Buck's Pocket State Park: Point Rock Trail (Blog Hike #1061)

Trail: Point Rock Trail
Hike Location: Buck's Pocket State Park
Geographic Location: west of Rainsville, AL (34.47527, -86.05100)
Length: 2.3 miles
Difficulty: 8/10 (Difficult)
Date Hiked: March 2025
Overview: An out-and-back, partly along cascading Little Sauty Creek, to fantastic Point Rock Overlook.
Park Information: https://www.alapark.com/parks/bucks-pocket-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=981260
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming May 29, 2026)

Directions to the trailhead: From Rainsville, take SR 75 south 9.3 miles to CR 400 and turn right on CR 400.  Drive CR 400 west 5.2 miles to CR 402 and turn right on CR 402.  Drive CR 402 north 0.8 miles.  Turn left and immediately turn right to continue north on CR 20.  Drive CR 20 north 1.8 miles to CR 557 and angle softly left on CR 557.  Drive CR 557 north 0.5 miles to CR 172 and turn left on CR 172.  Drive CR 172 west 0.7 miles to the park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the day-use fee, and park in the perpendicular parking area on the left just after crossing Little Sauty Creek but just before reaching the campground entrance.

The hike: The large number of turns and county roads in the driving directions to reach Buck's Pocket State Park testifies to this park rural and rustic location.  Possibly the most remote state park in Alabama, Buck's Pocket State Park protects 2080 acres in and around a pocket canyon in the northeast part of the state.  The park consists of land purchased from a farmer combined with land donated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and it opened in 1971.  Several theories and legends have been advanced to explain the pocket canyon's name, but none have been substantiated.

            True to its rustic nature, Buck's Pocket State Park offers limited amenities that include only a cozy 23-site developed campground, some picnic areas, and seven trails.  All of the park's hiking trails are short, and this park's signature hike is the Point Rock Trail described here.  This out-and-back connects the campground with the trail's namesake Point Rock while passing the fantastic scenery of this park's scenic but rugged pocket canyon.

Lower trailhead near campground

            From the parking lot outside the campground, walk back out the entrance road, cross Little Sauty Creek on the road's bridge, and then look to the left for the start of the Point Rock Trail.  Several small wooden signs mark this trailhead.  The Point Rock Trail begins as an old road with the creek on your left, and the trail surface alternates between smooth dirt and rough rocks, roots, and boulders.  The rough areas are quite primitive, and they make this hike harder than the distance and elevation gain would indicate.

Rough wooden steps

            At 0.3 miles, you cross a side stream at a point that forces you to scramble over some boulders.  Soon comes a steep section that climbs some rough wooden steps built into the ground.  Just past 0.5 miles, you cross Little Sauty Creek without the aid of a bridge.  All of these obstacles are manageable for most people, but they slow your progress and make you plan your steps.  Cascading Little Sauty Creek keeps you constant company through the challenges, and red aluminum discs nailed to trees mark the way.

Little Sauty Creek in Buck's Pocket

            0.7 miles into the hike, a spur trail exits right that leads to a small waterfall.  The harder and wetter the creek crossings and boulders have been so far, the better this waterfall will be.  Next the trail embarks on a short but steep and rocky final climb to the rim of the pocket canyon.  When you make the final switchback to reach the rim, the hardest part of the hike is over.

View west at Point Rock Overlook

View south at Point Rock Overlook

            The hike along the rim is an easy glide, and 1 mile into the hike you reach the Point Rock Overlook parking area.  Angle left through the parking area and walk down the gravel and boardwalk trail that accesses the overlook.  What a view!  The pocket canyon you climbed through sits to the left, while the larger South Sauty Creek canyon sits to the right and directly ahead.  Benches and rock slabs make great places to sit and rest.  There is only 1 trail to this overlook, so after enjoying the view retrace your steps back down to the campground to complete the hike.

