As we ambled down the road another 132 miles we arrived at our next destination at Chewacla State Park near Auburn, AL. We only reserved a few days because University of Auburn had a weekend home football game and we had to leave by Thursday or pay a hugely inflated price!
Chewacla State Park is an older park in need of a little love but still nicer than most private parks. We even found an old trail that meandered through the woods which became our morning walk during our stay.
During the 1930s, the CCC built many of the features found at this park. Most notable are the beautiful stone guest cabins, the bridges, and the stunning dam designed such that it creates a nice waterfall feature departing a small lake.
Wanting to see the dam I read about we planned to hike the trail around the lake which would take us by the waterfall. Knowing that we had to cross the tail waters we were glad to know it was late in the season and thus, less water would be leaving the lake making it (hopefully) easier to cross.
The trail started out along the shoreline of the small lake but began to go deeper into the wood where. Loblolly Pine, Sweetgum and various Oaks and hickories abound. A mile or so along the trail we found the waterfalls. With less water leaving the lake they weren’t as impressive as they would be during the rainy season when more water is let out. However, the CCC creation of the dam was exquisitely designed to look as natural as possible.
We found a way a bit down stream to cross the water without getting wet and were able to continue around the lake on the trail. We crossed through a few acres of American Beech thickets and eventually came upon one of the the CCC built bridges. They did amazing work back then.The 2.8 mile hike around the lake was a worthwhile endeavor and one we surely would recommend it.
Being close to Auburn we had to once again visit the University. This too made for a great urban hike to explore the campus and the thriving businesses nearby.
We also got in a nice round of disc golf near Opelika Alabama. We can usually find some nice courses in the east so we are playing as much as we can before we arrive out west where they are a bit scarcer.
If you headed to north Alabama, we are less than 8 miles off I-65 at X308. Have two RV sites on our property. One is being used now, they leave tomorrow. Next one comes in on Sunday. Welcome to overnight or even stay a couple of days here to check out the area. Cullman has a lot to do. We are hosts for Boondockers Welcome. $10. a night thru them, but free for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Phylls! We area always a week or so behind in our blog writing and have headed further west. I really need to remember that the next time we get into north Alabama. We went to Montgomery and then Mobile from this location.
DeleteThe state park increases its rate during football ??? That's cruel!
ReplyDeleteThe bridge and dam are both of interesting design to blend in with the landscape. You have another nice site on the water, with disc golf nearby.
Yes they increase them by at least 3 fold! Love these CCC designed parks!
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