SEO Archives

Archived July 2026 Events

JULY 4, SATURDAY, 6:30 p.m.

Southeastern Outings 4th of July Picnic

Where: UAB GREEN, 1600 Ninth Avenue South, Birmingham

Details: Please bring your own blanket or chairs and all your picnic supplies: food, drinks (no alcohol, please), cups, ice, utensils, etc. Look for the SEO signs near the band. Well-behaved children, but no dogs, are welcome.

Reservations: Not required.

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

JULY 4, SATURDAY, 7:00 p.m.

Attends FREE 4th of July Band Concert by the UAB Summer Band Followed by City of Birmingham Fireworks

Where: UAB GREEN, 1600 Ninth Avenue South, Birmingham

Details: Enjoy a free outdoor concert of patriotic music celebrating Independence Day, then stay in the same place to watch the fireworks show from atop Red Mountain.

The 7 p.m. concert is presented by the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Music. The UAB Summer Band will perform movie soundtracks and patriotic songs. Audience members are encouraged to bring folding chairs and/or blankets to sit on during the concert.

Attendees will also have the chance to participate in a raffle to conduct the band playing “Stars and Stripes Forever” for the grand finale.

This large group of carefully auditioned and selected professional and student musicians is an outstanding concert band. The annual UAB Summer Band boasts approximately 70 people, including UAB faculty members, students and alumni, as well as professional and amateur musicians from the community. Some members have played with the group for more than 20 years. The band has been rehearsing weekly since the beginning of June. UAB Director of Bands Sean Murray, Ph.D., will conduct, along with Assistant Director of Bands Caleb Owenby, DMA. The concert will also feature UAB students and local middle and high schools’ band directors as guest conductors.

SEO people will assemble near the band. Look for the Southeastern Outings signs.

When the concert ends, conveniently enjoy clearly viewing the Birmingham City Fireworks from the band concert area. The fireworks show will begin at 9 p.m.

Well-behaved children, but no dogs, are welcome.

Reservations: Not required

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

July 4, SATURDAY, After the Concert and Fireworks

Southeastern Outings Potluck Dessert Get-Together

Where: UAB GREEN, 1600 Ninth Avenue South, Birmingham

Details: Southeastern Outings people will stay at the UAB Green for a while after the fireworks are concluded, avoiding all the exiting traffic congestion. Then we will enjoy good company and food. You are encouraged to invite one or several guests to come with you since this event is one of the best SEO events for introducing yourself (if you are not already a member) and your friends to the group. Please bring a small dessert with you to share with the group. SEO will provide a table to set out desserts plus plates, napkins, forks and spoons. We suggest you also bring your own drink (no alcohol, please) with you. Well-behaved children, but no dogs, are welcome.

No Charge

Reservations: Not required

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

JULY 11, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings River Beach Walk, Swim and Picnic

Where: Barton’s Beach in Perry County, Alabama

Photo of cypress knees at Barton's Beach

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

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 1/2-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 are likely to 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.

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

Float Note:

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

JULY 18, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak/Canoe Trip

Where: Tallapoosa River at Heflin, Alabama

Photo from Tallapoosa River

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: The section we will paddle is relatively easy. This is a scenic stretch of river located in a very rural area. Forty-four SEO people participated in this very popular outing in August, 2011.

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

The trip is about 7 miles long. There are two relatively easy class I rapids on this stretch.

Please note that for this trip you may rent one or two-person sit-upon plastic kayaks at the take out from Tallapoosa River RV and Outdoor Center.

Here is the schedule of outfitter charges:

solo sit upon kayaks each $30
tandem (two-person) sit upon kayaks each $50
shuttle fee per owned boat $15

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

If you wish to rent a boat from this outfitter, please call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680. Dan will relay your boat rental reservation on to the outfitter. Please note that the outfitter has only 40 one-person sit-upon kayaks and 10 tandem (2-person) kayaks for rent, so be sure you call to reserve early. Once all their kayaks of one type or the other are reserved for July 18 there will be no more boats of that type available to rent!

This outfitter does not have canoes to rent. However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, currently has canoes which she is offering to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes. The charge for renting a canoe from Aree is $40 per boat. Southeastern Outings will pay the $15 per boat shuttle service fee for people renting canoes from Aree. Again, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE July 18 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want. We will do our best to fulfill your request.

All participants must be able to swim to come on this outing!

When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, use the restroom, and then the outfitter will transport all of us and our boats upriver to the put in. We will then paddle down the river to the take out where our cars are at the outfitter’s, stopping as often as we want to along the way. We may eat lunch at the outfitter’s or at a beach along the river after we have started paddling.

For more general information please see note for canoe trips below.

After the canoe and kayak trip we are planning to go to a restaurant for dinner on the way back. Hot showers are available for no charge at the outfitter’s place. If you would like to shower, wash up and/or have dinner with us at the restaurant after the canoe trip, please bring a change of clothes and your shower things to be kept in the car.

Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m. If you decide to meet us at some place other than the meeting place in Leeds specified in this announcement, please notify Dan in advance and directly of this fact.

Reservations Required: You must contact trip leader Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this canoe/kayak trip. Please advise your name, telephone number, skill level, whether you want to kayak or canoe and whether you are bringing or wish to rent a boat and whether you need a paddling partner. You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish. Please do not just show up for this outing without making advance reservations!

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

Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips: The kayak and canoe outing listed in the announcements above is 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.

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.

When you make your reservation with the trip leader, please be absolutely certain to provide ALL of the following information:

Whether you want to kayak or canoe

Whether you are renting a boat and what kind or bringing your own boat (please specify kayak or canoe)

Your name

Your telephone number and/or email address

If you are also making a reservation for someone else coming with you, please give the NAME of that person. Don’t just say, “My daughter, my friend, my wife”.

If you are canoeing, please give your skill level.

If you have already selected a canoe partner and you are making a reservation for your partner, too, please give the name and skill level of your partner.

Please do NOT just show up at the meeting place for a kayak and canoe trip without making an advance reservation!!

If you have made a reservation to participate and then decide to cancel, please be absolutely sure to call and notify the trip leader 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time. Don’t just tell your friend if you intend to cancel!!

If you have made a reservation for a friend whom you have invited to come on this trip and your friend is not coming, you must notify the leader of this cancellation 1 ½ hours or more before the event departure time! No-shows cause considerable logistical complications for the leader and for the outfitter!

Archived June 2026 Events

CANCELED due to low interest: JUNE 6, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip

Where: On the Elk River near Elkmont, Alabama

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: The six-mile section we will paddle is easy with no obstructions. This is a scenic stretch of river located in a very rural area.

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

Many of our members have expressed a desire to paddle once again on this stretch of the Elk River. We are extremely grateful to Dan’s daughter, Aree Frederick, who has agreed to provide outfitting services to our entire group for this outing. For this trip you may rent from Aree one-person plastic kayaks and paddles for $30 or you may rent two-person canoes for $40. She has for rent about 110 one-person sit-upon kayaks and about 30 tandem (two-person) canoes.

If you rent a boat from Aree, she will bring your rented boat to the put in and meet you there. She will also meet you at the take out, so you will never need to transport your rented boat at all. Shuttle fee, paddles, and life jacket are included in the boat rental fee for those who rent boats from Aree Frederick.

If you wish to rent a kayak or canoe from Aree, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE June 6 to reserve your boat.

If you want to come on the June 6 SEO kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from Aree at the site of the trip, in this instance you are required to call or contact ONLY Dan Frederick and notify him that you are coming! Dan will inform Aree how many rental kayaks and canoes she will need to provide to SEO people for this trip.

This is a new outfitter for Southeastern Outings. Both of the two Elk River outfitters we used previously closed their businesses. However, we will still boat on the same stretch of the Elk River as we have done previously. Until 2024 we had been unable to sponsor a trip on this river for four years because we could not identify an outfitter who would provide boat rental services to us.

You may bring your own kayak or canoe on this outing. You will not have to pay a shuttle fee to Aree because boat owners on this trip will run their own shuttle.

Children age 10 and over and able to swim are welcome.

After the kayak/canoe trip we will go for dinner at an excellent Italian restaurant in Athens, Alabama. If you would like to have dinner with us at the restaurant after the kayak and canoe trip, please bring your things to clean up with and a change of clothes. After the kayak and canoe outing is completed, we plan to schedule a stop at the Buck Ee’s or at a rest stop on I-65 near Athens, Alabama. If you wish, you will be able to use the very large restrooms and change clothes and wash up there in relative comfort before you go to the restaurant for dinner with us and/or drive home

Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Hayden/Corner Park and Ride at Exit #284 off I-65 North. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m. For more essential information about this trip, please see Notes for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.

Reservations Required: You must call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com 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 are planning to meet the group initially at the put in instead of at the designated meeting place near Birmingham, please tell Dan Frederick in advance that you are planning to meet the group at the put in.

Please do not make it necessary for Dan to contact you concerning information which you have already received in this announcement and in the notes below.

Information and Trip Leader: If you have questions, please call Dan Frederick, landline 205/631-4680, or email southeasternoutings@gmail.com,

JUNE 13, SATURDAY, please meet at 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings River Float, Picnic, Swim

Where: On the Locust Fork River from Taylor’s Ford through Cornelius Falls in Blount County near Royal, AL

Photo from Locust Fork River near Cornelius Falls

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: Easy river float on the Locust Fork River. Float in the river from Taylor’s Ford through Cornelius Falls and below. We’ll float downstream to the widest waterfall on the Locust Fork River. Enjoy eating your picnic lunch sitting on the rocks overlooking the waterfall. This is one of the prettiest lunch spots we have ever seen in Alabama! As we float, we’ll also view sheer cliffs that rise high above the river. So, enjoy a flowing river, high rock bluffs and a gorgeous waterfall—all along a nearly uninhabited stretch of this river. Please bring a picnic lunch, drink, sunscreen and something to float on such as a fabric-covered, inflatable vinyl float. See Float Note below for additional information.