Lake Guntersville State Park: Dry Falls/Taylor Mountain Loop (Blog Hike #1060)

Trails: Dry Falls, Terrell, Taylor Mountain, and Golf Course Trails
Hike Location: Lake Guntersville State Park
Geographic Location: northeast of Guntersville, AL (34.39527, -86.20502)
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: March 2025
Overview: A loop hike down and up a steep rocky hillside.
Park Information: https://www.alapark.com/parks/lake-guntersville-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=981185
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video:

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of US 431 and SR 227 in Guntersville, take SR 227 south 7 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, then turn right at the first intersection to follow signs for the park's lodge.  Drive the main park loop road 1.8 miles to Lodge Drive and turn left on Lodge Dr.  Park in the lodge parking lot, which is 0.1 miles ahead on the right.

The hike: At 69,100 acres of surface area, Guntersville Lake is the largest reservoir in Alabama.  The lake was formed in the late 1930's when the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) built Guntersville Dam on the Tennessee River for purposes of flood control, river navigation, and hydroelectric power generation.  The lake and dam are named for the nearby town of Guntersville, which in turn is named for John Gunter, an early settler in the area.

            Perched near the southeast corner of its namesake lake is 5909 acre Lake Guntersville State Park.  The park was formed in 1947 when the TVA transferred 4000 lakeside acres to the State of Alabama, but it did not open until 1974.  The park is one of the best-amenitied state parks in Alabama, and it offers a golf course, a lodge and convention complex, a fishing center that makes this park a top-tier fishing destination, several cabins, a 282-site developed campground, and a zip line.

            For hikers, Lake Guntersville State Park offers more than 30 trails totaling over 36 miles.  Many routes with many types of scenery are possible, and the route described here goes down and up one of the park's main ridges.  Even better, this hike begins at the park's lodge, thus allowing you to hit the trail without ever getting in your car if you are spending the night here.

Lodge trailhead

            From the front door of the lodge, walk across Lodge Drive to find the lodge's trailhead.  A wooden sign and red aluminum disc mark this trailhead.  The single track dirt trail heads into the dense pine woods that dominate this ridge.  At the first trail intersection, angle right to pass over a low knob.

Start of Dry Falls Trail

            At 0.2 miles, you reach a major trail intersection with trails going straight, left, and right.  The trail going right is the Nature Trail; it leads back to the lodge parking lot in only another 0.3 miles.  The trail going left is the Golf Course Loop; it will be our return route.  Continue straight to head south on the Dry Falls Trail and begin a counterclockwise journey around our loop.

Heading off of the ridge

            Soon the descent steepens as the trail drops off the top of the ridge, and you find yourself in a rocky ravine that feels cut-and-pasted from the Appalachian Mountains to the northeast.  The trail map says that the Dry Falls Trail is marked with yellow markers, but I saw quite a few green aluminum discs marking the trail.  As you descend the rocky trail into the ravine, the pine trees give way to a mixed forest that features plenty of sweet gum trees.  At 0.7 miles, you descend past a rock jam in the stream that is the dry falls for which this trail is named.

Rock jam in ravine

            0.9 miles into the hike, you reach the lowest elevation on this hike and the lower end of the Dry Falls Trail.  An alternative parking lot with a bench provides the only good resting point on this hike.  Turn left to begin the Terrell Trail.

Starting the Terrell Trail

            The Terrell Trail embarks on a rolling course with Aubrey Carr Scenic Drive through the trees to your right.  Several streams are crossed with the aid of wooden footbridges.  At 1.2 miles, you reach another trail intersection.  The Terrell Trail turns right to cross the road, but this hike continues straight to begin the Taylor Mountain Trail.

Starting the Taylor Mountain Trail

            The Taylor Mountain Trail dips to cross one final stream before beginning its long gradual climb.  Honestly, the Taylor Mountain Trail can get annoying: it stays near the park's main loop road for its entire distance, and it uses far more switchbacks than necessary to climb the ridge.  At 2.8 miles, you make it back to the ridgetop and reach the upper end of the Taylor Mountain Trail where it intersects the Golf Course Loop.  Angle softly left to join the Golf Course Loop, which is the last leg of this hike.

View on the Golf Course Loop

            For such an uninspiringly-named trail, the Golf Course Loop offers a reasonably pleasant hike.  On the down side, the park's main loop road stays close on the right.  On the bright side, the trail has only minor undulations, and long partially-obstructed views can be had to the left during the leafless months.  At 3.8 miles, you close the loop.  Turn right and hike 0.2 miles gradually uphill through dense pine woods to return to the lodge and complete the hike.