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.
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!
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
JANUARY 4,
SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
Dayhike
Where: DeSoto State Park and Lost Falls
Details: Moderately easy hike in DeSoto State Park. We will
hike along the beautiful West Fork of Little River. We’ll also hike various other trails in the park and visit Lost
Falls and possibly DeSoto Falls. This
is one of the most scenic state parks in Alabama. Well-behaved, carefully supervised children age 9 and over able
to walk about 5 miles without complaining welcome.
After the outing we’ll enjoy an
optional restaurant dinner together.
Please meet 8:45 a.m. at the
Applebee’s Trussville. We plan to depart from there at 9:00 a.m.
JANUARY 11, SATURDAY, Meet 8:45 a.m.
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 the creek. We usually observe about nine waterfalls on
this route. 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.
Carefully-supervised, well-behaved
children age 8 and older welcome. 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. 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.
JANUARY 12, 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: David Shepherd, 205/240-4681
JANUARY 18, SATURDAY, 8:45 a.m.
Waterfowl Viewing Trip
Where: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge (WNWR), Decatur, AL
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 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 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. 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 scope, and the refuge is willing to make available some extra pairs
of binoculars to loan to participants on this trip.
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.
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 seoutings@bellsouth.net by 5:00
p.m. on Thursday, January 16, 2020.
When you contact Dan, please be sure you leave either your phone number
or email address. This outing is
limited to 28 people in order to comply with Refuge regulations. We hope the limitation will not prove to be
a problem. People who want to register
to participate after the twenty-eight person limit is reached will be placed on
a waiting list.
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 28
people signed up on the day of the outing and, say, 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 for this trip.
We look forward to seeing many of
you on January 18.
Info: Dan Frederick, 205/631-4680 or seoutings@bellsouth.net
JANUARY
22, WEDNESDAY, Meet 9:45 a.m.
Weekday
Hike
Where: Veterans Park, 4800 Valleydale Road, Hoover,
AL 35242
Details: Come with us on our weekday hike. Enjoy an easy 3 mile hike
on trails in North Shelby County just off Valleydale Road. Veterans Park is an 82-acre park with
numerous walking trails, a four-acre lake and a one-acre pond.
If you are retired or not working on
this particular Wednesday, you are urged to participate in the Southeastern
Outings group hike on the trails and get a feel for the location and scale of
the land.
This walk will be Southeastern
Outings’ seventh hike in Veterans Park.
Come with us for a guided tour of easily walkable trails. Please bring water and wear good walking
shoes or boots. Dress appropriately for the weather.
Please meet at 9:45 a.m. in the Veterans Park parking lot right beside the
building with restrooms in it at the park. We plan to depart from there at 10:00 a.m.
Optional lunch nearby at Mikey’s
Grill after the hike.
Admission to Park: Free
Information and hike leader: Randall Adkins, 205/317-6969 cell
JANUARY 25, SATURDAY
Dayhike, Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest
Details: Moderately strenuous 4-mile hike 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.
Please bring picnic lunch and
water for the day. We expect to finish
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 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 seoutings@bellsouth.net by 5:00
p.m. on Thursday, January 23. When you
contact Dan, please be sure you leave either your phone number or email
address. This outing is limited to 20
people, and we will break up into two separate groups of up to ten people each
with its own separate leader 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 20
people signed up on the day of the hike and, say, 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 for this trip.
