Conecuh National Forest: Conecuh Trail, Blue Spring and Open Pond Loops (Blog Hike #614)

Trails: Conecuh Trail, Blue Spring and Open Pond Loops

Hike Location: Conecuh National Forest, Open Pond Recreation Area

Geographic Location: south of Andalusia, AL (31.09178, -86.54516)

Length: 7.1 miles

Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: January 2017

Overview: A long rolling double loop past several ponds and Blue Spring.

Area Information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/alabama/recreation/open-pond-recreation-area

Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Andalusia, take US 29 south 10.6 miles to SR 137.  Take a soft left on SR 137.  Drive SR 137 south 5.4 miles to Open Pond Road; there is a sign for Open Pond Recreation Area at this intersection.  Turn left on Open Pond Rd.  Drive Open Pond Rd. 0.6 miles to the signed recreation area entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the recreation area, and drive the entrance road past the watch tower to the fee station, where a $3 day use fee was required on my visit.  Pay the fee, then turn left to reach the picnic area parking lot.  Park here; the trail starts on the left side of the lot across from a beautiful CCC-built wooden picnic shelter.

The hike: Located in extreme southern Alabama flush against the Florida state line, Conecuh National Forest comprises 84,000 acres of coastal plain pine woodlands.  The forest was established in 1936 to buy up land that had been cut over by loggers and burned over by forest fires.  The land has recovered from being overlogged nicely, and today it features some of the region’s best examples of longleaf pine forest and shallow pond habitats.

            Conecuh National Forest offers several recreation areas, the most developed of which is the Open Pond Recreation Area with its pondside 74-site campground.  For hikers, the forest’s only offering is the eponymously named Conecuh Trail, but it extends for more than 20 miles and is organized into 3 loops: the 13.2 mile North Loop, the 6.1 mile Blue Spring Loop, and the 1.8 mile Open Pond Loop.  The North Loop is too long for a comfortable dayhike (especially on the short days of winter when hiking in south Alabama is most appealing), but the latter two loops combine nicely to form the 7.1 mile figure-eight route described here.

Trailhead at picnic area

            The trailhead is marked by only a brown carsonite post and a sign bearing the universal hiker symbol.  The trail heads downhill and almost immediately forks.  This fork forms the Open Pond Loop.  To get to the more scenic Blue Spring Loop faster, this description will turn right and use the left trail as an eventual return route, thus hiking the Open Pond Loop clockwise.

            After passing through a cul de sac near the picnic area, you intersect a dirt road near where it crosses a man-made ditch.  Although no signs indicate such, the dirt road is also the connector trail to the Blue Spring Loop, which this hike goes around before continuing the Open Pond Loop.  To find the start of the Blue Spring Loop, turn left, walk toward the wooden fishing pier in scenic Buck Pond, and look for the large white plastic diamond and brown carsonite post to the right.  For the most part the Conecuh Trail is marked with copious plastic white diamonds, but this is the one spot where the route is not obvious.

Start of Blue Spring Loop

Buck Pond

            The trail traces the south bank of Buck Pond before curving left and heading toward its slightly smaller cousin Ditch Pond.  I spotted what appeared to be a beaver lodge in Buck Pond.  All of the ponds in this area are fed from natural water sources, so their size and depth depend on recent rainfall.  My visit came just two days after some heavy thunderstorms, so all ponds were full of water.  The ponds can nearly dry up during a drought.

Ditch Pond

            Upon reaching the south bank of Ditch Pond, the trail curves right and climbs slightly to reach the signed trail split that forms the Blue Spring Loop.  For no particular reason, this description will continue straight and use the trail going left as a return route, thus hiking the Blue Spring Loop counterclockwise.  The trail climbs a little more to enter the longleaf pine forest through which most of the Blue Spring Loop passes.  Some of the understory is very dense, and my approach sent a large number of woodland songbirds deeper into the shrubs.

            After passing the highest elevation on this hike, the trail drops to cross a seasonal creek before rising again into more longleaf pine forest.  The terrain is not rugged by almost any standard, but it is hillier than you might expect for south Alabama.  At 1.9 miles, you cross gravel FR 348A and begin a more serious descent, losing more than 130 feet over the next 0.2 miles.  As you get closer to Five Runs Creek, some wet areas will appear in the trail if it has rained recently.

