Fort McAllister State Park: Fort Tour and Magnolia Trail (Blog Hike #835)

Trails: Fort and Magnolia Trails

Hike Location: Fort McAllister State Park
Geographic Location: south of Savannah, GA (31.88909, -81.20117)
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: January 2021
Overview: A semiloop featuring the restored Civil War fort where Sherman's March made it to the sea.
Park Information: https://gastateparks.org/FortMcAllister
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=861143
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: Just south of Savannah, take I-95 to SR 144 (exit 90) or US 17 (exit 87).  Exit and go north on US 17 or east on SR 144.  Where these two roads intersect, continue east on SR 144 for 6.6 miles to SR 144 Spur.  Turn left on SR 144 Spur, which deadends at the park in 4.2 miles.  Park in the parking lot in front of the park office/museum.

The hike: The date was December 13, 1864 when General William T. Sherman's Union army arrived outside Confederate Fort McAllister at the mouth of Georgia's Ogeechee River.  After capturing and burning Atlanta, Sherman's army had been marching southeast for 28 days on a scorched earth mission to destroy all targets, military and civilian, while capturing all available supplies to sustain their army.  Union gunboats had been trying unsuccessfully for more than a year to destroy Fort McAllister, and now only Fort McAllister stood between Sherman and his main objective: the Confederate port of Savannah.

            The battle that ensued lasted only about 15 minutes.  The fort's defense led by Major George W. Anderson consisted of only 230 men, and the Union infantry led by William B. Hazen easily overpowered them despite suffering 134 casualties.  The fort was abandoned and burned a week later, and Savannah fell to Sherman on December 21.

            Today Fort McAllister is one of the best preserved Confederate military installations, along with Fort Clinch some 90 miles down the coast in extreme north Florida.  The restoration work began while Henry Ford owned this site in the late 1930's, and the site was donated to the Georgia Historical Commission in 1958.  In 1980, Fort McAllister Historic Site was merged with Richmond Hill State Park to form the park we visit today.

            In addition to the restored fort, the park features a 65-site developed campground, 7 cottages, a pioneer camping area, a boat ramp and fishing pier on the Ogeechee River, some picnic shelters, and 2 hiking trails totaling about 4 miles.  When I came here in early January 2021, the Redbird Creek Trail, the park's longest trail, was closed for repairs.  Thus, I used a road walk to combine a walking tour of the fort with the Magnolia Trail, the park's short campground nature trail, thus forming the route described here.

Greenway behind museum

            After picking up a self-guided fort tour brochure and browsing the exhibits at the small museum, walk out the back door of the museum and head down the greenway that connects the museum and the fort.  The greenway is lined with Spanish moss-draped oak trees today, but during the fort's active days this area would have been lined by rows of tents: it was the main sleeping area for lower ranking enlisted men.  Take a quick detour to climb the steep steps to the top of a wooden signal tower, which offers great views up and down the Ogeechee River.  A "Sherman necktie," i.e. a railroad rail burned and twisted by Sherman's army, lies at the base of the tower.

View from signal tower

A "Sherman necktie"

            At 0.2 miles, you reach the barracks, officer huts, and blacksmith shop that sit at the entrance to the fort.  Cross the bridge over the waterless moat and enter the fort at the parade ground.  Follow the self-guided tour on the rubber-surface trail as it turns left and climbs past the 32 pound guns to the fort's parapet.  After walking a short distance along the parapet, the fort tour descends past the powder magazine before curving right to pass through the center of the fort.

32-pound gun on parapet

            At 0.3 miles, the fort's walking tour exits the fort at the salty port, a wide entrance used for supply wagons, and turns left to head for the mortar battery.  Although this area is heavily forested today, Hazen's main assault on the fort came from this direction.  You reach the mortar battery, the fort's eastern-most extension, at 0.4 miles, where the trail curves sharply left to trace the narrow strip of sandy land between the fort and the river.

The main barracks

            0.8 miles into the hike, you return to the barracks to complete the fort tour.  If all you want to do is see the fort, you can walk back across the greenway to the museum and complete your visit now.  To also see this park's natural area, walk partway down the greenway to a dirt service road that leads out to the paved campground access road.  Turn left twice, first on the service road and then on the campground access road.  The campground access road is arrow straight, and you can see the Savage Island Campground entrance off in the distance even though it is nearly a mile away.

