December 2019 Activities

DECEMBER 1, SUNDAY, 1:45 p.m.

Easy Walk

Where: Vulcan Trail inside the City Limits of Birmingham


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

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

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

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

Share an adventure.  Bring a friend or friends.

Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680


DECEMBER 5, THURSDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Weekday Hike in Red Mountain Park (RMP)


Details: Would it excite you to hear that Birmingham has secured a recreational, public park space of 1,400 acres—an area twice as large as New York's Central Park?  Could you, your friends and family find a use for more than 18 miles of new hiking and biking trails, open fields and picnic areas, all within 15 minutes of downtown Birmingham? 

In March, 2012 The Red Mountain Park Commission opened the eastern section of this park to the public, offering folks a chance to walk the property and get a feel for the location and scale of the land.

This will be Southeastern Outings’ nineteenth hike in the Park.  Please come with us for a 3-4 hour hike on a walkable portion of this noteworthy place.  Hike rated moderately strenuous since it is a fairly long hike and there are some hills to climb.  This is one of the largest city parks in the United States!  For considerably more information about the park, please visit the park’s website:


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

Please meet at 9:45 a.m. in the large Red Mountain Park parking lot on the right side of Lyon Lane immediately after you turn right onto Lyon Lane off of the north end of Frankfurt Drive off Lakeshore Parkway.  We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.

Information: Scott Myers, 205/393-5230


DECEMBER 8, SUNDAY, Meet 12:45 p.m.
Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park

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

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

Share an adventure!  Bring a friend.

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

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

Info: Randall Adkins, 205/317-6969


DECEMBER 14, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Moderately Strenuous Dayhike on the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail System at Lake Martin, near Alexander City, Alabama


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

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

The trails are well-marked and maintained, the terrain is varied, and the scenery on a clear day is spectacular.  We will hike about 4 miles.  We will see longleaf pine and mixed hardwood forests, open airy sections, and other trail sections under fuller forest canopy.  We also will see pristine lake views, boats, birds, boulders and deer tracks. 

Please wear hiking boots!  Please meet 8:45 a.m. at Publix in the Village at Lee Branch in Greystone.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.
         
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age ten and over welcome.

Optional restaurant dinner after.
Info: Dan Frederick, email seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205/631-4680

CANCELLED
DECEMBER 21, SATURDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Shoal Creek Park


Details: Southeastern Outings has planned an easy approximately 4.1-mile hike on the new Shoal Creek Park in Montevallo.  On October 30, 2018, ten people participated in an SEO scouting trip there led by Shane Baugh, the Montevallo Parks and Recreation Director, and we were delighted at what we found.  We subsequently had a highly successful hike for the entire group on December 22, 2018 and another one on March 9, 2019.

This 167-acre park has some new trails (2.1 miles and 1.6 miles) already constructed and some less developed trails which we will also hike.  One trail does follow the creek a good ways.  Total hike distance is about 4.1 miles. 

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

For those concerned about having to cross the slippery log over the creek, please be advised that the trail now crosses the creek on a brand new, sturdy, concrete bridge.  Also please note that the restrooms in the park are now completely constructed and open for your use.

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

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

Please meet at 9:45 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 10:00 a.m. 

Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles without complaining are welcome.
         
Admission to the park is free!

Info: Dan Frederick, email seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205/631-4680


DECEMBER 26, Thursday, 1:45 p.m.
Easy Walk
Where: Vulcan Trail inside the City Limits of Birmingham


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

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

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

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

Share an adventure.  Bring a friend or friends.

Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680

DECEMBER 28, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Dayhike
Where: John B. Scott Trail near Lake Martin


Details: The John B. Scott Forever Wild Trail is a 4.7-mile loop trail at Yates Lake, just south of the Lake Martin Dam. The trail features spectacular views of the Tallapoosa River from Kudzu Bluff. Hikers along the trail also will see Yellowstone Creek and a tulip poplar tree that is 16 feet in circumference, a focal point of the trail.

The trail goes south along Yates Lake past Kudzu Bluff and then down the old Double Bridges Ferry Road switchback. It then heads south along the shore of Yates Lake to Yellowstone Creek.

The trail follows Yellowstone Creek to the Great Gorge. The trail subsequently follows Yellowstone Creek further west for about one half mile, then ascends Saddlerock Mountain, the highest elevation in Elmore County. Hikers will have great views from Saddlerock Mountain.
The trail then descends Saddlerock Mountain into the valley past a giant tulip poplar tree. The trail ultimately then goes down to the north parking lot on Goldmine Road. The Trail is marked both ways with 2x4-inch white blazes on trees and rocks.
The Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association rates this hike as a moderate trek.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 10 and older able to complete a moderate hike with some uphill climbs without complaining welcome.
Please meet at 8:45 a.m. at the Publix in The Village at Lee Branch in Greystone.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.
Info. and Leader: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or phone 205/631-4680

November 2019 Activities




NOVEMBER 2, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.
Moderate Dayhike
Where: Cloudland Canyon State Park, Trenton, Georgia
Details: Hike along the highly scenic rim trail around this lovely canyon in Northwest Georgia.  Lunch will be on a large, flat rock outcropping from where we’ll have beautiful, panoramic views across the canyon.  After we complete the canyon rim hike, we will offer an optional walk down into the bottom of the canyon itself.  The rushing stream in the bottom of the canyon has two good-sized waterfalls which those who walk down into the canyon will view close up.  Fall color should hopefully be at its peak. 
Please bring picnic lunch, plenty of water, and $5.00 per vehicle park entry fee.  Delicious, optional restaurant dinner afterwards. 
You may wish to bring in the car a change of clothes for dinner, but this is not required.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age ten and up welcome.  Parents, please be aware that there are very high, steep cliffs with no guard rails adjacent to the rim trail. 
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the Applebee’s Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net
NOVEMBER 9, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.
Dayhike
Where: Pinhoti Trail near Coleman Lake in Shoal Creek Ranger District, Talladega National Forest. Cleburne County, Alabama

