My husband and I hiked North Alabama's popular out-and-back Walls of Jericho Trail under a shady hardwood canopy last May. The unseasonably cool day was fortunate as each of us brought only one bottle of water on our journey.
To be honest, we hadn't done our research and didn't know what we were getting into. Neither of us had ever hiked a trail with that much elevation change. From the trailhead, our 7-mile trek went from a high of 1,829 feet above sea level to 630 feet (according to our BaseMap app). The elevation dropped 1,000 feet within the first two miles or so of the trail, which thankfully includes a number of switchbacks. We appreciated them even more on the way back.
Still, the challenge was doable and well worth it both for the beauty of the walk as well as the majesty of the limestone box canyon. The hike took us about 6 hours counting time we spent exploring the canyon and sitting on a boulder gazing at its limestone walls.
It was interesting to note how different individuals and groups approached the journey. Some on the trail were young, seasoned hikers quickly making their way down or up. Families tended to meander with their children taking as much time as necessary. Steve and I were glad we each brought a walking stick. I wished I had brought two because the up-and-down section of trail near the walls was muddy, rocky and slippery.
Besides that difficult section, the trail was relatively easy on the way down to the walls, in part because we stopped now and then for a few moments to appreciate the ferns and seasonal creeks. Going back up to the trailhead was much harder, taking us about twice as long as the trip down. We however never regretted taking on the challenge.
Along the way I had my first millipede sighting. The colorful slow-moving creature at left looked like an extra-large centipede to my eyes but my husband told me better. I later learned millipedes, which primarily eat decaying leaves and other dead plant matter, are some of the oldest known land animals. They are only distantly related to centipedes, which by contrast move rapidly and typically are venomous and carnivorous. Millipedes generally are harmless to humans, but they can become garden pests.
The day after our Walls of Jericho adventure we returned to hike the nearby Bear Den Point Loop trail. It's not nearly as popular, but for us it was a great hike. We were the only ones on the loop, a nice change from the day before. I especially enjoyed the wide variety of wood-decay fungi I saw along the way, including the sculptural growth pictured at right.
The loop trail, a 5.4-mile hike (for us) around the base of a rock table, has numerous limestone outcroppings and cave-like openings. Blazing is a bit uneven, and the path isn't as well maintained as the busier trail. We veered off the trail here and there, but BaseMap helped us find our way back to the official loop. There's not nearly as much elevation change as for the Walls of Jericho but enough to make it fairly challenging, especially at the end. We descended about 250 feet over about 4.5 miles before ascending 250 feet the last mile.
The day we hiked there were plenty of tall, weedy plants Steve knocked aside with his walking stick as he led the way. It reminded me of those old movies where small groups of travelers slashed through the jungles with machetes. It's funny how little things like that can make you notice how attractive and masculine your husband is.
Until our visit I did not know that the area, Jackson County, has the highest concentration of caves of any county in the United States, or that the upper Paint Rock River watershed, which includes the Walls of Jericho tract, is one of the few intact large functional landscapes in the Southeast.
The tract, which bridges the Alabama-Tennessee border, is part of 50,000 acres of protected lands within the Southern Cumberlands. Back in the day, Davy Crockett hunted there. In the 1940s the area was purchased by Texas oil magnate. Eventually, the Nature Conservancy acquired the land, including a 12,500-acre tract the organization later sold to Alabama's Forever Wild Program for the state's Skyline Wildlife Management Area. The Walls of Jericho itself is located just over the border in Tennessee and is part of that state's protected lands.
The Walls of Jericho Trail may be accessed either from the Alabama or Tennessee trailhead. The Bear Den Point Loop trail is located on the Alabama side. That trailhead features a large parking lot and portable restrooms.
According to reports from AllTrails, the Tennessee trail is a bit longer and more arduous than the Alabama side. That trail isn't as busy early on as the Alabama trail, with which it eventually connects.
Photos by Kathy Hagood. Pictured below, a view from the upper part of the Walls of Jericho box canyon.
Besides that difficult section, the trail was relatively easy on the way down to the walls, in part because we stopped now and then for a few moments to appreciate the ferns and seasonal creeks. Going back up to the trailhead was much harder, taking us about twice as long as the trip down. We however never regretted taking on the challenge.
The loop trail, a 5.4-mile hike (for us) around the base of a rock table, has numerous limestone outcroppings and cave-like openings. Blazing is a bit uneven, and the path isn't as well maintained as the busier trail. We veered off the trail here and there, but BaseMap helped us find our way back to the official loop. There's not nearly as much elevation change as for the Walls of Jericho but enough to make it fairly challenging, especially at the end. We descended about 250 feet over about 4.5 miles before ascending 250 feet the last mile.
The day we hiked there were plenty of tall, weedy plants Steve knocked aside with his walking stick as he led the way. It reminded me of those old movies where small groups of travelers slashed through the jungles with machetes. It's funny how little things like that can make you notice how attractive and masculine your husband is.
The tract, which bridges the Alabama-Tennessee border, is part of 50,000 acres of protected lands within the Southern Cumberlands. Back in the day, Davy Crockett hunted there. In the 1940s the area was purchased by Texas oil magnate. Eventually, the Nature Conservancy acquired the land, including a 12,500-acre tract the organization later sold to Alabama's Forever Wild Program for the state's Skyline Wildlife Management Area. The Walls of Jericho itself is located just over the border in Tennessee and is part of that state's protected lands.
The Walls of Jericho Trail may be accessed either from the Alabama or Tennessee trailhead. The Bear Den Point Loop trail is located on the Alabama side. That trailhead features a large parking lot and portable restrooms.
According to reports from AllTrails, the Tennessee trail is a bit longer and more arduous than the Alabama side. That trail isn't as busy early on as the Alabama trail, with which it eventually connects.
Photos by Kathy Hagood. Pictured below, a view from the upper part of the Walls of Jericho box canyon.