Please wear swimsuit and sturdy footwear you don’t mind getting wet and dirty. Old sneakers work well. Bare feet, flip-flops, slip-ons and thin-soled “beach shoes” are not acceptable! You must be able to swim to participate in this outing!

Have fun swimming in the pools in the river and just sitting in Cornelius Falls. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 8 and up able to swim welcome, but parents are responsible for all risks to their children.

Please bring a friend or several if you wish. Please meet at 9:45 a.m. at the Cleveland Chevron. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.

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

Float Note

Substantial, fabric-covered, inflatable, vinyl, rectangular floats like you use to ride the waves at the Gulf work best. Trip leader Dan Frederick now has 72-inch-long floats for sale for $23 each and 60-inch-long floats for sale for $15 each ONLY at the start of the 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 or tube at the start point of the river float.

JUNE 27, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip

Where: Chattooga River near Gaylesville, Alabama

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ fifth 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. Seventeen Southeastern Outings people participated in our kayak and canoe trip on the Chattooga River on June 23, 2023 and fourteen SEO people participated in our trip there on September 30, 2023.

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 swim and 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:

solo sit-upon kayaks each $35. Kayak rental fee includes rent of the kayak, life jacket, paddles and shuttle.
shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $15.

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.

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 a $15 fee to shuttle your privately-owned boat used on this outing.

This outfitter does not have canoes to rent. However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, currently has canoes which she is offering to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes. The charge for renting a canoe from Aree is $40 per boat. Southeastern Outings will pay the $15 per boat shuttle service fee for people renting canoes from Aree. Again, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE June 27 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want. We will do our best to fulfill your request.

All participants must be able to swim to come on this outing!

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 while paddling. 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.

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.

Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations! And please advise Dan if you plan to meet the group initially at the outfitter’s instead of at the designated Birmingham Area meeting place.

Please meet at 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant parking lot 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 and Trip Leader: If you have questions or would like additional information about this kayak and canoe trip, please call Dan Frederick, landline 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.

Archived May 2026 Events

MAY 2, SATURDAY, 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings SUnday Afternoon Mountain Laurel Walk

Where: Dunnavant Valley Greenway Walking Trail (DVGWT)

Right-click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: The trail winds along a bubbling stream, Yellow Leaf Creek, overhung with majestic American beech, oak, and hickory trees. The stream is about 15 or so feet wide for most of its length

In addition to walking along the creek for most of the hike, we will probably also hike off trail to view a very pretty waterfall nearby, and then hike on trails from the waterfall to the parking lot at the end of the trail on AL Highway 41. Then we’ll hike entirely on the trail back to the start. There are footbridges over the streams, and, except for a steep patch over a ridge, walking on the trail itself is easy. Happy hiking! Please bring your water with you.

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles without complaining are welcome to participate.

Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the small DVGWT trail head parking lot on the edge of Yellow Leaf Creek on the edge of the soccer fields on AL Highway 41. We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m. Please note that this is a different meeting place and starting point from the place where we have begun our hike on this trail most times in the past!

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

MAY 6, WEDNESDAY, 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Trip with dinner after

Where: Terrapin Creek near Piedmont, Alabama

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: Please plan to come on a relaxing kayak and canoe trip on Terrapin Creek in Cherokee County, near Piedmont, Alabama. The section we will paddle is relatively easy with one class I classified rapid (which you can portage around if you prefer). This is a scenic stretch of creek located in a very rural area. Twenty-four Southeastern Outings people participated in this popular outing on May 18, 2019.

Please note that for this trip you may rent one person sit-upon plastic kayaks for $25 each from Terrapin Outdoor Center. Rental fees include shuttle service, paddles and life jackets. Also, the outfitter will shuttle for a $10 fee per boat all private boats used on this outing. If you wish to rent a boat from Terrapin Outdoor Center, please call the Center BEFORE May 6 at 256/447-6666 to reserve your boat. Please be sure you tell the Center you are boating with Southeastern Outings. Please note that the outfitter has only 100 one-person sit-on-top kayaks for rent, so be sure you call to reserve early. Once all their kayaks are reserved for May 6, there will be no more kayaks available to rent!

This outfitter no longer has canoes to rent. However, Dan Frederick’s daughter, Aree, currently has canoes which she is offering to rent to people who want to canoe on this trip and who do not have their own canoes. The charge for renting a canoe from Aree is $40 per boat. Southeastern Outings will pay the $10 per boat shuttle service fee for people renting canoes from Aree. Again, please notify Dan Frederick, southeasternoutings@gmail.com or phone 205/631-4680 BEFORE May 6 to request a rental canoe if that is what you want. We will do our best to fulfill your request.

