NOVEMBER 7, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings 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 8, SUNDAY, Meet 12:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings 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 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
Canceled
NOVEMBER 11, WEDNESDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Weekday Walk Very Near Birmingham
Where: Turkey Creek Nature Preserve near Pinson in Jefferson County, Alabama
Details: You are invited to participate in an easy, fun Southeastern Outings short dayhike in the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve near Pinson. Come walk with us through this heavily-wooded area. We’ll hike on the relatively new trail which has been officially opened since 2012. The trail extends from the upper parking area through the woods to a large creek with a long, sloping waterfall in the middle of the preserve. Total hiking distance is 2.3 miles. Please bring drinking water with you. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and over are welcome.
Please meet 9:45 a.m. at the Turkey Creek Nature Preserve oval, upper parking lot on the north side of The Narrows Road about 1.4 miles west of the intersection of AL 79, AL 151 and The Narrows Road in Pinson. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk 2.3 miles welcome. Share an adventure. Bring a friend or friends.
Info. and trip leader: Francis Rushton, 205-290-5557 or ferushton@gmail.com
NOVEMBER 14, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: Pinhoti Trail near Coleman Lake in Shoal Creek Ranger District, Talladega National Forest. Cleburne County, Alabama
Details: A moderate 6 mile hike in one of the interesting parts of the Talladega National Forest, mostly on the Pinhoti Trail. This year's route will vary from most of our previous hikes there and excludes visiting the historic Shoal Creek Church. Instead, we'll combine a loop south of the trailhead around beautiful Coleman Lake with a visit to the "woodpecker farm" and then visit spectacular longleaf pine forest areas north of the trailhead on Forest Service Road 500.
The Pinhoti Trail guide describes the woodpecker farm as follows: "The Woodpecker Farm is basically what 92,000,000 acres of the Southeast looked like before Europeans arrived. The area was formerly completely dominated by very mature longleaf pines up to 400 years old and old growth oak, hickory and tupelo as the canopy over a grass understory". The area is one of several maintained by the U.S. Forest Service to help preserve the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. Our route will take us along the Coleman Lake trail, providing a different view as we return to the trailhead. Then we will walk across Forest Service Road 500 and hike through the longleaf forest in that area. Well-behaved, properly supervised children age 7 and older welcome.
This hike is relatively flat but rated moderate because of its length. Please bring picnic lunch and water with you on the hike.
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 21, SATURDAY, Meet 9:00 a.m.
Southeastern Outings Dayhike
Where: The new Shoal Creek Park, Montevallo, Alabama
Details: Southeastern Outings has planned an easy approximately 4.1-mile hike in the new Shoal Creek Park in Montevallo. On October 30, 2018, ten people participated in an SEO scouting trip there led by Shane Baugh, the Montevallo Parks and Recreation Director, and we were delighted at what we found. We subsequently had highly successful hikes there for the entire group on December 22, 2018, on March 9, 2019 and again on May 14, 2020.
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 and on a wooden bridge in yet another location in the park. Also please note that the restrooms in the park are now completely constructed and open for your use.
We are pleased to advise that this hike will be led by Bill Ennis. Bill has basically adopted this lovely park as a pet project. He has laid out and built some of the trails on which we will hike on November 21, and he has designed and constructed the wooden bridge in the park as well.
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 9:00 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 9:15 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: Bill Ennis, 205/405-4636 cell or email billennis47@gmail.com
NOVEMBER 22, SUNDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Walk in a Forest Preserve in Homewood
Details: The City of Homewood owns two forest preserves on Shades Mountain adjacent to the Homewood High School. Come and spend a relaxing two hours walking and possibly admiring fall wildflowers with us in the lower preserve. Rated moderately easy. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 6 and older welcome.
Please meet 1:45 p.m. in the Homewood High School east (nearest Brookwood Village Shopping Center) parking lot, just off Lakeshore Drive in Homewood. We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net, phone 205/631-4680
NOVEMBER 28, SATURDAY, Meet 1:45 p.m.
Southeastern Outings Easy Walk
Moved from Sunday November 29
Where: Vulcan Trail inside the City Limits of Birmingham
Details: Enjoy an easy walk in the woodlands overlooking Birmingham on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The trail is level, as it is on an old mining railroad right of way just below the crest of Red Mountain. This walk is an ideal activity for those Thanksgiving guests who have been in your house for several days and with whom you are looking for something to do to get them out of the house. A previous walk on this trail drew one of the highest number of participants, 67, on any outing SEO has ever sponsored. Don’t miss it!
Please meet at 1:45 p.m. in the Vulcan Park and Museum Parking Lot where you would normally park to visit the statue and Vulcan Park. We plan to depart from there at 2:00 p.m. We will walk from the big parking lot a short distance down some new stairs to the trail head and then on the trail to Green Springs Highway and back. The formerly unpaved section of the Vulcan Trail has recently been widened and resurfaced.
There is no charge to participate in this hike and there is no charge for admission to either Vulcan Park or the trail.
Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 7 and older able to walk 4 miles welcome. After the walk is completed, there will be an optional dinner at Jim 'N Nick's 11th Avenue Grill at Five Points South.
Share an adventure. Bring a friend or friends.
Info: Dan Frederick, seoutings@bellsouth.net or 205/631-4680