Descending toward Pond Creek

            2.5 miles into the hike, you cross gravel FR 337 and begin the easternmost portion of the Blue Spring Loop, the portion that features Blue Spring.  This area has the lowest elevation of the hike and passes beside scenic Five Runs Creek and its tributary Pond Creek.  When I hiked this trail after recent heavy rains, both creeks had flooded this section of trail with several feet of water.  Thus, although I got within a few hundred feet of Blue Spring, I never actually made it to Blue Spring, the highlight of this loop.  The closest river gauge is on the Blackwater River in Baker, FL.  If that gauge registers over 11 feet, then Blue Spring is probably underwater.  In that case, you can cut off the easternmost portion of the Blue Spring Loop by hiking north on FR 337 and turning left on the north arm of the Blue Spring Loop, which is well-signed and easy to find if you are looking for it.

Blue Spring under water

            Now heading west on the loop’s north arm, the trail climbs the steepest hill of the hike to exit the low area along Five Runs Creek.  After recrossing FR 348A, the trail descends moderately, curves right, and crosses gravel FR 348.  A brushier and wetter area now appears below you to the right.

            At 4.3 miles, the trail curves left and crosses a short leaf-covered boardwalk that spanned flowing water on my visit.  A brushy wildlife clearing is passed on the right as some higher ground is obtained.  Just shy of 5 miles, you reach a trail intersection on the north bank of tiny but scenic Alligator Pond.  The option going right leads to the Blue Pond Recreation Area and the Conecuh Trail’s North Loop, so you need to turn sharply left to continue the Blue Spring Loop.  Any alligators in Alligator Pond were dormant and out of sight on my winter visit, but I did see numerous turtles sunning on logs.

Alligator Pond

            After tracing the east and south sides of Alligator Pond, the trail climbs slightly to recross FR 348 just before closing the Blue Spring Loop.  Turn right and retrace your steps past Ditch and Buck Ponds to get back to the Open Pond Loop, then turn left to continue the Open Pond Loop.  After passing up and over a low ridge, you cross a creaky wooden bridge over a wet area adjacent to Open Pond.  Immediately after crossing the bridge, look for the white plastic diamonds where the Open Pond Loop turns right; the option going straight leads a very short distance to Open Pond Recreation Area’s campground.

Open Pond

            For the next 0.5 miles the trail traces the south bank of Open Pond with the campground immediately to your left.  Two fishing piers stretch out over the pond’s open waters, which are much more expansive than any of the ponds you passed earlier.  Just shy of 6.5 miles, the trail crosses the paved campground entrance road at the campground registration station.  Look for a brown and yellow sign that says “HIKER TRAIL” to find where the trail reenters the woods on the other side of the road.

Hillside above Open Pond

            You climb slightly and curve right to begin treading a pine-covered hillside with the campground entrance road and Open Pond downhill to the right.  Next comes a gradual descent as you pass under the power line that serves the campground and near a couple of small roadside picnic areas.  After curving left, a short climb brings you to the paved recreation area road you drove in on, which the trail crosses.  Shortly after reentering the woods on the other side, you close the Open Pond Loop.  A right turn brings you back to the picnic area parking lot to complete the hike.

Kreher Preserve and Nature Center (Blog Hike #613)

Trails: (numerous)

Hike Location: Kreher Preserve and Nature Center

Geographic Location: north side of Auburn, AL (32.65999, -85.48791)

Length: 1.8 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: January 2017

Overview: A short rolling loop featuring historic and natural points of interest.

Preserve Information: https://kpnc.auburn.edu/

Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Montgomery and points south, take I-85 to US 29/SR 147 (exit 51).  Exit and turn left.  Drive SR 147 north 8.4 miles (making several turns along the way to stay on SR 147) to the signed Kreher Preserve and Nature Center on the right.  Park in the gravel parking lot.  From Atlanta and points north, reach the same parking lot by taking I-85 to US 280 west (exit 58), turning right on US 280, and driving US 280 6.9 miles to SR 147.  Turn left on SR 147, and the parking lot will be 1.3 miles ahead on the left.