            After the road to the primitive camping area exits right, the campground road exits the shady pines and enters the sunny, grassy salt marsh that separates Savage Island from the mainland.  Several benches provide opportunities to sit, rest, and watch for birds near the midpoint of this hike.  At 1.8 miles, you reach the campground entrance and the signed start of the Magnolia Trail on the left.  Turn left to leave the asphalt and begin the dirt nature trail.

Trailhead for Magnolia Trail

            The Magnolia Trail heads north through an oak and pine forest that is draped heavily with Spanish moss.  Saw palmettos dot the understory as the first of two short spur trails exits left.  These spur trails are worth taking, as they lead to nice views across the Ogeechee River's salt marsh.

Ogeechee River's salt marsh

            At 2.6 miles, you reach the other end of the Magnolia Trail, which lies deep in the Savage Island Campground.  Either retrace your steps along the nature trail, or turn right and walk the campground road back to the Magnolia Trail's trailhead near the campground entrance.  A road walk of just over a mile back to the park office and museum completes the hike.

Chehaw Park in Albany, GA (Blog Hike #834)

Trail: Chehaw Bike Trail
Hike Location: Chehaw Park
Geographic Location: north side of Albany, GA (31.62378, -84.13736)
Length: 3.3 miles
Difficulty: 3/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: December 2020
Overview: A loop hike on mountain bike trails featuring views of Muckalee Creek.
Park Information: https://chehaw.org/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=850946
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of SR 91 and US 19 on the north side of Albany, take SR 91 north 1.2 miles to the signed entrance for Chehaw Park on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, and drive the main park loop road to the mountain bike trailhead on the right.

The hike: Located on the north side of Albany but not beside Chehaw Lake, Chehaw Park protects 800 acres of pinelands and wetlands along Muckalee Creek.  The park is named for a tribe of the Creek people who lived throughout this property for several hundred years and befriended white settlers.  Creek artifacts including arrowheads, tools, and clay pipes have been found on this land.

            Although the park is owned by the City of Albany, the park feels more like a state park than a city park, and there is good reason for that.  The park was originally developed in 1937 as Chehaw State Park.  After operating the park as a state park for several decades, in 1974 the State of Georgia leased 100 acres of unused park land to the City of Albany for the purpose of developing a zoo.  The zoo opened in 1977, and in 1979 the Chehaw Park Authority was created.  The Chehaw Park Authority and the City of Albany jointly maintain the park today.

            In addition to the zoo, Chehaw Park features a 44-site developed campground, an 18-site primitive campground, an education center, a BMX track, a remote-controlled car track, a miniature train, some picnic pavilions, and nearly 8 miles of trails open to hikers and mountain bikes.  The trails were built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers, as evidenced by the serpentine route they take.  The route described here explores the eastern half of the trail system, and it takes you through a mixture of pineland and creekside habitats.

Main mountain bike trailhead

            The main mountain bike trailhead is located at the edge of the woods behind and to the left of the picnic area restroom building but to the right of the BMX track.  Only a small yellow sign marks this trailhead, and a power line also enters the woods here.  The trail curves left away from the powerline, and soon the trail's winding and curving back on itself begins.  Mountain bike trails are designed to pack maximum distance into minimum surface area, and the persistent winding helps accomplish this goal.  While it may be frustrating to look 10 feet to your right and see where you walked 10 minutes ago, the terrain is dead flat, and the pineywoods make for a nice setting.  If you really want to avoid the winding, you can walk along the power line corridor, which takes a more direct route.

Hiking through pineywoods

            Just shy of 1 mile, you cross first the power line corridor and then the miniature train tracks before reaching a trail intersection with arrows pointing left and right.  If you want to do more winding, you can turn right and hike a longer loop behind the park's front office.  For a more direct route, turn left, and then turn left again to begin heading northeast with noisy and busy SR 91 on your right.

Trail intersection

            The next segment of the hike passes through a sunny grove of pine trees near SR 91, and the highway noise makes this part of the hike less than ideal.  At the next trail intersection with arrows again pointing left and right, angle right to hike another serpentine before continuing a general northeast course.  At 1.7 miles, the trail curves left to begin following a dirt park maintenance road that appears on the right.  Do not cross the road, but parallel the dirt road to reach the park's campground at 2 miles into the hike.  Some picnic tables at the campground's rear fringe make nice places to sit and rest near the midpoint of this hike.

Zoo entrance

            After brushing the fringe of the campground, the dirt trail heads north to cross the miniature railroad track, another dirt maintenance road, and then the paved entrance and exit roads for the park's zoo.  Next the trail begins following a chain link fence that marks the zoo boundary on the right, and the park's disc golf course comes close on the left.  At 2.7 miles, the trail curves left as Muckalee Creek comes into view downhill to the right.

