inch floats for $23 each and 60-inch floats for children for $15 each at the start of each of our river floats.  Please pay either with exact change or a check made out to SEO.  First come, first served.

          Dan will provide hand float pumps to pump up your float at the start point of the river float.

 

AUGUST 26, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip, Chattooga River near Gaylesville, Alabama

Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ second group trip on the Chattooga River.  Seven Southeastern Outings members kayaked and canoed this stretch of river on an initial scouting trip September 23, 2022.  Everyone who participated agreed that this part of the river is easy to negotiate and highly suitable for boaters of varying abilities to paddle.  The service provided by the outfitter was outstanding. 

This is a scenic stretch of river located in a very rural area.  This stretch is fairly easy and without classified rapids.  Along the river we’ll see wildflowers and stop to investigate islands and beaches.  

Please note that for this trip you may rent plastic kayaks and paddles from Tooga Yaks.

Here is the schedule of outfitter charges:

 1.    solo sit-upon kayaks each $30.  Kayak rental fee includes rent of the kayak, life jacket and paddles.

2.    shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $10 

 Please note that the outfitter has for rent about 70 one-person sit-upon kayaks. 

The outfitter takes most all types of payment including cash, credit/debit cards, Venmo, cash app and checks. 

This outfitter does not have canoes to rent.  However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, has a few canoes which she may offer to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes.  Again, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE June 25 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want.  We will do our best to fulfill your request.  If you rent a canoe from Aree Frederick, Southeastern Outings will pay your canoe shuttle fee.

Rental fees include paddles, life jackets and shuttle service.  Also, the outfitter will shuttle for a fee all private boats used on this outing.  If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will shuttle you and your rented boat from the outfitter’s office to the put in so you will never need to transport your rented boat at all.  You may bring your own canoe or kayak on this trip, but you must pay the outfitter to shuttle your privately-owned boat.  

When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, and use the restrooms.  Then the outfitter will transport all our people and our boats, both rented and owned, to the put in.  We will then paddle down the river to the take out, stopping as often as we want to.  We will take out at the outfitter’s place where our cars are. 

We plan to go for an optional dinner on the way back to Birmingham.  Our outfitter has recommended a good place near his office, 10-15 minutes away, in Cedar Bluff. It’s called Smorgasbord at the Cove. It’s located on Weiss Lake and serves a variety of food such as steak, pasta, shrimp, southern cuisine, and homemade desserts.

If you would like to shower and/or wear dry clothes for the drive home or in order to go to dinner with us, please bring your shower things and/or a change of clothes to be kept in the car.  You may change clothes and/or shower in the outfitter’s exceptionally clean, spacious restrooms complete with toilets, washbowls, running water, hot showers, and plenty of floor space.

Reservations Required: You must contact Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or call 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this kayak and canoe scouting trip.  You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish.

Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations! 

Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s in Trussville.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.  For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.

Information: If you have questions or would like additional information about this kayak and canoe trip, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com. 

 

Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips

The kayak and canoe outings listed in the announcements above are suitable for beginner/novice canoeists and kayakers, but each beginner canoeist must paddle with an experienced canoeist.  Life jackets or personal flotation devices are required and must be worn.  Bring your own boat, borrow one, paddle with a friend, or rent a boat from the outfitter(s) listed above.

Please bring in the boat your picnic lunch, something to drink, and a towel. Put your belongings in a waterproof dry bag in the boat.  Wear old, thick-soled shoes you don’t mind getting wet (old sneakers work well).  Also bring at least 6 feet of sturdy cord to tie up your boat if you don’t already have cord attached to your own boat.  If you have further questions, please call the trip leader.