2021-11-26: Cheaha Mountain

At an elevation of 2413 ft, Cheaha Mountain is the highest point in the state of Alabama. Located in Talladega National Forest to the northeast of Montgomery, the peak is within a five-hour drive of college, so I decided to take a day out of my otherwise boring Thanksgiving break and hike my fourteenth state high point. It was a bit of a longshot with time constraints getting there and back before dark, but trail closures and low traffic made for a surprisingly quick trip.

I headed out around seven in the morning and soon found myself off the highway. About half of the trip was done on backroads, narrow shoulderless highways that weave through the hill country of rural Alabama. As a northerner, I have a natural wariness of the deep south, especially the rural south, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the area strikingly similar to upstate New York. With the hills and farms and forests and houses, I could hardly tell the difference between Alabama and Greenville. Eventually, I headed into the mountains and found myself at an overlook with a nice view of Cheaha from below.

A nice view west of Cheaha (L) and Blue (R) Mountains.

A closer shot of Cheaha, with transmission towers at its summit.

Smaller hills and ridges dominate the view to the north over mixed pine and evergreen forest.

Hidden between these ridges and trees is the city of Oxford; its higher-elevation structures can be seen on the distant hills.

A view of Washer Hill, scarred by power lines, sits above the Calhoun County Training School in west Oxford.

After stopping at the overlook awhile and helping some other visitors take pictures, I headed up to Cheaha Mountain State Park, a small area of the national forest under state administration. I had planned to hike up to Cheaha's summit, but due to active fires and smoke in the air, some of the trails were closed. Much like with West Virginia's Spruce Knob, I 'cheated' and drove up to the highest point.

Bunker Tower, an historic observation tower built by the CCC in 1934, sits on the highest ground in the state.

Like most (not all) state highpoints, Cheaha Mountain is marked by a USGS survey marker. This one is embedded in stone just to the southwest of the tower, and was fairly easy to find.

The spiral metal staircase leading to the top of the rustic stone tower.

Horn Mountain, twenty miles to the southwest, protrudes from the flat, bare forests below Cheaha's summit.

Looking west, Flagpole Mountain peers between the power lines that run electricity to the various structures at the summit.

A view of transmission antennae near the summit, seen over the treetops from the observation tower.

Tall bare trees partially obscure this view of an unnamed subpeak of Cheaha, along with the smaller Tater Mountain behind it.

A closer view of the hills to the south, with another communications tower standing guard above the landscape.

Distant hills to the north, again cross-cut by the nearer power lines beyond the flat pine plains.

After taking a while to soak in the window-interrupted views from the observation deck, I headed down, determined to do some hiking. Cheaha Mountain is home to two famous overlooks: Bald Rock and Pulpit Rock. I headed first to Bald Rock, where I took a wooded hiking trail to both the main overlook and a more secluded spot some distance below it.

Moss-covered maple trees surrounded the trail atop the mountainous plateau.

The view west from a quieter overlook just below the popular (and crowded) Bald Rock.

Looking southwest over the bare hills and smoky skies of east-central Alabama.

A view some wide-open fields along Route 21 east of Talladega. This was the only sizable farmland visible from the mountain.

An old dilapidated structure sits amidst mowed fields, surrounded by forest as far as the eye can see. While the ground below looked mostly flat, close-ups like these revealed it to be covered in hills.

A closer view of the farmland above. Round hay bales, roughly man-sized, are visible as tiny dots in the left half of the field.

Through trees, the Skeleton Mountains northeast of Oxford and Anniston broke the otherwise flat surroundings with a more properly mountainous appearance.

The cities to the northeast, Oxford (L) and Anniston (R). The large brick building in Oxford appears to be the city's high school.

US-441 winds its way over the Skeleton Mountains, departing northward from Anniston.

The Coldwater Quarry in the town of Calhoun cuts through a small hill beneath the larger Coldwater Peak.

Rock formations at Bald Rock proper. For a sense of scale, the cave at center was large enough for me to quite nearly stand in.

A northwest view towards Coldwater Peak and the rolling mixed forests below.

A wider shot showing the extent of Oxford and Anniston; all the white beneath the hills are buildings. Also note the remaining fall color in the nearer, lower-elevation forest.

Flagpole Hill tends to dominate the southwest-facing views, as its steep silhouette contrasts with its mostly-flat surroundings.

Built-up structures dot the hilly landscape north of I-20, just to the east of downtown Anniston.

Despite their layered appearance, all the peaks seen here are within about two miles of each other. Smoke in the air gives the illusion of greater separation.

After hanging out at Bald Rock until the cold weather (mid-30s F) started to get to me, I returned to my car and headed out to the opposite side of the summit to see Pulpit Rock. Unlike its northerly neighbor, Pulpit Rock is equally impressive for both its views and the rock formation itself. There was a bit more of a hike to this next destination, which I rather enjoyed.

Lingering autumn colors dot the valley below McDill Point and the other southerly peaks of the Talladega Mountains.

A closer view of Cheaha Lake, a popular hiking and camping destination boasting excellent views of the mountains.

The otherwise unmarred wilderness is broken only by a small section of Route 281, visible as it climbs a distant hill.

These hills in southern Clay County are part of the same formation as Cheaha Mountain, albeit more subtle in prominence and elevation.

A scrub pine tree (Pinus virginiana) colonizes the bright white rocks at the edge of Pulpit Rock, jutting out over the landscape.

Its dead brother sticks out from a nearby rock formation, above clear skies and flatter ground to the northwest.

A view from above that dead pine, its branches outstretched as though it were showing off the beautiful hazy vista of the southern Talladegas.

I had initially planned to hike to see a few waterfalls nearby after visiting Cheaha Mountain, but trail closures due to fires and smoky conditions meant I was forced to find a plan B. Some quick research led me to the somewhat less impressive - but equally enjoyable - High Falls, some distance to the south in neighboring Clay County.

Looking back on the mountainside from a parking area along Route 281 on my way back.

I found a little knoll along the trail to the waterfall and decided to bushwhack it on a whim. The rocky summit was fairly clear, revealing the surrounding landscape, including Burgess Point seen here.

A shot of the three-drop High Falls, winding its way through the November wood along the High Fall Branch.

The upper two drops from a different angle. A little culvert along the side of the stream made for a good resting spot amongst the moss-covered rocks.

A view of the rocky knoll I climbed on the way in, as seen from below.