Hiking along the fence

            The next 0.4 miles tread through a narrow woods corridor with the paved park road on the left and Muckalee Creek on the right.  3.1 miles into the hike, you reach a creek overlook platform located behind the Creekside Education Center.  The creek was wide and murky on my visit, but I enjoyed watching for birds along the calm waters.

Muckalee Creek

            The trail continues to the west, and if you are up for more winding through more pineywoods you can extend your hike into the western part of the trail system.  I needed to start my long drive home, so I hiked around the Creekside Education Center and along the park road to return to my car and complete my hike.  If I had more time here, the zoo and disc golf course are among the park's other attractions, and they would be at the top of my list to check out.

            

Landmark Park near Dothan, AL (Blog Hike #833)

Trail: Nature Trail
Hike Location: Landmark Park
Geographic Location: north of Dothan, AL (31.28898, -85.36929)
Length: 1.2 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: December 2020
Overview: A loop hike partly on boardwalk featuring a reconstructed pioneer farm.
Park Information: https://www.landmarkparkdothan.com/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=850532
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: Where US 431 leaves north from the Dothan ring road, take US 431 north 2.8 miles to the signed entrance for Landmark Park on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and park in the grass/dirt parking lot near the gazebo.  The hike starts from the park's Interpretive Center and Planetarium.

The hike: Originating in 1976 as the Dothan Landmarks Foundation, Landmark Park began as an effort to preserve historic sites in and around Dothan.  In 1978, two land donations totaling 53 acres formed the center of what is today known as Landmark Park.  Over the next two decades historic buildings from around the region were moved to the site, and other constructions including a wetlands boardwalk and the Alabama Agricultural Museum were added to the park's attractions.

            Today the 135-acre park features all of these points of interest as well as a planetarium, and its collection of historic buildings rivals any such collection in the region.  In addition to the developed areas, the park also has a natural wetland area that is explored by trails that alternate between dirt and boardwalk.  Landmark Park is a stop on the Wiregrass Birding Trail partly due to these trails.  The route described here forms the longest possible loop through the trail system without repeating any trail segments.

Start of Nature Trail at Interpretive Center

            After walking out the front door of the Interpretive Center and Planetarium, turn right twice to begin walking east on the wide dirt nature trail with the Interpretive Center on your right and the wetland boardwalk on your left.  Numerous interpretive signs describe the flora and fauna of the forest, which consists of the usual mix of pine, oak, sweetgum, and magnolia.  In terms of wildlife, I saw only a few squirrels and deer here on my late afternoon visit in mid-December.

Hiking beside the wetland

            At 0.3 miles, you reach a tree ring exhibit and a trail intersection.  We will eventually angle left to continue the main loop, but first turn right and walk out to the re-created pioneer farm.  The Waddell Farm House, barn, and windmill take center stage, but the assembly of buildings also includes a corn crib, smokehouse, log cabin, chicken coop (with live chickens), and blacksmith shop.  Take a few minutes to walk around the re-created farm and see what you can learn about pioneer life in southeast Alabama.

Waddell Farm House and windmill

The barn

            Back on the main loop, the trail passes an overgrown overlook before reaching the start of this hike's first boardwalk.  Despite the boardwalk being in rough shape on my visit, work was underway to repair it, and it got me across the wetland safely.  This boardwalk crosses some open water, but noise from nearby US 431 makes this area less than ideal for bird watching.

Wetland near first boardwalk

            At the north end of the boardwalk, the trail surface goes back to dirt as the trail climbs slightly to enter drier forest.  Near 0.9 miles, the trail intersects this hike's second boardwalk, which goes right and left.  This boardwalk is also the one you saw at the Interpretive Center, and it had recently been rebuilt on my visit.  To maximize your time on the boardwalk, angle right to begin walking counterclockwise around this boardwalk.

Interpretive station on second boardwalk

            Although the water is not as open here as on the first boardwalk, several sheltered interpretive stations offer benches where you can sit, rest, and observe the wetland.  Near 1.1 miles into the hike, the boardwalk deposits you at the Interpretive Center.  A short walk back to the parking lot completes the hike.  While you are here, check out the other historic buildings that have been moved to this park; they are located near the parking lot and include a gazebo, church, general store, school, and drugstore with working old-time soda fountain that is open Wednesday through Sunday.