The hike: Established in 1993, Kreher Preserve and Nature Center owes its existence to a land donation made by Dr. Louise Kreher Turner to Auburn University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Resources.  Dr. Turner was an Associate Professor of Health, Education, and Recreation at Auburn University who later became known as a writer.  Most of the land has been left in its natural state, and the preserve’s only amenities are a playground, a pavilion with an open-air amphitheater, and a system of hiking trails.

            The Kreher Preserve packs many miles of trails into its 120 acres, so many different hikes are possible.  The preserve designates three color-coded loops through its trail system: a 1 mile blue loop, a 2 mile green loop, and a 2.6 miles circuitous yellow loop.  This hike combines parts of all three of the designated routes to form this 1.8 mile loop that explores almost every major point of interest in the preserve.

Trailhead area

            Start your loop on Wax Myrtle Lane, which departs the rear of the parking lot.  An interpretive sign here gives information about the preserve, and a black mailbox nearby may contain some trail maps.  The preserve’s trails are unmarked except for the color-coded loops, but major trail intersections are signed.  The trail heads into the woods and quickly passes the playground on your right to reach the pavilion.  Restrooms and some interpretive pamphlets are available at the pavilion.

            Stay left of the pavilion and pick up the blue loop as it follows a trail called Pond Way.  Pond Way heads north toward the longleaf pine demonstration forest, which is reached at 0.25 miles.  A sign tells about the three kinds of pines that grow at the Kreher Center (longleaf, shortleaf, and loblolly) and how to distinguish them.  Some hinged tree identification markers allow you to guess what kind of tree you are looking at and then flip up the cover to check your guess.

Longleaf pine demonstration forest

            The trail now curves right and climbs slightly to enter a power line corridor that cuts through the middle of the preserve.  While I have seen plenty of deer and other wildlife in open areas such as this one, preserve managers have constructed a wooden wildlife observation blind that looks very out of place in this power line clearing.  After crossing the power line corridor, several trails exit left to head for the Cemetery Trail, the next major segment of this hike.  While each of these trails offers its own rewards, I recommend passing up the first two and turning left on the third, which is called the Ridge Path.  At this point you leave the blue loop and begin following the green loop.

Small natural spring

The Ridge Path climbs gradually past an area that features numerous small natural springs.  At 0.55 miles, the Ridge Path ends at an intersection with the Cemetery Trail.  Turn right to continue our loop, and quickly pass a modern cemetery on private property to the left.  When the trail next forks, you could go either way because the two forks re-converge in only a few hundred feet.  I prefer the option going right because it passes some interesting boulders, offers a nice bench overlooking a ravine, and stays further from noisy Farmville Road.

Barn from old homestead

            Soon you reach the preserve’s northern boundary, where a right turn is required to begin paralleling Farmville Rd.  At 0.75 miles, you reach an old rustic barn, all that remains of a homestead that predates the preserve.  The homestead was owned by Jacob Bartow Cooper before it burned down in the early 1940’s.  Pass in front of the barn, then angle right to pick up the Barn Trace, which descends on a gradual to moderate grade.

Turtle Pond

            0.9 miles into the hike, the Barn Trace ends at the north shore of Turtle Pond, which did indeed contain a few turtles on logs when I came here on a seasonally warm winter afternoon.  The Pond Way goes right to head directly back to the pavilion, but this route turns left to trace the north and east banks of the pond.  Rather than walking across the earthen dam that forms the pond, angle left to begin following the yellow loop, which climbs slightly around an old parking area.  Look for a yellow marker on a large magnolia tree that marks where the trail reenters the woods.

Large magnolia tree

            Upon reaching the unsigned Northeast Pass Trail, turn right to begin heading south along the preserve’s eastern boundary.  After passing back under the power line, you reach an area known as Azalea Place at 1.3 miles.  Continue straight to begin a trail called Tree Walk.

            A housing development appears to the left as the Tree Walk heads due south.  Upon reaching the southeast corner of the preserve, the trail curves right just before it splits.  Either option will take you to the Rill & Dell Trail, the final segment of our hike, so the choice is yours.  I prefer the Fern View Trail going left because it passes a nice creekside area with lots of ferns.  Upon reaching the Rill & Dell Trail, turn left.  A final rolling segment returns you to the parking lot to complete the hike.