Showdown between Lake Martin

Not long ago, the first of several hiking trails became available to the public in the Lake Martin area, when the Cherokee Ridge loop of the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association project opened.

Conceived by Eclectic resident Jim Lanier, the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association is the best new thing to happen to Lake Martin in a long, long time. The group was formed in February of 2004, and the first trails were completed by the spring of 2005. Now they have a total of eleven miles of trails at two separate trailheads: Overlook Park is home to seven trails, and the new Deadening Alpine Trail is accessed near The Harbor. Many more miles are planned.

Construction of the trails has been a labor of love, with the emphasis on "labor." Limbs and small trees had to be cut, and some digging was needed to shore up loose areas, but only hand tools were used. To create some of the wooden bridges that span the streams, old timbers were floated to the shoreline and hauled to the appropriate spot, and stabilized using dry concrete that had been hauled in to the spot in backpacks.

The wildlife and scenery you'll find when hiking any of these trails is outstanding. The word "Alpine" wasn't chosen just because it has a nice, outdoorsy ring to it; the area is in fact the only true Alpine area in Central Alabama. Many of the trees are Chestnut Oaks just like those that grow in the Smokies; Longleaf Pines, wild blueberries, and mountain laurels are just a few of the plants you'll see growing. Not to be outdone, the granite cliffs and mossy boulders make for some beautiful scenery themselves. And that's not to mention the countless places you can stop and gaze at the lake.

Many more miles of trails are planned, including some that will be below Martin Dam. All of the land presently used is owned by Alabama Power, and had been set aside as "natural undeveloped" land.

Here is the vision, and the Mission Statement, of the Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail Association; they say it better than anyone else:

accessible from public roads and waters, with varied physical and visual features that

environmentally protect this unique alpine area of the Tallapoosa River Valley. We

envision the establishment of such a trail helping promote the general health of its

constructing and using the trail. We envision attracting trail users that will in turn

stimulate economic entities that lend themselves to such individual, family, and

community outdoor activity. We further envision this trail as a venue for educational

volunteer non-profit organization dedicated to planning, building, and maintaining a

footpath only trail. This trail is to be free of bicycles, motorized vehicles, horses, or

other pack animals and utilized in a manner that will help preserve and promote the

natural beauty of the flora, fauna, and other unique features of the Tallapoosa River

Now compare that to a different "nature" trail that has recently been developed. It currently runs from Willow Point to Governor's Island Road, and might eventually cross Highway 63 and extend all the way to The Ridge. But calling this a "trail" is not quite correct, because it's much more like a road. It was created in a much different manner than the careful, respectful means that were used by CRATA. All it took to create this newest Russell Lands abomination was a bulldozer, a few free hours, and a complete lack of respect or caring for anything or anyone that stood in the way. (Rumor has it that many private landowners were surprised to find a large bulldozer-sized swath cut through their backyards; they shouldn't have been surprised, considering who they were dealing with.)

Here are a few photos taken on what we'll call the "Runaway Bulldozer Trail."


A typical Russell "Welcome to All!"
A pile of trees that "got in the way of nature" contributes to the scenery.

Hauling timbers to create a bridge would be too hard, so instead we get these natural-looking culverts.

"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bulldozer tracks."

"Take nothing buy pictures, leave nothing but construction debris."

"Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but steaming piles of horse manure."



For more-- and better-- photos, go HERE.