All participants must be able to swim to come on this outing!

After the canoe and kayak trip we are planning to go to a pleasant restaurant in Piedmont for an optional dinner. If you would like to wash up and/or have dinner with us at the restaurant after the kayak and canoe trip, please bring a change of clothes and a towel. Outfitter has four changing rooms. Two are changing rooms only with no toilets or washbowls, and two are restrooms with washbowls, toilets and running water, but no showers.

Reservations Required: You must email southeasternoutings@gmail.com or call Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 if you plan to come on this outing. Please advise your name, telephone number, skill level, whether you are bringing a canoe or kayak or you wish to rent a canoe or kayak. You may leave a message on Dan’s voice mail if you wish. If you want to come on the May 6 kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a kayak from the outfitter at the site of the trip, you are required in this instance to call the BOTH the outfitter to reserve your boat AND ALSO contact Dan Frederick to notify him that you are coming! Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations! And 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 meet 8:45 a.m. at Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.

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

MAY 9, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Bicycle Ride

Where: Horse Creek Trail, Dora and Sumiton, AL

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: Join friendly folks on an easy, 6.4-mile bicycle ride on the Horse Creek Trail in Dora and Sumiton, in Walker County, sort of near Jasper, Alabama. The trail itself is about 3.2 miles long one way. Everyone will be bicycling one round trip on this outing.

Ride on one of Alabama’s rails-to-trails conversion routes on an old railroad right of way. This smooth trail is wide, level and even paved. No hills on this trail. On this particular bike ride you will be bicycling on a scenic trail which goes through fields, near houses and through the woods. The trail is nicely developed, with frequent covered benches. People you meet are both friendly and helpful.

No motorized vehicles are allowed on your trail! Note this is a relatively easy ride, one which should be lots of fun for everyone who enjoys bicycling. Please bring your bicycle water with you.

After the bicycle ride there will be an optional opportunity to bike a second 7-mile round trip on the trail for those who would like to bicycle some more.

Please meet 9:45 a.m. just outside the left front door of the Wal-Mart in Sumiton, Alabama. We plan to depart by car from there at 10:00 a.m. and drive to the nearby start point of our ride on the trail.

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

Other activities from May 2026, without details:

MAY 13, WEDNESDAY, Leisurely Weekday Walk, to View Cahaba Lilies
MAY 16, SATURDAY, Cahaba Lily Walk
MAY 23, SATURDAY, Picnic Supper, Railroad Park
MAY 23, SATURDAY, FREE Alabama Symphony Orchestra Concert, Railroad Park

CANCELED due to rain: MAY 30, SATURDAY, meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Kayak and Canoe Outing

Where: Big Wills Creek near Gadsden, Alabama.

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: This will be Southeastern Outings’ seventeenth kayak and canoe trip on Big Wills Creek. 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. Forty-six SEO people participated in this very popular outing in 2015.

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

Please note that for this trip you may rent canoes and one or two-person (tandem) sit-upon plastic kayaks and paddles from Big Wills Outfitters.

Here is the schedule of outfitter charges-Note cash only!):

solo kayaks each $35
canoes and tandem kayaks $50 each
shuttle fee per boat for owned rather than rented boats $10

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 wish to rent a boat from Big Wills Outfitters, please call the outfitter BEFORE Saturday, May 30 at 256/538-3226 to reserve your boat. Tell the outfitter you are boating with Southeastern Outings. Please note that the outfitter has only 3 canoes and 57 one-person sit-upon kayaks and 5 tandem (2-person) sit-upon kayaks for rent, so be sure you call to reserve early. Once all their boats of one type or the other are reserved for May 30, there will be no more boats of that type available to rent!

If you rent a boat from this outfitter, the outfitter will take you and your rented boat to the put in, and you will take out at the outfitter’s property so you will never need to transport your rented boat at all. Life jackets, paddles and shuttle fee are included in the rental boat fee for those who rent boats from the outfitter. You may bring your own canoe or kayak on this trip, but you must pay the outfitter to shuttle your privately-owned boat. For more information about the outfitter and photos of the creek, please visit their website www.facebook.com/bigwillsoutfitters.

When we arrive at the outfitter’s, you will sign a waiver, pay your shuttle or boat rental fee, use the restroom, and then eat lunch beside the creek at the outfitter’s take out. After you finish lunch, the outfitter will transport ALL the boaters and their boats, both rented and owned, to the put in. We will then paddle down the creek to the take out at the outfitter’s, stopping along the way as often as we want to.

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

After the canoe and kayak trip we are probably going to a restaurant in Gadsden for dinner. Our going to dinner depends on what time we finish boating. If you would like to have dinner with us at the restaurant after the kayak and canoe trip, please bring a change of clothes to be kept in the car. A changing room is available at the outfitter’s.

