Wild Alabama Guided Hikes
Wild Alabama staff and volunteers lead hikes in the Bankhead National Forest and Talladega National Forest year round.  Driven by our mission to inspire people to enjoy, value and protect the wild places in Alabama, our hikes introduce people of all ages to their National Forests and Wilderness Areas.
Please plan to join us! 
See below for hikes in both the Cheaha/Talladega Mountains and the Sipsey/Bankhead Canyons!
Contact Janice at janice@wildal.org to get on our email list... or sign up yourself on our homepage!  Please scroll down to read Important Information For All Hikes.
All hikes are free of charge thanks to the generosity of individual donors and a grant from the Walker Area Community Foundation.

​Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness Hikes

First Saturday Hikes: 
Wild Alabama staff and volunteers lead hikes in the Bankhead National Forest or Sipsey Wilderness on the first Saturday of every month.  These hikes vary in length and level of challenge.  Children are welcome!  

Next First Saturday hike: 
Saturday, November 6  9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Sign up at janice@wildal.org 
Destination to be announced at a later date.

Wild Wednesday Nature Hikes for Kids and Families:
We are expanding our very popular summertime Wild Wednesday nature hikes for kids and families into the entire year!  Look for Wild Wednesday hikes on the second or third Wednesday of every month.  Sign-ups for these fun and educational nature hikes must include at least one child eighteen years of age or younger accompanied by an adult (or adults).  
 
Next Wild Wednesday hike: 
Wednesday, October 20  9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Sign up at janice@wildal.org 
Sipsey Recreation Area
The Sipsey Recreation Area is located on the southern border of the Sipsey Wilderness in the Bankhead National Forest.  The trail follows the Sipsey Fork, Alabama's only Wild and Scenic River for about 1/2 mile, meandering in and out of sandstone coves of hardwood and Eastern hemlock forest.  In each of these coves is a waterfall!  The trail is well-used but rough.  We will explore the streams as well as the riverbank to find out what lives there.  Roundtrip distance is about one mile.
Meet at the Sipsey Recreation Area parking lot on Winston County Road 60 at 9:30
There is a $3 per vehicle fee at the kiosk.
Scroll down to "Important information for all hikes" for what to bring.
Directions:
From Highway 33 at the intersection with Lawrence County Road 6 (12 miles north of Double Springs, 13 south of downtown Moulton), go west onto County Road 6.  In 4 miles, turn left into Sipsey Recreation Area.
Advance registration is required in order to limit group size.  Sign up and ask questions at janice@wildal.org  

Forest Bathing:
Alternating between Friday and Saturday on the last weekend of the month, Wild Alabama’s Janice Barrett teams up with writer and teacher Anne Markham Bailey, founder of the Creative Awareness Institute to offer sessions in what the Japanese call Shinrin Yoku, or literally translated, Forest Bathing. This is not a typical hike but is rather an opportunity to open deeply to the awareness of being in the forest, in one’s self, and in the shared and sacred space. We move in silence, have opportunity for deep connection to the earth, the water, the trees and to our own interiority. Time for writing, sketching, movement or meditation is built into the schedule for the day. 
Please watch this short video by Anne Bailey about Forest Bathing.
The recorded Forest Bathing webinar that Wild Alabama hosted in early July 2021 may be viewed here.

Next Forest Bathing Session: 
Saturday, October 30.  9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  Sign up at janice@wildal.org  Location will be revealed to those who sign up.  There will be a one-half mile walk from the trailhead to a location in the Bankhead National Forest.  Bring lunch, snacks, drinking water, a journal and/or sketchbook and pen, a small pad or cloth for comfortable sitting or lying down.  Participants in this forest immersion will enjoy guided meditation, silence,  suggested techniques for connection to the elements, deep rest and communion.  Group size is limited to five not including Janice and Anne.

Cheaha Mountain, Talladega National Forest, PInhoti Trail Hikes

Wild Alabama Executive Director Maggie Johnston, Stewardship Coordinator for Talladega area Brittany Seaborg, or a volunteer hike leader will lead hikes in the Cheaha Mountain area of Talladega National Forest once a month.  Upcoming hike dates are  October 9, October 12, November 13, December 11.  Sign up at maggie@wildal.org.
​
Next Cheaha hikes:  
Saturday, 10:00 am, October 9, 2021   - A Pinhoti Stroll!  We will take our time and enjoy the trail, the views and whatever catches our attention along the way. Plan is to start at Cheaha Trailhead at 10am and stroll for a couple of hours. 
Tuesday, 9:00 am, October 12, 2021 - Guided hike with Paulette Clements to McDill's Point!   An amazing overlook along the Pinhoti Trail that winds through some beautiful parts of Cheaha State Park and the Talladega National Forest.  Please register before you arrive by emailing Maggie below.
Sign up at maggie@wildal.org. 

Important Information for All Hikes
Wild Alabama practices coronavirus protection protocols as advised by the CDC and strongly encourage all adult participants in our events to be fully vaccinated.
What to bring on a Wild Alabama hike:

• a daypack with lunch, snacks, drinking water
• a mask
• an Epi Pen if severe allergy to insect stings is an issue
• walking stick or trekking poles 

What to wear:  Clothing that is appropriate for the weather and comfortable for hiking.  Shoes or boots should be sturdy with good traction for slopes and slippery rocks and stream crossings.
Tick protection:  If protection against ticks is desired, we recommend permethrin products such as Permanone or Sawyers.  Spray on clothing at least 4 hours before wearing.  It only takes a little!
No dogs and no smoking, please.