MARCH 2, SATURDAY, please meet 9:00 a.m.
Southeastern Outings dayhike
Where: Double Oak Park
Details: First of all, please note that this location is NOT Oak Mountain State Park. Double Oak Park is a new Shelby County park located on top of Double Oak Mountain and accessed from Shelby County Route 43 near Chelsea.
Double Oak Park is approximately 750 acres. Here’s a look at what you’ll find at the park:
Hiking trails
Mountain bike trails
Horseback trails
A picnic pavilion
Restrooms
This park is owned and maintained by Shelby County.
The park is located between Dunnavant Valley Road (County Highway 41) and Bear Creek Road (County Highway 43). The expansion of the Dunnavant Valley Greenway includes Double Oak Park, which features 8-9 miles of single-track trail that combines with the double track. Besides providing an option for recreation and a place for visitors to enjoy, the park will also preserve the land from development. Chad Scroggins, Shelby County, County manager, stated, “Double Oak Park is an opportunity for the Shelby County Commission to invest in an outdoor recreation park for hiking, biking, trail running, and very soon, horseback trails. The park consists of 750 acres of the tail end of the Appalachian Mountain chain in Shelby County just outside of Chelsea on County Road 43. We are excited to offer this pristine piece of the outdoors so close to residential areas and employment centers on US280.” Children age 9 and older able to walk 5 miles are welcome to come on this hike. Please bring picnic lunch and water with you. Please meet 10:00 a.m. at the Shelby County Highway 43 entrance to Double Oak Park.
Info. And Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, 205=6313-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com
MARCH 9, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike Where: Horseshoe Bend National Military Park
Details: On March 27, 1814, Major General Andrew Jackson‘s army of 3,300 men attacked Chief Menawa’s 1,000 Red Stick Creek warriors fortified in a horseshoe- shaped bend of the Tallapoosa River. Over 800 Red Sticks died that day. The battle ended the Creek War, resulted in a land cession of 23,000,000 acres to the United States and created a national hero of Andrew Jackson. In March 1814, General Jackson's army left Fort Williams on the Coosa River, cut a 52-mile trail through the forest in three days, and on the 26th made camp six miles north of Horseshoe Bend. The next morning, Jackson sent General John Coffee and 700 mounted infantry and 600 Cherokee and Creek allies three miles down-stream to cross the Tallapoosa and surround the bend. He took the rest of the army - about 2000 men, consisting of East and West Tennessee militia and the Thirty-ninth U.S. Infantry - into the peninsula and at 10:30 a.m. began an ineffectual two-hour artillery bombardment of the Red Sticks' log barricade. At noon, Coffee's Cherokee allies crossed the river and assaulted the Red Sticks from the rear. Jackson quickly ordered a frontal bayonet charge, which poured over the barricade. Fighting ranged over the south end of the peninsula throughout the afternoon. By dark at least 800 of Chief Menawa's 1,000 Red Sticks were dead (557 slain on the field and 200-300 in the river). Menawa himself, although severely wounded, managed to escape. Jackson's losses in the battle were 49 killed and 154 wounded, many mortally. Though the Red Sticks had been crushed at Tohopeka, remnants of the war party held out for several months. In August 1814, a treaty between the United States and the Creek Nation was signed at Fort Jackson near the present-day city of Wetumpka, Alabama. The Treaty of Fort Jackson ended the conflict and required the Creeks to cede 23 million acres of land to the United States. The state of Alabama was carved out of this domain and admitted to the Union in 1819. In 1828, partly as a result of his fame from the battles of Horseshoe Bend and New Orleans, Andrew Jackson was elected the seventh President of the United States. We will have the opportunity to watch a short film and view the exhibits before we begin our hike which is rated easy.
We are grateful and very pleased that Matthew Robinson, Official Guide on the staff at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park, has very kindly agreed to meet with us on March 9 and provide us with interesting historical information concerning the Battle of Horseshoe Bend during our walk.
Hike distance is 5.8 miles.
Admission to the park is free. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age eight and over welcome.
Optional restaurant dinner after the hike. Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Publix in The Village at Lee Branch in Greystone. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Info. And Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205/317-6969
MARCH 10, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park
Note: Please remember to turn all your clocks ahead one hour before retiring on Saturday night, March 11.
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 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
MARCH 16, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings River Ramble
Barton’s Beach and Perry Lakes Park near Marion in Perry County, Alabama
Details: Barton’s Beach. The area is an extensive sand and gravel beach on the Lower Cahaba River in Perry County near Marion, Alabama. The river floodplain broadens and creates areas of bottomland hardwood forests, oxbow lakes and extensive sand and gravel bars there.
The Perry Lakes Park and Wildlife Sanctuary contains about 600 acres available to the public for outdoor recreation, education, scientific research, and other activities. Interpretive nature trails (fire lanes and primitive paths) make walking through the woods fairly easy and fun.
