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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
