Trail: Flint Creek Trail
Hike Location: Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge
Geographic Location: east of Decatur , AL (34.55326, -86.94601)
Length: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: March 2015
Overview: A flat double loop through river bottomland
habitat.
Refuge Information: http://www.fws.gov/refuge/wheeler/
Directions to the trailhead: In northern Alabama ,
take I-65 to SR 67 (exit 334). Exit and
go west on SR 67. Drive SR 67 west 2.8
miles to the refuge’s Flint Creek entrance on the right; this entrance is
located just past the refuge Visitor Center
The hike: Established in 1938 by a declaration from
President Roosevelt, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge protects 35,000 lowland
acres near northern Alabama ’s Tennessee
River . The refuge is named
for Major General Joseph Wheeler, a Confederate cavalry general, elected member
of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama ,
and American army leader during the Spanish-American War. Fishing and birding are the most popular
activities at the refuge, which is a hub of the North Alabama Birding Trail. The best bird watching months at the refuge
are early January for waterfowls and April for spring songbird migration.
Five trails give hikers access to
the refuge, but three of those trails are 1 mile or less in length. One of the refuge’s longer trails is the
Flint Creek Trail described here. The
trail’s location across SR 67 from the refuge’s Visitor
Center
 |
| Trailhead: Flint Creek Trail |
Start at the front of the parking
area where the signed Flint Creek Trail heads across the first of two long
wooden bridges. This bridge crosses a
wide inlet of Flint Creek about 4 miles south of its mouth at the Tennessee
River . Notice the cypress
trees that grow in the inundated areas along this inlet.
 |
| Cypress trees along inlet |
On the other side of the bridge,
the trail passes through a short section of broadleaf forest before crossing
another wooden bridge over another inlet, this one shorter than the first. After crossing the second bridge, the trail
splits to form the first of its two loops.
Turn left to hike the first loop clockwise. All intersections are unmarked, and trail is
unblazed for its entire length.
Nevertheless, the path is well-trodden and easy to follow.
The trail heads north back toward
Flint Creek and away from busy SR 67.
The noise from the nearby highway marks the only downside to this hike,
and it probably also scares away some wildlife.
I did this hike on a mid-afternoon in March, one of the worst times of
the year for wildlife viewing here, and all I saw were some common woodland
creatures and a pair of titmouses.
The wide creek appears through the
brush on the left as you need to negotiate a couple of seasonal wet areas. At 0.3 miles, you pass an unusual shaped
poplar tree on the left. The trunk seems
to lie on the ground for about 10 feet while spawning several branches that are
their own trees.
 |
| Unusual shaped tree |
At 0.4 miles, the first loop ends
at an intersection where the main trail goes right and left. Turning right would take you directly back to
the trailhead, but this hike turns left to head for the second loop. Note that a small pavilion lies straight
ahead at this junction.
700 feet later, the trail splits to
form its second loop. Tired of hearing
the road noise, I again turned left to hike the loop clockwise. A few more seasonal wet areas need to be
negotiated, and a couple of benches provide opportunities to sit quietly and
watch for wildlife.
 |
| Wet area on trail |
0.8 miles into the hike, you reach
the bank of a third Flint Creek inlet as the trail curves right. A wet woodland appears on the right as
lettered posts mark points of interest.
Unfortunately, I could not find a trail guide to interpret the posts.
 |
| Wet woodland |
At 1.2 miles, you close the second
loop. Continue straight to head back to
the first loop, then continue straight again when you intersect the first
loop. A little more flat walking brings
you back to the two entrance bridges, which in turn bring you back to the
parking area to complete the hike.
just recently did this trail it needs alot of maintenence , i would do it cause i have did trails over in the sipsey wilderness area , but afraid they my get own to me .
ReplyDeleteThank you for the update. The trail was in good condition when I hiked here a few years ago, but conditions change over time. And I do hope to get to Sipsey to do some waterfall hiking, but it will probably be a couple of years before that happens.
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