Pinhoti Section 4

Starting from the Porter's Gap trailhead, the trail crosses hwy 77 and begins an easy walk through a mixed forest across several streams via culverts.  This section of trail was completed in 2006 by Trails Unlimited, a trail building crew from California, with bobcat type equipment.  If you notice the trail to be about the size of a bobcat path, you'll know why.  There isn't much exciting to see in the way of sights until you reach about mile 3, where you reach Scott Lake.  Perfect campsites and picturesque scenery exist here.  You'll even notice wood duck boxes in the middle of the lake guaranteeing that this is a quiet and serene spot.  The trail continues behind the dam and crosses the spillway just below the dam.  It can be difficult and dangerous after a rain.  Once across, the trail again crosses a feeder stream and begins a switchback above the lake on the opposite side providing a great view of where you just were.

Just above the lake, the trail picks up an old jeep road and begins climbing towards the Skyway Motorway (aka FS 500).  This set of switchbacks is brutal, and is what I believe to be the most brutal of the entire Pinhoti Trail.  The set in the Rock Garden in the southern part of the Cheaha Wilderness rank a close second.  If memory serves me right, there are some 20 switchbacks here before you finally reach a turn-around/parking area just off FS 500.  At this point, you have completed 5.56 miles.

The trail crosses the road and rounds a mountain knob before passing under a microwave tower and crossing FS500 once again.  After crossing the road, it isn't long before you encounter what locals call "Sunset Rock," and often called Wormy's Pulpit.  This is a great place to enjoy the sunset, but the site is often trashed with litter, and has been spray painted heavily.  For a better sunset experience, push on to Sherman Cliffs.  Following Sunset Rock, the trail winds through a large pine plantation before rounding a bend a coming upon a side trail to Horn Mountain Fire Tower.  This side Trail is worth taking, because the top has a great spot for multiple campsites, as well as an old pavillion built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  This pavillion has recently been restored.  There are also several old rock picnic tables nearby, but water should be carried in.  The evergreen trees planted here are not native -- they were planted.  Ice storms frequently break them up heavily.  Back on the trail, the side hilling increases as we skirt Horn Mountain.  In about a mile, we join an old Forest Road that has good campsites at the end of it (to the right), while the trail goes to the left. 

In another half mile or so, the trail reaches one of the greatest sunset watching spots in Alabama -- Sherman Cliffs.  The views to the West are perfect for sunsets any time of year, and the open face rocks provide awesome seating.  There are campsites here, but no water.  The Skyway Motorway is only a few feet through the woods, so driving here is also an option -- but you have to know about it first!  At this point, you've hiked 9.84 miles from Porter's Gap.

Just south of Sherman Cliffs, there is a marker dedicated to the life of a man named Heath.  It is unclear whether Mr. Heath fell to his death on purpose or by accident here.  Regardless, it is a beautiful spot.  Pushing southward the trail has some major side-hilling and soon crosses under a high-voltage set of power lines.  This power line easement is approximately 1/2 way from Porter's Gap to Bull Gap, but the scenery drops off dramatically until you reach Bull Gap.  There are a couple of sets of switchbacks and the constant feel that you are about to have an overlook or something, but it never comes.  The trail even switchs over to the other side of FS 500 for a short distance but comes right back across just in time to have more of the same.  Finally, you reach a second set of power lines, but not high voltage, indicating that you have reached mile 14.96.

After passing under the power lines, the trail begins a slight descent into one of the greatest views in all of the Talladega National Forest -- Bull Gap Cliffs.  This area comes into views due to a re-planting of several longleaf pines that have opened up the views to the west along Rebecca Mountain (where the trail will soon go).  This is another wonderful place to watch sunsets.  There is a good campsite up the hill in the pines, but no water.  From this point, you can see a dirt road below (Rocky Mountain Church Road) where the trail eventually comes out in another mile -- just off AL Hwy 148.  But first, you must switchback around a gigantic replanted longleaf area.  There is a stream that runs here in wet weather, and sometimes thereafter.  Finally, the trail comes to an end near another local favorite sunset watching spot on Rocky Mountain Church Road (too bad they don't know about the spot up above!!!). You have completed the 17.08 mile section.