Highpoint #11: Alabama

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #4

Entrance Sign for Cheaha State Park

After visiting the highpoint in Georgia and surviving Atlanta metro, rush hour traffic, I realized that I was not all that far from the highpoint in Alabama and it was still relatively early.  Could I visit 4 state highpoints all in the same day?  Shortly after crossing the Alabama state line, I was buoyed by the chance radio playing of “Sweet Home Alabama”.  Why not!

Festive Entrance Gate

I found myself arriving at Cheaha Mountain located in Cheaha State Park in the early evening, maybe 7ish.  It was pitch black, making this the first highpoint I have ever attempted at night.  As the highpoint is located in a state park, I was afraid that I might have arrived too late.  There is a hotel as well as camping options within the park, so I could always spend the night and ascend first thing in the morning if need be.  Luckily, that was not necessary.  Once I paid the $2 admission fee on the honor system, I chanced upon a sign indicating that the day-use area was open until 9pm.  I had a couple of hours to spare!

$2 to Enter

I drove up the hill, and after a few minutes I caught sight of the bunker tower at the summit.  The lighting was terrible.  As I wrote, it was pitch black, but there was some very modest lighting on the path leading up to the bunker.  I think it was just enough light to corrupt every single photo I attempted to take of the tower.  It is an elaborate structure worthy of photo, so I will link to one here, courtesy of Wikipedia: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alabama4.jpg

Fortunately, the rest of my photos did come out.  I was able to snap (vanity) photos in front of the summit sign and the geological marker.  The summit sign is very basic, simply saying, “Alabama’s Highest Point” and giving the elevation as 2,407 feet.  Just a stone’s throw beyond this sign, there is a USGS geological benchmark marker located in the sidewalk.  I was able to lie down and grab a photo of this one as well. 

Vanity Shot by the Summit Sign

The geological marker and the summit sign are sufficient to claim an ascent, but I wish I could have entered the bunker tower as well.  Evidently, even though it is a relatively squat structure, it does boast an observation tower atop it.  I certainly would not have seen anything at night though.  Even during the day, I question how much of a view there could be as this “mountain” was not particularly high in elevation, and it does not boast much in the way of prominence. 

Vanity Shot at USGS Benchmark Marker

After my brief photo shoot, I was off to Florala, Alabama to spend the night.  I know that I treated this particular highpoint as more of a “drive by”, but one can properly spend some time here.  They have really built up the facilities within the park, so you can camp, cook out, eat at the restaurant, stay at the hotel, and really do anything that catches your fancy.  It is one of the more elaborate highpoints in that respect.

Detail of the Highpoint of Alabama

Highpoint #10: Georgia

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #3

Entrance to Brasstown Bald

After a quick summit of the South Carolina highpoint, I was off to Georgia for my third highpoint of the day at Brasstown Bald.  I normally wouldn’t think to visit so many highpoints in the same day, but they are all (NC, SC, and GA) in relatively close proximity to one another, so it is a rather feasible objective.  The Appalachians are beautiful to regard this time of the year, so I wasn’t minding the extended sojourn. 

Pay to Play!

Brasstown Bald is located in the Chattahoochee National Forest in northern Georgia, just shy of the South Carolina line.  It is only about 40 miles or so away from Georgia’s more famous mountain, Springer mountain, where the Appalachian trail begins for northbound hikers. 

Paved Trail to the Summit

Ascending Brasstown Bald is fairly straightforward.  One can drive most of the way up the mountain to a large parking lot.  There is a $3 entry fee at the entrance that was handled on the honor system on my visit.  From the parking lot, one has to continue on foot along a paved trail.  The trail is 0.6 miles in length and is billed as being “very steep”; so steep in fact, they have arranged an alternative shuttle service to the top for those seeking a less demanding alternative.  Truth be told, it is a fairly easy walk that doesn’t take more than 10 minutes, but it is good that there is an alternative for less active individuals.  The scenery from the summit should not be missed.

Lookout Tower

View of Parking Lot and Mountains in the Distance

Arriving at the top, one is met with a summit sign that is immediately dwarfed by an enormous observation deck and lookout tower.  The summit sign indicates that the elevation is 4,784 feet.  The sign also indicates, at great length, the Cherokee etymology of the name of the highpoint.  It’s a strange digression. 

 

View from the Top

The sign is sufficient for achieving the highpoint, but the observation deck is the real draw here.  The views abound in every direction.  In the distance, peaks can be seen extending across Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and even North Carolina (assuming good weather).  It really doesn’t matter where one stands, the views are simply remarkable.  So tranquil, and I largely had the view to myself, as there were only two other people present on the observation deck on my visit. 

   

Vanity Shot at Summit Sign

The geological marker is actually housed inside of the observation deck.  There is a gate with stairs leading down to it, just opposite of the entrance to the visitor’s center.  Unfortunately, both the visitor’s center and the gate were locked up when I visited.  Similarly, the entrance to the lookout tower was blocked, so I was not able to ascend that either and the movie room was closed.  That’s the downside to visiting during the low season, I suppose.

Amazing View from the Top!

After a period of reflection, I posed for a photo by the summit sign and descended to the parking lot.  Onward to Alabama…

Highpoint #9: South Carolina

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #2

Vanity Shot at the Summit of Sassafras Mountain

After a successful summit of Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina, I was off to Sassafras Mountain in South Carolina.  The drive in was pretty circuitous owing both to the partial closure of the Blue Ridge Parkway immediately west of Mt. Mitchell and the genuine remoteness of Sassafras Mountain.  Indeed, off the interstate, the roads quickly become windy and not particularly well signed.  It is advisable to print out directions in advance, as a cell phone signal and the GPS capability on the iPhone is completely absent in stretches. 

Trailhead

The road to the summit skirts the common border of the Carolinas a bit, before ending just shy of the true summit.  There is a parking lot with a visible trailhead marked, “Sassafras Foothills Trail Access”.  It seems a bit much as the trail to the summit is actually quite short in length (300 feet) and is pretty straightforward to follow.  With that said, there are options to follow other trails for an extended hike on and about the mountain. 

"Trail" to the Summit

A quick traipse up the hill, I quickly found the monument marker proclaiming Sassafras Mountain, at an elevation of 3,553 feet, as the highest point in all of South Carolina.  The monument itself is a squat, painted white boulder of sorts with a prominent black plaque.  It is relatively new, as it was only dedicated a few months ago on August 1, 2012.  It is a welcome addition to the site, as there was little to nothing as official to mark the actual summit prior to that. 

Official Summit Monument

Detail of Summit Monument

Just before the summit marker, there is a geological marker set in stone that is easily visible.  It is labeled as a “survey control mark”, so it differs a little bit from the usual benchmark markers one finds at the highpoints.  Together with the summit rock, one can safely lay claim to a proper summiting of the mountain.    

Survey Marker at Summit

At the top there is not much in the way of a grand view.  The highpoint sets on private property, so that is somewhat understandable.  Returning below to the parking lot however, there is an overlook.  Indeed, there is a very large signing pointing out this fact as well as a newly constructed platform that extends out from the mountain offering a nice view.  It is a worthwhile place to stand as several mountains are visible in the distance, and the blue hues meld together harmoniously. 

Sign for the Overlook

Overlook Platform

All in, it is a pretty quick stop, but it is fairly close in location to the highpoints of North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.  As such, it can easily be included as part of an extended trip in the Blue Ridge Mountains.         

View from the Platform by the Trailhead