The Appalachians slowly lose elevation through western Georgia and finally come to an end on Alabama's Cumberland Plateau. Simply put, the features of the earth are written differently here. Unlike North Carolina, where the relief is stark and visible from afar, Alabama's wild lands constantly surprise, with jungle-like forests unlike any other in the eastern United States. Much of this area is truly primeval.
Only about six percent of the 660,000 acres of National Forest land in Alabama is currently protected as designated Wilderness, all of it in the Talladega and Bankhead National Forests. The Talladega hosts the long ridges characteristic of the end of the Ridge and Valley province. To the west, the Bankhead features a maze of lush canyons, cascading waterfalls, rich forests, gorges, pine-clad promontories, and dry oak uplands. Both the Bankhead and Talladega contain culturally historic sites; the Muskogee Creek were the most recent Native American inhabitants here, though archeological evidence indicates that these canyons have supported humans continuously for 10,000 years.
Logging has decimated Alabama's privately owned forests. Native mixed-hardwood forests are cut and often re-planted with monoculture loblolly pine "plantations"- the ecological equivalent of clearing the forest to plant corn. The National Biological Service reports that high-quality oak-hickory forests on the Cumberland Plateau are in 85-98% decline and considered endangered.
Sipsey, The Crown Jewel
Forty square miles of the Bankhead's geological and ecological wonders are preserved forever in the Sipsey Wilderness. Designated in 1975 and expanded in 1988, the 25,000-acre Sipsey is the largest and most frequently visited Wilderness area in Alabama.
Here one finds the headwaters of Alabama's only Wild and Scenic River, the Sipsey, highly favored for canoeing and swimming. Also, several rare species of neotropical migratory birds make their homes in this mature forest habitat.
Cheaha and Dugger Mountain Wildernesses
Alabama's premier scenic vistas are found along this stretch of the Talladega Mountains. The 7,300-acre Cheaha Wilderness, designated in 1983 and expanded in 1988, lies next to Cheaha State Park, near Birmingham. The 100-mile long Pinhoti Trail, which one day will connect with the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, passes through both the Cheaha and Dugger Mountain Wilderness areas.
Designated in April 1999, the 9,200-acre Dugger Mountain Wilderness is Alabama's newest Wilderness area. More than 650 species of plants have been identified here, making Dugger a favorite with wildflower enthusiasts. Dugger Mountain is the second highest peak in Alabama and a popular hiking and hunting destination.
Outstanding Candidate for Wilderness Designation in the Bankhead National Forest
The 5,850-acre Brushy Fork area is one of the wildest places left in Alabama, though not even officially listed as "roadless" by the Forest Service. It features steep slopes, sculptured rocks, cave-like overhangs, twenty miles of canyons, and 52 canyon-heads and waterfalls. Dry oak-hickory ridges crisscross primeval canyons of old, diverse forest, rich in mosses, lichens, plunging 100-foot waterfalls, and ancient trees. Opportunities for solitude can be even greater here than in the neighboring, heavily visited Sipsey Wilderness.
Outstanding Candidates for Wilderness in the Talladega National Forest
The 6,000-acre Oakey Mountain roadless area contains a high mountain ridge covered in a variety of forest types, and also includes rich bottomland hardwood wetlands. This area - along with nearby Dugger Mountain Wilderness - comprises the South Fork watershed of Terrapin Creek and is considered a critical aquatic refuge for some fish and mussel species. Dry oak-hickory-pine forest abounds here, with lower slopes and coves cloaked in white oak, beech, and basswood. The lower portion of the area, bordering the Chief Ladiga Trail, hosts river birch wetlands.
The Blue Mountain area comprises 4,800 acres lying between Horseblock Mountain and Blue Mountain, and includes an outstanding 3,900-acre inventoried roadless area. The topography here includes a series of narrow ridges, steep slopes, and small draws in the southern portion of the area. Second-growth oak, hickory, and pine found on the ridges and slopes contrast with the rich oak-beech forest of the stream valleys, including the large and scenic Hillabee Creek. The Hillabee Creek municipal watershed within the Blue Mountain roadless area serves as a public water supply for the Anniston-Oxford area.
The 9,000-acre Rebecca Mountain area lies southwest of Cheaha Wilderness. Rock outcrops, such as Sherman Cliffs, offer spectacular views of farm valleys and forested hills of the Piedmont and the Ridge and Valley province. The higher ridges are forested with dry oak-hickory forests, while mixed hardwood pine forests cloak middle and lower slopes.
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