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 May 30 kayak and canoe trip AND you are renting a boat from the outfitter at the site of the trip, you are required in this instance to call the BOTH the outfitter to reserve your boat AND ALSO contact Dan Frederick to notify him that you are coming! Please do not just show up for this outing at the meeting place without making advance reservations! Please meet at 9:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m. For more essential information about this trip, please see Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips below.

Info. and trip leader:

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

Note for Kayak and Canoe Trips

The kayak and canoe outing listed in the announcement above is 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.

Archived April 2026 Events

APRIL 4, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Paul Grist State Park near Selma, Alabama

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

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 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.

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

CANCELED!! April 18, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings 10.6-Mile Bicycle Ride

Where: Chief Ladiga Trail, Piedmont, Alabama

Click here for more photos of the Chief Ladiga Trail

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 25. 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 9:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Restaurant in Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m. or meet 11:20 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 Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 205/631-4680.

APRIL 22, Wednesday, 9:45 AM

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Five Mile Creek Greenway Extension in the Brookside Areas, just northwest of Birmingham

Details: You are invited to participate in an easy and leisurely-paced, fun Southeastern Outings dayhike on a portion of the Five Mile Creek Greenway Trail, a rails-to-trails conversion route on an old railroad right of way. This smooth trail is wide and level. No hills! This finely-crushed rock surface trail goes through mostly wooded terrain.

The walking pace for this hike will be moderately easy. 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.

Note that the trail has been extended recently. Our hike in 2026 will be entirely on the new section where we have only hiked twice previously. So come out to see and experience what the new part looks like! Total hike distance is about 3.8 miles.

No motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail! This outing should be lots of fun for everyone.

Other portions of this trail have consistently been some of our most popular places to hike since it is easy and close to Birmingham.

Please meet in the WalMart Gardendale parking lot at 9:45 p.m. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.

Information and Trip Leaders: Caroline Boone, 205-567-8389, and Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 205/631-4680.

CANCELED!! APRIL 25, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Horse Creek Trail, Dora and Sumiton, AL

Right-Click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: Join friendly folks on an easy 3.2-mile walk on the Horse Creek Trail in Dora and Sumiton in Walker County, sort of near Jasper, Alabama. Walk on one of Alabama’s rails-to-trails conversion routes on an old railroad right of way. This smooth trail is wide, level and paved. 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 is nicely developed, with frequent covered benches. People you might meet are both friendly and helpful.

No motorized vehicles are allowed on your trail! Note this is a relatively easy outing, one which should be lots of fun for everyone. Please bring your drink with you.

Please meet 9:45 a.m. just outside the left front door (as you face the front of the store) of the Wal-Mart SuperCenter on Alabama Highway 5 (formerly U. S. Highway 78 in Sumiton, Alabama. We plan to depart by car from the WalMart at 10:00 a.m. and drive to the nearby start point of our hike on the trail.

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

Archived March 2026 Events

MARCH 7 SATURDAY, 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: High Ore Line Trail in Birmingham and Midfield, Alabama

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: This will be Southeastern Outings fourth hike on this relatively new in-city trail. The hike, which is rated easy, will be 3 miles long with very little change in elevation. Birmingham’s three-mile High Ore Line Trail is now complete and open to the public. We will start our hike on the High Ore Line Trail from the Jefferson County Western Health Center in Midfield and hike along an old railroad line to Red Mountain Park’s entrance and parking lot on Venice Road. The trail is mostly flat and off road and provides an accessible place to walk in Greater Birmingham’s outdoors.

In 2012, the City of Birmingham won a competitive Department of Transportation TIGER grant for $10,000,000 in order to develop active transportation routes in Birmingham. With this funding, the City of Birmingham, Freshwater Land Trust, Jefferson County Health Department, and many partners have built 14 trail miles throughout Birmingham. The first two miles of the High Ore Line Trail opened in 2016. With its third and final mile complete, High Ore Line now connects Red Mountain Park to Jefferson County’s growing Red Rock Trail System. “We are thrilled to open this new portion of High Ore Line and hope it will continue to be a valuable asset to the community,” said Carolyn Buck, Freshwater Land Trust Red Rock Trail Director. “With each trail opening, we are one step closer to our goal of building and connecting 750 miles of trails in Jefferson County.”

“We are excited to celebrate this long-anticipated connection to Red Mountain Park as it creates more opportunities for more communities in Birmingham to engage in outdoor recreation and learn about our shared history,” said T.C. McLemore, Red Mountain Park Executive Director. In Midfield, an industrial suburb of Birmingham near the towering U.S. Steel plant, a railroad track once sliced through the air, an elevated track running ore and coal from the mines at Red Mountain to the steel works at Fairfield. Today, decades after the railroad went out of operation, the elevated track has a new lease on life: a green one. Spanning three miles from Midfield to Venice Road at the base of Red Mountain, the High Ore Line Trail now occupies the raised railroad line as one of the newest additions to the Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System. Connecting neighborhoods in West Birmingham to Midfield, the trail passes its visitors over Valley Creek with a glimpse in the distance of Red Mountain Park – to which the trail is now connected. It is a space of recreation and peace, a place where a simple stroll can become a scenic experience blending the urban industrial suburbs with natural, preserved greenspace.

