The Chief Ladiga Trail is Alabama’s premiere rails-to-trails project. It wanders 33 miles through the countryside of Calhoun and Cleburne counties and it connects the municipalities of Piedmont, Jacksonville, Weaver and Anniston.

Seen along the way are beautiful wetlands, streams, forests, farmlands, and a horizon filled with mountains. The Chief Ladiga Trail is a family oriented pathway that provides a safe, non-motorized way to travel, exercise and relax while enjoying the outdoors.

Just north of Piedmont it intersects with the Pinhoti Trail, a spur of the longest walking path in America – the famous Appalachian Trail. In 2008 the “Chief” was connected to Georgia’s Silver Comet Trail completing what is now considered to be the longest paved pedestrian pathway in America. Together the trails are 95 miles long with plans for future extensions and spurs. We hope that you will enjoy and support the Chief Ladiga Trail.

Directions:Directions: From I-20, take Exit 185 and head north about 10 miles through Anniston on Route 1/Quintard Avenue; bear right on McClellan Boulevard/Route 21 on the north side of town. A few miles past the split, turn left on Weaver Road; continue about a mile, then turn left again on Holly Farms Road to the well-marked Woodland Park trailhead.

Chief Ladiga Trail

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chief-Ladiga-Trail/199082676794928

Admission Fee: Free

Management: For more information, please contact the Trail Manager at (256) 447-3363 or (256) 447-9007.

ACTIVITIES: BIKING; BIRDING (Borden Springs Trailhead)

Birding Trail Activities:

The Chief Ladiga Trail, the crown jewel of Alabama’s Rails-to-Trails initiative, stretches from the Georgia state line to Anniston, Alabama. The broad trail sits on a converted railroad bed, and is  mostly level, paved, and features many gentle  twists and turns. Along its span, the trail passes through a tremendous variety of habitats. This particular segment – from Borden Springs to around Vigo – features wooded edges, farms,  fields, and stream-side woodlands. The agricultural fields are privately owned, while the woodlands adjoining the trail are primarily part of the Shoal Creek Division of the Talladega National Forest, and are therefore U.S. Forest Service Lands. An extensive number of species and individuals may be found by exploring the many different habitats found along the Chief Ladiga Trail.

Learn more about the Birding Trail here.