Several trees in the park have been designated as Alabama State Champion Trees. The park lakes support a large heron rookery along with an abundance of songbirds. A 100-foot tall canopy observation tower, which will probably be locked, allows, when it is open, for an exciting view of the forest and oxbow swamps.
Barton’s Beach, which is a property owned by the Alabama Nature Conservancy, is the largest sand and gravel beach on the entire Cahaba River. It is indeed a spectacular and beautiful sight to behold!
Hikes at Barton’s Beach and Perry Lakes Park are easy since the terrain is level and the walks are all on trails. The two properties adjoin each other so we can walk readily back and forth between them.
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and older welcome.
Since the trails in the park may be muddy, we recommend that you bring a change of clothes with you in the car, especially a change of footwear and pants.
Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Info. on the hike and hike leader: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or southeasternoutings@gmail.com
MARCH 16, SATURDAY, 5:00 p.m. After the hike
Low Country Shrimp Boil Supper
Where: Marion Female Seminary Building, 204 West Monroe Street, Marion, AL 36756
Details: After we complete our hike, the very special, optional dinner will begin at 5:00 p.m. It will be the Low Country Shrimp Boil supper, an annual event in Marion that is perfect following our day of hiking. The dinner will be held at the historic Marion Female Seminary Building in Marion.
The function will be very informal. The menu is boiled shrimp (which you peel & eat), sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob, bread, and your choice of a multitude of homemade desserts.
Live musical entertainment will be provided for your enjoyment at the shrimp boil on March 16, 2023 after our hike. Please plan to come!
Price for the meal is $25 flat charge to benefit the Perry County Historical and Preservation Society. There is no tax and no tip. Cash, checks and all major American credit cards are accepted forms of payment for the dinner.
Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m. for the hike followed by the shrimp boil dinner.
For information concerning the dinner: Please call Kay Beckett, President of the Perry County Historical Society, at 334-292-0319.
MARCH 21, THURSDAY, please meet 10:00 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Weekday Walk Very Near Birmingham
Where: Turkey Creek Nature Preserve near Pinson in Jefferson County, Alabama
Details: You are invited to participate in a moderate but leisurely-paced, fun Southeastern Outings short dayhike in the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve near Pinson. There will be some gradual climbing for a while at the beginning.
Come walk with us through this heavily-wooded area. We’ll hike on a new trail on which we have hiked only once previously. The trail extends through the woods from the parking lot at the main park gate. Along the way we will stop to enjoy our lunches by a large creek with a beautiful, long, sloping waterfall in the middle of the preserve.
Total hiking distance is about 3.2 miles. Please bring picnic lunch and drinking water with you.
Please meet 10:00 a.m. at the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve Main Gate parking lot on Turkey Creek Road. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Share an adventure. Bring a friend or friends.
Info. and trip leader: Bonnie Black, 205-994-5434
MARCH 23, SATURDAY, please meet 9:00 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Lake Lurleen State Park in Tuscaloosa County
Details: Come on a highly enjoyable outing with Southeastern Outings’ most knowledgeable tree expert, Dexter Duren. On this walk you’ll see and learn to identify some of the trees around the lake.
Lake Lurleen State Park is one of the state’s most scenic state parks containing hills, forests, fields and a large, beautiful, tree-lined lake.
Hike rated moderate as there are some ups and downs. Total hiking distance is approximately 5 miles. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 10 and over able to walk 5 miles without complaining are welcome. Please bring picnic lunch, drink and hiking boots.
Everyone, please be sure you bring $5 per person ($2 per person for seniors age 62 and older and for children age 10-11) EXACT CHANGE park admission. Payment of park admission is on an honor system. There is usually no gate agent to make change for park visitors!
Please meet 9:00 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria parking lot. We plan to depart from there at 9:15 a.m. Or you may meet the group at 10:30 a.m. at the main parking lot in Lake Lurleen State Park. The meeting place in the park will be the parking lot on the left of the main park entrance drive immediately after you drive past the park admission toll booth as you enter the park.
Info: For info. about the hike, please call Dexter Duren, 205/765-2293.
MARCH 30, SATURDAY, Meet 9:15 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Chief Ladiga Trail, Piedmont, Alabama
Details: Join friendly folks on an easy 3.6-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, level and even paved! Absolutely no hills—guaranteed! On this particular hike you will be walking on the most scenic section of the trail. This newly-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 four 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 close by in Piedmont 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 9:15 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:30 a.m. or meet 10:50 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 Sean Boogaard, phone 256-365-6321
Trip Leader and Info: Sean Boogaard, 256/365-6321.
MARCH 30, SATURDAY, Meet 9:15 a.m.
Southeastern Outings 11-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 March 30. 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 close by in Piedmont 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 9:15 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:30 a.m. or meet 10:50 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 will 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