As greenspaces around Birmingham help the Magic City make a resurgence, the High Ore Line Trail is a project that makes sure the western neighborhoods of Birmingham get their own piece of the puzzle.

Please bring water to drink and comfortable footwear suitable for walking three miles. We expect to complete the hike about lunch time.

For those who would like to enjoy lunch with their fellow hikers, you may join the group for lunch at the Subway sandwich restaurant on Lakeshore Parkway after the hike is concluded.

Please meet 9:15 a.m. at the new Jones Valley parking lot for Red Mountain Park, 2109 Venice Road, Birmingham, Alabama. We plan to depart from there at 9:30 a.m.

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

MARCH 8, SUNDAY, 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike

Where: Oak Mountain State Park

Right-click here to open a new tab or window with more photographs from this outing.

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.

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.

Information and Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205/719-7719

MARCH 12, THURSDAY, 9:30 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike

Where: Beeswax Creek Park, Lay Lake, Wilsonville, Alabama

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Details: Beeswax Creek Park, bordered by Beeswax Creek to its north and Lay Lake (Coosa River) to its east, is located in the Columbiana/Wilsonville area in Shelby County, Alabama.

Beeswax Creek Park has many amenities including two picnic pavilions, three fishing piers, a 2.8-mile multi-use trail for hiking, two restroom facilities and a huge parking lot. A resident caretaker provides security for the park. Alabama Power Company, through its "The Preserves" program, has added a boardwalk and a bridge to the trail system, created a pollinator plot with interpretive signs, and Alabama Power has also built two gazebos on the trail overlooking Lay Lake.

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. We recommend that you bring binoculars with you on this trip if you have them. We will be walking along the water for over ½ of the hike distance. On our scouting trip in December, 2024, we saw numerous herons, egrets, gulls, ducks and even possibly a loon on or over the water. Admission to the park is free.

Please meet at 9:30 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 9:45 a.m.

Information and Trip Leader: Caroline Boone, 205-567-8389.

MARCH 14, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Barton’s Beach and Perry Lakes Park near Marion in Perry County, Alabama

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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.

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!

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 allows for an exciting view of the forest and oxbow swamps.

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.

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

March 14, 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.

You will be able to clean up and change your clothes in the Seminary Building restrooms before dinner.

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 14, 2025 after our hike. Please plan to come!

Price for the meal is $25 per person flat charge to benefit the Perry County Historical and Preservation Society. There will be 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, SATURDAY, 9:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Horseshoe Bend National Military Park

Right-click here and open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

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 raged 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.

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.

Information and Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205/719-7719.

MARCH 28, SATURDAY (Time TBA (To Be Announced))

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Upper Quillan Creek, Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest

Right-click here to open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: Moderately strenuous, 4-mile dayhike 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 hiking 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 are 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, March 26, 2026. When you contact Dan, please be sure you leave your phone number and/or email address. This outing is limited to 10 people 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 10 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 and been approved for this trip.

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

Archived February 2026 Events

FEB 7, 2026, SATURDAY, please meet 8:45 a.m.

(Postponed from JANUARY 31)

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: Brushy Creek and Sougahoagdee Falls, Bankhead National Forest

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

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 eleven 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.

No charge for admission to the Bankhead National Forest, the Brushy Creek Trail, and the Natural Bridge Recreation Area in the Bankhead National Forest.

Southeastern Outings is both honored and privileged to inform you that this outing will be co-sponsored by the Alumni of Middlebury College. The College is located in Middlebury Vermont. We expect to have some Middlebury College Alumni participate with us on this outing.

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 at Exit 284 off of I-65 North. 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.

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

FEBRUARY 8, SUNDAY, 12:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike

Where: Oak Mountain State Park

Right-click here to open a new tab or window with more photographs from this outing.

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.

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.

Information and Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205/719-7719

FEBRUARY 14, SATURDAY, 9:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings [Dayhike]

Where: Moss Rock Preserve, Hoover, Alabama

Right-click this link and open it in a new tab to reach 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.

Where: Moss Rock Preserve, Hoover, Alabama

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.

Details: Explore a section of this 350-acre forested park in Hoover on a moderate, 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 will be running bountifully when we are there. We recommend that you bring hiking poles with you on this hike if you have them.

Right-click here and open a new window to view more photographs from this outing.

Please bring water to drink.