Details: A moderate 4 to 4.5 mile hike in one of the most interesting parts of the Talladega National Forest. We'll start at the Coleman Lake trailhead and wander first through mountain longleaf pine habitat. We'll cross a low ridge with hardwood forests along Coleman Lake below. We'll see Old Shoal Church and graveyard, one of 3 remaining log cabin churches in Alabama, before returning. Our route back will take us along the Coleman Lake trail, providing a different view as we return to the trailhead.  Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and older welcome. This hike is relatively flat but rated moderate because of its length.
Optional dinner after the hike.
Please meet at 8:45 a.m. in the Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot.  We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.
Info. And Leader: Francis Rushton 205/290-5557 or ferushton@gmail.com
NOVEMBER 10, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Second Sunday Dayhike in Oak Mountain State Park
Details: Enjoy a moderate 4-mile walk in the woodlands near Birmingham on a Sunday afternoon.  This is an excellent outing for introducing your friends to Southeastern Outings and for making new friends who enjoy the outdoors.  Parts of this hike may be off the color-coded trails.  There will be some ups and downs.  
Well-behaved, properly supervised children age eight and up able to walk the distance of about 4 miles and complete the hike are welcome. 
Share an adventure!  Bring a friend.  Optional dinner after the hike. 
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: Doris Hatch, 205/901-8367
NOVEMBER 16, SATUDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Moderately easy approximately 6-mile dayhike on the Black Creek Trail in Fultondale and Gardendale, just north of Birmingham
Details: Walk on 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.  Note that the trail has been extended since we last hiked on it.  Our route on November 16 will include both the previously-hiked section and the new section.  So come out to see and experience what the new part looks like!  Total hike distance is 6 miles.
No motorized vehicles are allowed on the trail!  This outing should be lots of fun for everyone.  Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age seven and up able to walk 6 miles without complaining are welcome on this walk.  This outing has consistently been one of our most popular events since it is easy and close to Birmingham.
Meet 9:45 a.m. at the Black Creek Park in Fultondale, Alabama.  We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Trip Leader: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
NOVEMBER 17, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Dayhike, Moss Rock Preserve
Details: Explore a section of this 350-acre forested park in Hoover on a moderate 3 or so 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, streams, grassy areas, outstanding views and several beautiful streams and waterfalls which might be running bountifully when we are there. 
Please bring water to drink.  Well-behaved, properly supervised children age seven and up able to walk the distance and complete the hike without complaining are welcome.
Please meet 1:45 p.m. at the Moss Rock Preserve Parking Lot on Patton Chapel Road.  We plan to depart from there promptly at 2:00 p.m.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age eight and over welcome.
Info:  Scott Myers, 205/393-5230, email myers.scottv@gmail.com
NOVEMBER 21, THURSDAY, Meet 9:00 a.m.
Weekday Hike
Where: Irondale Furnace to Jemison Park in Mountain Brook Village

Click for More Pictures
Details: One-way 4-mile hike from Irondale Furnace to Mountain Brook Village.  One half mile of this walk in the middle of the hike will be on sidewalks around Mountain Brook Club.  The other 3.5 miles will be through Jemison and the Historic Irondale Furnace parks. This hike is rated moderate. 
We will parallel Shades Creek and Watkins Brook through some of Alabama's most majestic hardwood forests. Our trip will be on trails designed by developer Robert Jemison as bridle paths in the 1920s.  Our walk will traverse historic civil war era ruins, pass by some of Mountain Brook's most magnificent mansions, allow us to stop to enjoy the creekside views and end at the shops and restaurants of Mountain Brook Village.   
Meet 9:00 a.m. in the open air parking lot (as opposed to the parking deck) for Macy’s Department Store in Brookwood Village relatively close to the doorway going from that parking lot into the Macy’s.  The parking lot where we will meet is the Brookwood Village Parking Lot between Macy's (614 Brookwood Village) and Grille 29 at the northeast end of the Brookwood Village shopping center. We will organize our shuttle there so we can hike just one way.  We plan to depart from the Macy’s open air parking lot at 9:15 a.m.
Information and hike leader: Francis Rushton 205/290-5557 or ferushton@gmail.com
NOVEMBER 23, SATURDAY, Meet 9:15 a.m.
Moderate Dayhike
Porter’s Gap on the Pinhoti Trail
Details: The Pinhoti is Alabama's long distance trail. The existing trail runs approximately 139 miles from the Tramel trailhead near Sylacauga to the High Rocks trailhead east of Piedmont near the Georgia line. We plan to hike a rather tame portion of the Pinhoti to the east of Talladega County's Porter’s Gap. We'll climb through pretty Alabama hardwoods on a gentle trail for an elevation gain of about 600 feet over almost 2 miles. Gaining the ridge top we'll be in interesting rock formations with partially obscured views off the Talladega Mountain Ridge to the north and Shin Bone Ridge and Lizard Scrape Mountain to the south. We will eat lunch there. We will return the same way we came up. 
Please bring water and your picnic lunch.
Optional restaurant dinner after the hike. 
Please meet 9:15 a.m. at the Leeds Highway 78 gravel parking lot.  We plan to depart from there at 9:30 a.m.  Bring a friend or friends.
Info: Francis Rushton, 205/290-5557 or ferushton@gmail.com