Directions to meeting place: Moss Rock Preserve Parking Lot on Patton Chapel Road-1575 Patton Chapel Road, Hoover, AL 35226. Proceed to Crest Cadillac dealership on U.S. 31 in Hoover about ½ mile north of U.S. 31 interchange with I-459 near the Riverchase Galleria. Turn onto Patton Chapel Road at stop light on U.S. 31 directly in front of the Cadillac dealer. Go 1.6 miles on Patton Chapel Road to the traffic light at intersection of Patton Chapel Road, Chapel Lane, Chapel Road and Preserve Parkway. At the traffic light, turn right on Chapel Road. See two schools, one on each side of the road. Drive 2/10 miles and pull into preserve parking lot on left just before you get to the Simmons Middle School which is up on the hill on the left and before the driveway with the sign saying preserve parking. The group will be meeting at the very back of that parking lot which usually has a large number of yellow school buses parked in it. DO NOT just enter Moss Rock Preserve parking in your GPS. There are at least 3 and maybe 4 parking lots for the Moss Rock Preserve. No telling which one your GPS will direct you to.

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

FEBRUARY 21, SATURDAY, 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Dayhike

Where: 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 several parks, by two picturesque, flowing streams, and around a beautiful university-owned lake in a wooded park.

This walk will be Southeastern Outings’ thirteenth 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.

Optional dinner after the hike.

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 are welcome.

Admission to Trail and Park: Free

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

FEBRUARY 26, THURSDAY, please meet 10:00 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike

Where: Shades Creek Greenway Extension

Photo from Lakeshore Trail, Western Extension

Right-click here to open a photo album from this outing in a new tab.

Details: Please come with Southeastern Outings on our second ever hike on this new trail. Take a stroll beside a serene Shades Creek. Unlike the older part of this trail which runs right along the side of a major highway, Lakeshore Drive, this new section of the trail is secluded with no road or traffic beside it most of the way. It is very scenic, running right beside Shades Creek for its entire length. The new section goes from Columbiana Road to the new trailhead just west of Wildwood Shopping Center across Lakeshore Parkway from the John Carroll High School campus. The Creek in this extension undulates through the landscape and offers many attractive vistas of the creek from the trail. The way the landscape presents itself, it is hard to believe the trail is in the middle of a metropolitan area. A detention pond, part of the Wildwood Development, is an attractive amenity along the way. Homewood Mayor Patrick McClusky summed up why this trail matters. “Homewood is so excited about the new 1.4-mile pedestrian extension of the Greenway Trail. This addition allows more accessibility and further distance to our citizens and brings a trailhead to connect with another neighboring city. Homewood continues to promote pedestrian friendly options, and the Greenway Phase II is just another shining example of why our city is at the forefront of this focus.” 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. We will hike a total of 2.8 miles round trip on the trail from the Shades Creek Greenway Western Extension parking lot to Columbiana Road and back.

Please meet at 10:00 a.m. at the Shades Creek Greenway Trail parking lot near the John Carroll School. We plan to depart from there at 10:15 a.m.

Please note that there are no restrooms at the start point of this hike. If you want to use a restroom before starting to hike, we suggest you stop at one of the two gas stations (one across the side street from the other) at the intersection where you turn left off of Lakeshore Parkway to head towards the Greenway parking lot

Information and Trip Leader: Caroline Boone, 205-567-8389

FEBRUARY 28, SATURDAY, please meet 9:45 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 with running water

Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Shelby County Highway 43 entrance to the park.

This park is owned and maintained by Shelby County.

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.

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 at 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 US 280.”

Following the hike we probably will go for an optional lunch at a restaurant nearby in the Lee Branch Shopping Center on Highway 280. Please bring water with you. There is no charge for park admission.

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

Archived Jan. 2026 Activities

JANUARY 3, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings [Dayhike]

Where: Cahaba River Park in Western Shelby County north of Montevallo

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

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. Cahaba River Park is a relatively new 1,500-acre park near the Bibb County line in western Shelby County. Please come with us for our seventh, moderately easy 3 or so mile hike in this newly created park.

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 sections 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 has being developed in conjunction with the 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 January 3 will 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 three 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: Dan Frederick, email southeasternoutings@gmail.com, landline 205/631-4680

JANUARY 10, 2026, SATURDAY, 1:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Spectacular Dayhike

Where: Upper Quillan Creek, Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest

Photo from Quillan Creek, Sipsey Wilderness

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

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.

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, January 8, 2026. When you contact Dan, please be sure you leave your phone number and/or email address. This outing is limited to 10 people 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 10 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 and been approved for this trip.

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

JANUARY 11, SUNDAY, 12:45 p.m.

Southeastern Outings Second Sunday Dayhike]

Where: Oak Mountain State Park

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

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 and children) park admission fee plus your drink.

Information and Trip Leader: Randall Adkins, 205-719-7719

JANUARY 17, SATURDAY, 9:40 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Cave Tour and Woodland Hike

Where: Cathedral Caverns State Park, Woodville, Alabama

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

Reservations Required

If you want to come on this outing, you must call trip leader Dan Frederick, 205-631-4680 before noon on Friday, January 9, 2026 so that we can abide by the Park’s group tour reservation deadline policy.

Please give Dan your name, telephone number including area code, and email address if you have one. Cave tour admission arrangements for participants who register by this deadline will be compliments of Southeastern Outings. This means that Southeastern Outings will pay your $20 per adult and $9 per child cave admission charge, provided that you make your reservation with Dan Frederick, trip leader, before noon on Friday, January 9.

Details: Tour one of Alabama’s largest developed caves. After we arrive at the park, you can use the restrooms. We then are required to assemble together at 11:45 a.m. right outside the cave entrance for our tour which starts at 12:00 noon sharp. The cave, which maintains a constant temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, includes a very large entrance and several beautiful formations. Please be sure to bring with you an upper outdoor garment like a warm winter shirt, a sweatshirt or a lightweight jacket to wear so that you will be comfortable while you are in the cave.

The cave tour walk with tour guide is 1.5 miles in length and takes 1.5 hours. Following the cave tour, we will enjoy having our lunches on the park porch. Then we will hike in the park through hardwood forests on gentle slopes and through grassy meadows.

Please bring your picnic lunch and water with you.

Optional dinner in Guntersville after the outing concludes.

Please meet 9:40 a.m. at the Cleveland Chevron, 36320 AL Highway 79, Cleveland, AL 35049. We plan to depart from there at 9:55 a.m.

Remember—If you want to not pay the $20 per person cave tour admission fee, please be sure to make your reservations for this outing before noon on Friday, January 9!!

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

CANCELED due to RAIN!: JANUARY 22, THURSDAY, 9:30 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Leisurely Weekday Hike

Where: Beeswax Creek Park, Lay Lake, Wilsonville, AL

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: Beeswax Creek Park, bordered by Beeswax Creek to its north and Lay Lake (Coosa River) to its east, is located in the Columbiana/Wilsonville area in Shelby County, Alabama. Beeswax Creek Park has many amenities including two picnic pavilions, three fishing piers, a 2.8-mile multi-use trail for hiking, two restroom facilities and a huge parking lot. A resident caretaker provides security for the park. Alabama Power Company, through its "The Preserves" program, has added a boardwalk and a bridge to the trail system, created a pollinator plot with interpretive signs, and Alabama Power has also built two gazebos on the trail overlooking Lay Lake.

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.

We recommend that you bring binoculars with you on this trip if you have them. We will be walking along the water for over ½ of the hike distance. On our scouting trip in December, 2024, we saw numerous herons, egrets, gulls, ducks and even possibly a loon on or over the water.

Please meet at 9:30 a.m. at the McDonald’s Galleria. We plan to depart from there at 9:45 a.m.

Admission to the park is free.

Information and Trip Leader: Caroline Boone, 205-567-8389.

CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER: JANUARY 24, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.

Southeastern Outings Waterfowl Viewing Trip

Where:Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (WNWR), Decatur, AL

Photo from Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge

Click here to view more photographs from this outing.

Details: Experience the thrilling sight of thousands of sandhill cranes, wild geese and ducks plus herons and other birds. The Refuge has the largest concentration of wintering cranes, geese and ducks in the entire state of Alabama! You don’t need to be a bird watcher to enjoy this outing! Experienced birders leading the trip will share their knowledge with all.

This 35,000-acre refuge attracts thousands of wintering waterfowl each year. WNWR is comprised of diverse habitat types including bottomland hardwoods, wetlands, pine uplands, shoreline or riparian woodlands, agricultural fields, and backwater embayments. These habitats provide excellent feeding, resting, and roosting sites for wintering waterfowl, white pelicans, sandhill cranes and a few endangered whooping cranes as well as nesting sites for migratory songbirds and many species of resident wildlife.

We are highly privileged to have as our guide Dwight Cooley, the retired Refuge Manager. Dwight will take us on refuge roads behind locked gates as we drive to various bays and sloughs where you can easily see hundreds of ducks and geese in large numbers. We’ll also see many other types of birds including, hopefully, bald eagles. We’ll even see a huge flock of sandhill cranes which winter at the refuge each year. This winter the Refuge expects to host in excess of 22,000 sandhill cranes and about 20 endangered whooping cranes. The gated roads are closed to the public but will be open to our group.

Please bring binoculars, a birding field guide and a spotting telescope with you if you have them. The leader and Dan Frederick will each bring a spotting telescope which they will share with participants. Also, please bring your picnic lunch and drink with you.

This outing is rated easy as there is very little walking involved, and we won’t be climbing any hills or walking through thick brush. Please dress for the weather. The wind at the refuge can be biting, blowing across open water on cold days.

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 10 and over who can remain quiet for extended periods of time (so as to not disturb the birds and bird watchers) are welcome.

Possible optional dinner after the birding trip depending on what time we finish bird watching.

At a later time Dan Frederick will advise meeting time and place only to those who have signed up and been approved for this trip.

We look forward to seeing many of you on January 24, 2026.

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